Ecoboost only---real world mileage.
02-10-2013, 01:00 AM
#2851
Ok, I have been working at a location this past week that is 2 exits away from my house. So every morning when I get on the interstate, I set the cruise at 75 and then reset the MPG monitor. I can clearly tell the difference between temp. On the warmest morning (50's), I actually saw 20+ for the trip. On the coldest (low 20's), I saw 13.
So last night I made a detour and filled my tank with 90 octane, 0% ethanol gas. It was about 30 cents more expensive, but so far it looks worth it.
This morning I ran the route (28 degrees) and got 15.2. That is a nice improvement there and my tank was still about 3% ethanol (I put 21 gallons in, so 15 gallons were still 10%). Then I ran some other errands and noticed much better mileage in town than I had ever seen. So there is definitely something to this.
Also, any fuel not listed as containing ethanol (10 or 85%) or with an octane rating above 90 should never have ethanol in it
02-10-2013, 08:15 AM
#2852
I bought it from an independent fuel and oil distributor that advertises it as Zero Ethanol.
You can find a list here: http://pure-gas.org/
You can find a list here: http://pure-gas.org/
02-10-2013, 05:28 PM
#2853
Ethanol usage varies GREATLY by region.
Regarding, "Also, any fuel not listed as containing ethanol (10 or 85%) or with an octane rating above 90 should never have ethanol in it."
I agree with everything else in your post, but not with the last line. In the bigger metropolitan areas in Texas, they aren't supposed to be selling any Ethanol-free gas. I live in the D/FW Metroplex, but drive to Central Texas and to Oklahoma frequently. The nearest Ethanol-free gas to me is almost in Oklahoma. (All the 93-octane you'll find around here is E10, unless you pay up for race gas.)
That said, Ethanol has a higher octane rating that gasoline (around 114, I believe) - BUT it also produces less BTU energy than gas. Some vehicles run GREAT on E85 because of the detonation-resistance. But a gallon of ethanol just can't take you as far as a gallon of gas.
My EB loves the "pure gas", but I only get it on periodic commutes between here and Oklahoma.
I agree with everything else in your post, but not with the last line. In the bigger metropolitan areas in Texas, they aren't supposed to be selling any Ethanol-free gas. I live in the D/FW Metroplex, but drive to Central Texas and to Oklahoma frequently. The nearest Ethanol-free gas to me is almost in Oklahoma. (All the 93-octane you'll find around here is E10, unless you pay up for race gas.)
That said, Ethanol has a higher octane rating that gasoline (around 114, I believe) - BUT it also produces less BTU energy than gas. Some vehicles run GREAT on E85 because of the detonation-resistance. But a gallon of ethanol just can't take you as far as a gallon of gas.
My EB loves the "pure gas", but I only get it on periodic commutes between here and Oklahoma.
02-10-2013, 05:42 PM
#2854
E-10 Comment
Just to chime in on some of the E-10 thoughts. I have a 2013 SCrew Eco Boost, 4x4, 355's & 5.5 Bed. Mileage is very good, in fact better than I expected. So I am very happy with the new truck. I also have a '93 F-150 Lightning. Used to get 15 around town and as much as 19+ on the road. Have had the truck since 1994. When they started to add ethanol my mileage went down to about 13 in town and I can barely eek out 17 on the road. E-10 gasoline is the only factor that changed! Can fill it up a couple of times with non-ethanol and mileage begins to climb back up after the first tank.
02-10-2013, 07:02 PM
#2855
Senior Member
Thanks for he acknowledgement man, most people don't believe me when it comes to using premium and not running ethanol, I proved the same thing on my old 98 4.6L F150, I had that pickup average as much as 23 and it was rated 17 highway, I'm also a big believer in fuel additives but hesitant to use them on the Ecoboost.
Also, any fuel not listed as containing ethanol (10 or 85%) or with an octane rating above 90 should never have ethanol in it
Also, any fuel not listed as containing ethanol (10 or 85%) or with an octane rating above 90 should never have ethanol in it
Also, it may be a regional thing, but you get 91 and 93 E10 is everywhere down here. It's the station that makes the difference. Most stations sell E10 in all grades, while a few stations sell pure gas in all grades.
02-10-2013, 07:23 PM
#2856
The differences in mileage you see are much more likely due to the ethanol and not the octane, especially in cold temps.
