Tjames557 Posted February 5, 2015 Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 (edited) So i have always heard theories that in certain cars, using a higher octane that what is recommended is better for the car and can get you better gas mileage. I tried it with my F-150 and didnt see any results. So my question is, what octane are you using in your 3.5L and have you seen any benefits of using a higher octane? Here in CA we have 87, 89 and 91. First fill up i did was 87. Should i go with something higher next time? Edited February 5, 2015 by Tjames557 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted February 5, 2015 Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 It's simple. In a car that is tuned for 87 and which does not have programming to advance the timing beyond that (like your F150) you won't see any benefit from higher octane. None at all. Many modern vehicles now have this ability. They will advance the timing until it starts to knock. 93 octane fuel will allow the timing to be advanced considerably resulting in more power and slightly better mpg. Vehicles like this will either advertise their power ratings on 91 or 93 octane or the owner's manual will say that using higher octane will give you more power. Most (if not all) ecoboost engines fall into that category. If your owner's manual says 87 with no mention of higher octane then it won't help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tjames557 Posted February 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 It's simple. In a car that is tuned for 87 and which does not have programming to advance the timing beyond that (like your F150) you won't see any benefit from higher octane. None at all. Many modern vehicles now have this ability. They will advance the timing until it starts to knock. 93 octane fuel will allow the timing to be advanced considerably resulting in more power and slightly better mpg. Vehicles like this will either advertise their power ratings on 91 or 93 octane or the owner's manual will say that using higher octane will give you more power. Most (if not all) ecoboost engines fall into that category. If your owner's manual says 87 with no mention of higher octane then it won't help. Thank you sir. 87 it is then! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WWWPerfA_ZN0W Posted February 5, 2015 Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 87 should be fine. Stick with a Top Tier gas station (with high turnover/traffic) to keep problems away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thirdgenlxi Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 Regular old 87 for me..... like akirby mentioned, if it's designed for 87, then anything more you're just throwing $$ down the drain. Don't take this in a literal sense, but just for explanation purposes.... think of higher octane fuels as just watered down 87. It's just a higher resistance to burn... like diesel fuel (just not quite to that extent, lol) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CinnamonEdge Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 I just want to clear things up a bit. The ECU on the Edge is optimized for 87octane. Using any higher octane will probably give you a slight gain in power as the engine will adjust timing for increased octane, but not as much as if your ECU was programmed for a higher octane. I used to have a SCT X3 programmer for my Ford Escape and I had a high octane program that I could really feel a difference in power when running the high octane fuel. I'm actually considering purchasing the newer X4 programmer because when I ran the custom 87 octane performance program, it gave me a couple MPG extra along with more power and better shift points. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macbwt Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 Concur 87 and never a problem except for the one time I.....never mind we won't go into that. LOL Hint: Aviation fuel not a recommended choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WWWPerfA_ZN0W Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 Hint: Aviation fuel not a recommended choice. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tjames557 Posted February 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 I just want to clear things up a bit. The ECU on the Edge is optimized for 87octane. Using any higher octane will probably give you a slight gain in power as the engine will adjust timing for increased octane, but not as much as if your ECU was programmed for a higher octane. I used to have a SCT X3 programmer for my Ford Escape and I had a high octane program that I could really feel a difference in power when running the high octane fuel. I'm actually considering purchasing the newer X4 programmer because when I ran the custom 87 octane performance program, it gave me a couple MPG extra along with more power and better shift points. I was thinking about a programmer as well... i was going to do some more research first. I had an edge evo on my f150 and i got a few more mpg's and some performance, but wasnt sure how beneficial it is to the edges 3.5L . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WWWPerfA_ZN0W Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 EMail Torrie at Unleashed Tuning. He'll let you know what's possible with the 3.5L. info@unleashedtuning.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tjames557 Posted February 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 EMail Torrie at Unleashed Tuning. He'll let you know what's possible with the 3.5L. info@unleashedtuning.com Cool thank you, ill do that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tjames557 Posted February 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 87 should be fine. Stick with a Top Tier gas station (with high turnover/traffic) to keep problems away. Regular old 87 for me..... like akirby mentioned, if it's designed for 87, then anything more you're just throwing $$ down the drain. Don't take this in a literal sense, but just for explanation purposes.... think of higher octane fuels as just watered down 87. It's just a higher resistance to burn... like diesel fuel (just not quite to that extent, lol) Thanks for the info guys. I contacted unleashed tuning to see what they can do for a programmer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MtnMrksmn Posted February 28, 2015 Report Share Posted February 28, 2015 also, why don't you sea-foam once a month or an oil change? cleans all the crap out and could help out on the MPG. I will prob spring for a SCT tuner and a K & N. K&N claims a gain of almost 10HP and you should get a increase of MPG as-well. a tune and a intake power and MPG should be way obvious. Coming from a 07 wrangler trust me this AWD limited is a dream hahaha Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cv27 Posted February 28, 2015 Report Share Posted February 28, 2015 The 2015 Edge Owners Manual (v1), while recommending 87, has this notice: Premium unleaded gasoline will provide improved performance and is recommended for severe duty usage, for example a fully loaded vehicle. So does this mean the 2015 Edge does in fact have programming to accommodate the higher octane? The manual also says this: Running out of fuel can cause damage not covered by the vehicle Warranty. Can anyone explain this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WWWPerfA_ZN0W Posted February 28, 2015 Report Share Posted February 28, 2015 (edited) Running out of fuel can damage the fuel pump. Since the failure was not caused by a defective part, and instead by user negligence, the warranty would not cover fuel pump replacement. http://www.agcoauto.com/content/news/p2_articleid/195 Edited February 28, 2015 by WWWPerfA_ZN0W Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macbwt Posted February 28, 2015 Report Share Posted February 28, 2015 Hard concept to believe but the coils and motor are immersed in the fuel and the fuel is used to cool these parts. Running on or below empty will cause the fuel pumpt to over heat then fail. Just adopt the same philosphy my wife has and tell me she needs gas because the car is almost empty then when go to put gas in it I find out it still has half a tank. She is afraid of running out of gas. I usually refuel at 1/4 tank if nothing else a reason to get out of the car and stretch the legs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted February 28, 2015 Report Share Posted February 28, 2015 It will advance the engine timing to take advantage of the added octane yielding a bit more power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ungo Posted March 22, 2015 Report Share Posted March 22, 2015 Always use 87 in mine... Interesting enough I just started going to Costco and they use the "top tier rated" gas. I noticed 1-2 mpg increase since I started using it. Used to usually just get Speedway gas when I filled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.