Also, it may be a regional thing, but you get 91 and 93 E10 is everywhere down here. It's the station that makes the difference. Most stations sell E10 in all grades, while a few stations sell pure gas in all grades.
02-10-2013, 11:59 PM
#2857
Member
The things I notice with the greatest effect on mileage are:
Transmission operating temperature. It seems to take perhaps 10 miles on a warm day or 15 on a cooler day to get up to operating temperature ~~195ºF. Until then, I can't get better than 16 or 17 mpg. If my driving consisted of 5 mile or maybe even 8 mile trips, I doubt the mileage would be over 12 mpg average.
Gasoline. I have had several occasions where I have filled up (always with 87 octane) at an unknown station and had the mileage immediately drop from around 20 to around 15. Once I've burned that tank and refilled, the mileage would go back up. Perhaps it had more ethanol or something?
Winter Gasoline Mix. I see a lot of reports about this, but I have seen very little effect. I have a suspicion that winter mix gasoline may effect a N/A engine a lot more than it does with a D/I Turbo engine and although there a lot of qualms about winter mix, it may actually not affect the EB as much as it does other engines. But it's just a suspicion based on 2 winters in 2 different EB trucks.
Air speed. Of course the truck is not very aerodynamic and wind resistance is a BIG factor. The difference between a steady 60mph and 75mph is the difference between 20 and 15 mpg on my truck. Wind speed affects it accordingly. With a 15 mph tail wind, I can get 20mpg at 75 mph. With a 15 mph head wind, I can't get better than 15 at 60mph. I'm not complaining, I knew it was a truck when I bought it and I didn't expect Prius kinds of mileage.
Octane. I don't see any difference between 87 and 91 octane in mpg. Of course with a 91 economy tune, perhaps the 91 would do much better than the stock tune. I normally run an 87 Economy tune (MPT).
CAC/Stock Tune. When they replaced my CAC and updated the stock tune, my mileage jumped to around 20 mpg with the stock tune. Mike had to update the 87E tune and it has so far not improved the stock tune. But he is still refining it and perhaps some more gains are possible. I didn't notice any loss of power, if anything, perhaps a bit more with the stock tune after the Ford software update and certainly a 4 or 5 mpg improvement.
Driving Style. Sure, hot rodding with a lot of turbo action, braking sharply at the lights and romping on it on green will kill the mileage - but who didn't expect that. Accelerating briskly and leveling off or accelerating very slowly and taking longer to reach speed doesn't seem to make much difference on my truck. Driving very, very conservatively, still using cruise control and not hyper-mileing or just ignoring mileage and driving like you stole it, doesn't make more than 1 or 2 miles per gallon average effect for me.
Hardware. I don't know how else to classify this issue. My 2011 got mid 20's mpg at 75 mph. Even with all the towing I did, it got 19.2 mpg lifetime average. And then at 10,000 miles, IT BROKE! After that mileage began dropping. Quickly down to where I couldn't get better than 10 mpg or so at any speed under any conditions. Dealer couldn't find anything wrong and at 17,000 miles, I finally gave up and traded it - clearly it was broken, but no one could or would fix it. My 2012 has never done that well on mileage, but it has not broken either and lifetime average is around 18 mpg. But it's slowly climbing now after the software updates (at 10,000 miles) and I expect it will probably reach 21 or 22 average lifetime.
Dumbo towing mirrors. Perhaps 0.5 to 1.0 mpg (folded in or out) difference depending on wind speed and direction. Standard mirrors - no measurable difference folded in or out.
"Advance Track". Jury is still out on this one as far as I am concerned. I keep testing with it on and off over the same route and conditions. It seems like it may make a little difference, but not enough that I have actually been able to measure it. I'm pretty sure the trailer sway control, doesn't make any difference (when I'm not towing). I don't really know if it is even operative when there is no trailer?
Tunes. Absolutely can make a great difference. The stock tune has to accommodate all the conditions and situations a standard truck may face. A tune designed specifically for your climate, altitude, terrain, driving style, octane, load, etc., could significantly improve the stock (compromise) tune. When the stock tune was yielding around 16 mpg, the MPT 87Economy tune got me around 22 mpg at the same speeds.
It's still great for a truck. Certainly my most favorite vehicle ever. I look for opportunities to get in it and go somewhere.
Transmission operating temperature. It seems to take perhaps 10 miles on a warm day or 15 on a cooler day to get up to operating temperature ~~195ºF. Until then, I can't get better than 16 or 17 mpg. If my driving consisted of 5 mile or maybe even 8 mile trips, I doubt the mileage would be over 12 mpg average.
Gasoline. I have had several occasions where I have filled up (always with 87 octane) at an unknown station and had the mileage immediately drop from around 20 to around 15. Once I've burned that tank and refilled, the mileage would go back up. Perhaps it had more ethanol or something?
Winter Gasoline Mix. I see a lot of reports about this, but I have seen very little effect. I have a suspicion that winter mix gasoline may effect a N/A engine a lot more than it does with a D/I Turbo engine and although there a lot of qualms about winter mix, it may actually not affect the EB as much as it does other engines. But it's just a suspicion based on 2 winters in 2 different EB trucks.
Air speed. Of course the truck is not very aerodynamic and wind resistance is a BIG factor. The difference between a steady 60mph and 75mph is the difference between 20 and 15 mpg on my truck. Wind speed affects it accordingly. With a 15 mph tail wind, I can get 20mpg at 75 mph. With a 15 mph head wind, I can't get better than 15 at 60mph. I'm not complaining, I knew it was a truck when I bought it and I didn't expect Prius kinds of mileage.
Octane. I don't see any difference between 87 and 91 octane in mpg. Of course with a 91 economy tune, perhaps the 91 would do much better than the stock tune. I normally run an 87 Economy tune (MPT).
CAC/Stock Tune. When they replaced my CAC and updated the stock tune, my mileage jumped to around 20 mpg with the stock tune. Mike had to update the 87E tune and it has so far not improved the stock tune. But he is still refining it and perhaps some more gains are possible. I didn't notice any loss of power, if anything, perhaps a bit more with the stock tune after the Ford software update and certainly a 4 or 5 mpg improvement.
Driving Style. Sure, hot rodding with a lot of turbo action, braking sharply at the lights and romping on it on green will kill the mileage - but who didn't expect that. Accelerating briskly and leveling off or accelerating very slowly and taking longer to reach speed doesn't seem to make much difference on my truck. Driving very, very conservatively, still using cruise control and not hyper-mileing or just ignoring mileage and driving like you stole it, doesn't make more than 1 or 2 miles per gallon average effect for me.
Hardware. I don't know how else to classify this issue. My 2011 got mid 20's mpg at 75 mph. Even with all the towing I did, it got 19.2 mpg lifetime average. And then at 10,000 miles, IT BROKE! After that mileage began dropping. Quickly down to where I couldn't get better than 10 mpg or so at any speed under any conditions. Dealer couldn't find anything wrong and at 17,000 miles, I finally gave up and traded it - clearly it was broken, but no one could or would fix it. My 2012 has never done that well on mileage, but it has not broken either and lifetime average is around 18 mpg. But it's slowly climbing now after the software updates (at 10,000 miles) and I expect it will probably reach 21 or 22 average lifetime.
Dumbo towing mirrors. Perhaps 0.5 to 1.0 mpg (folded in or out) difference depending on wind speed and direction. Standard mirrors - no measurable difference folded in or out.
"Advance Track". Jury is still out on this one as far as I am concerned. I keep testing with it on and off over the same route and conditions. It seems like it may make a little difference, but not enough that I have actually been able to measure it. I'm pretty sure the trailer sway control, doesn't make any difference (when I'm not towing). I don't really know if it is even operative when there is no trailer?
Tunes. Absolutely can make a great difference. The stock tune has to accommodate all the conditions and situations a standard truck may face. A tune designed specifically for your climate, altitude, terrain, driving style, octane, load, etc., could significantly improve the stock (compromise) tune. When the stock tune was yielding around 16 mpg, the MPT 87Economy tune got me around 22 mpg at the same speeds.
It's still great for a truck. Certainly my most favorite vehicle ever. I look for opportunities to get in it and go somewhere.
Last edited by Legendsk; 02-11-2013 at 12:05 AM.
The following 3 users liked this post by Legendsk:
03-03-2013, 09:55 AM
#2858
The things I notice with the greatest effect on mileage are:
Transmission operating temperature. It seems to take perhaps 10 miles on a warm day or 15 on a cooler day to get up to operating temperature ~~195ºF. Until then, I can't get better than 16 or 17 mpg. If my driving consisted of 5 mile or maybe even 8 mile trips, I doubt the mileage would be over 12 mpg average.
Gasoline. I have had several occasions where I have filled up (always with 87 octane) at an unknown station and had the mileage immediately drop from around 20 to around 15. Once I've burned that tank and refilled, the mileage would go back up. Perhaps it had more ethanol or something?
Winter Gasoline Mix. I see a lot of reports about this, but I have seen very little effect. I have a suspicion that winter mix gasoline may effect a N/A engine a lot more than it does with a D/I Turbo engine and although there a lot of qualms about winter mix, it may actually not affect the EB as much as it does other engines. But it's just a suspicion based on 2 winters in 2 different EB trucks.
Air speed. Of course the truck is not very aerodynamic and wind resistance is a BIG factor. The difference between a steady 60mph and 75mph is the difference between 20 and 15 mpg on my truck. Wind speed affects it accordingly. With a 15 mph tail wind, I can get 20mpg at 75 mph. With a 15 mph head wind, I can't get better than 15 at 60mph. I'm not complaining, I knew it was a truck when I bought it and I didn't expect Prius kinds of mileage.
Octane. I don't see any difference between 87 and 91 octane in mpg. Of course with a 91 economy tune, perhaps the 91 would do much better than the stock tune. I normally run an 87 Economy tune (MPT).
CAC/Stock Tune. When they replaced my CAC and updated the stock tune, my mileage jumped to around 20 mpg with the stock tune. Mike had to update the 87E tune and it has so far not improved the stock tune. But he is still refining it and perhaps some more gains are possible. I didn't notice any loss of power, if anything, perhaps a bit more with the stock tune after the Ford software update and certainly a 4 or 5 mpg improvement.
Driving Style. Sure, hot rodding with a lot of turbo action, braking sharply at the lights and romping on it on green will kill the mileage - but who didn't expect that. Accelerating briskly and leveling off or accelerating very slowly and taking longer to reach speed doesn't seem to make much difference on my truck. Driving very, very conservatively, still using cruise control and not hyper-mileing or just ignoring mileage and driving like you stole it, doesn't make more than 1 or 2 miles per gallon average effect for me.
Hardware. I don't know how else to classify this issue. My 2011 got mid 20's mpg at 75 mph. Even with all the towing I did, it got 19.2 mpg lifetime average. And then at 10,000 miles, IT BROKE! After that mileage began dropping. Quickly down to where I couldn't get better than 10 mpg or so at any speed under any conditions. Dealer couldn't find anything wrong and at 17,000 miles, I finally gave up and traded it - clearly it was broken, but no one could or would fix it. My 2012 has never done that well on mileage, but it has not broken either and lifetime average is around 18 mpg. But it's slowly climbing now after the software updates (at 10,000 miles) and I expect it will probably reach 21 or 22 average lifetime.
Dumbo towing mirrors. Perhaps 0.5 to 1.0 mpg (folded in or out) difference depending on wind speed and direction. Standard mirrors - no measurable difference folded in or out.
"Advance Track". Jury is still out on this one as far as I am concerned. I keep testing with it on and off over the same route and conditions. It seems like it may make a little difference, but not enough that I have actually been able to measure it. I'm pretty sure the trailer sway control, doesn't make any difference (when I'm not towing). I don't really know if it is even operative when there is no trailer?
Tunes. Absolutely can make a great difference. The stock tune has to accommodate all the conditions and situations a standard truck may face. A tune designed specifically for your climate, altitude, terrain, driving style, octane, load, etc., could significantly improve the stock (compromise) tune. When the stock tune was yielding around 16 mpg, the MPT 87Economy tune got me around 22 mpg at the same speeds.
It's still great for a truck. Certainly my most favorite vehicle ever. I look for opportunities to get in it and go somewhere.
Transmission operating temperature. It seems to take perhaps 10 miles on a warm day or 15 on a cooler day to get up to operating temperature ~~195ºF. Until then, I can't get better than 16 or 17 mpg. If my driving consisted of 5 mile or maybe even 8 mile trips, I doubt the mileage would be over 12 mpg average.
Gasoline. I have had several occasions where I have filled up (always with 87 octane) at an unknown station and had the mileage immediately drop from around 20 to around 15. Once I've burned that tank and refilled, the mileage would go back up. Perhaps it had more ethanol or something?
Winter Gasoline Mix. I see a lot of reports about this, but I have seen very little effect. I have a suspicion that winter mix gasoline may effect a N/A engine a lot more than it does with a D/I Turbo engine and although there a lot of qualms about winter mix, it may actually not affect the EB as much as it does other engines. But it's just a suspicion based on 2 winters in 2 different EB trucks.
Air speed. Of course the truck is not very aerodynamic and wind resistance is a BIG factor. The difference between a steady 60mph and 75mph is the difference between 20 and 15 mpg on my truck. Wind speed affects it accordingly. With a 15 mph tail wind, I can get 20mpg at 75 mph. With a 15 mph head wind, I can't get better than 15 at 60mph. I'm not complaining, I knew it was a truck when I bought it and I didn't expect Prius kinds of mileage.
Octane. I don't see any difference between 87 and 91 octane in mpg. Of course with a 91 economy tune, perhaps the 91 would do much better than the stock tune. I normally run an 87 Economy tune (MPT).
CAC/Stock Tune. When they replaced my CAC and updated the stock tune, my mileage jumped to around 20 mpg with the stock tune. Mike had to update the 87E tune and it has so far not improved the stock tune. But he is still refining it and perhaps some more gains are possible. I didn't notice any loss of power, if anything, perhaps a bit more with the stock tune after the Ford software update and certainly a 4 or 5 mpg improvement.
Driving Style. Sure, hot rodding with a lot of turbo action, braking sharply at the lights and romping on it on green will kill the mileage - but who didn't expect that. Accelerating briskly and leveling off or accelerating very slowly and taking longer to reach speed doesn't seem to make much difference on my truck. Driving very, very conservatively, still using cruise control and not hyper-mileing or just ignoring mileage and driving like you stole it, doesn't make more than 1 or 2 miles per gallon average effect for me.
Hardware. I don't know how else to classify this issue. My 2011 got mid 20's mpg at 75 mph. Even with all the towing I did, it got 19.2 mpg lifetime average. And then at 10,000 miles, IT BROKE! After that mileage began dropping. Quickly down to where I couldn't get better than 10 mpg or so at any speed under any conditions. Dealer couldn't find anything wrong and at 17,000 miles, I finally gave up and traded it - clearly it was broken, but no one could or would fix it. My 2012 has never done that well on mileage, but it has not broken either and lifetime average is around 18 mpg. But it's slowly climbing now after the software updates (at 10,000 miles) and I expect it will probably reach 21 or 22 average lifetime.
Dumbo towing mirrors. Perhaps 0.5 to 1.0 mpg (folded in or out) difference depending on wind speed and direction. Standard mirrors - no measurable difference folded in or out.
"Advance Track". Jury is still out on this one as far as I am concerned. I keep testing with it on and off over the same route and conditions. It seems like it may make a little difference, but not enough that I have actually been able to measure it. I'm pretty sure the trailer sway control, doesn't make any difference (when I'm not towing). I don't really know if it is even operative when there is no trailer?
Tunes. Absolutely can make a great difference. The stock tune has to accommodate all the conditions and situations a standard truck may face. A tune designed specifically for your climate, altitude, terrain, driving style, octane, load, etc., could significantly improve the stock (compromise) tune. When the stock tune was yielding around 16 mpg, the MPT 87Economy tune got me around 22 mpg at the same speeds.
It's still great for a truck. Certainly my most favorite vehicle ever. I look for opportunities to get in it and go somewhere.
My Eco's mpg dropped off the map around 12k and never returned.
03-03-2013, 10:18 PM
#2860
2013 XLT crewcab 3.35 6.5 bed
Round trip of 118 miles of rolling hills (never shifted down though) and got 19.9 when I pulled back into the garage. That was on 10% ethanol and stock tires, cruise control only one way. I'm pretty happy with it
Round trip of 118 miles of rolling hills (never shifted down though) and got 19.9 when I pulled back into the garage. That was on 10% ethanol and stock tires, cruise control only one way. I'm pretty happy with it