Premium Fuel - what Octane?

[jcal0820]

Haven't found any forums with comprehensive info on this yet, but what Octane fuel are most running on their FiST? Was originally told that 87 regular was fine, since, like most modern engines, the ECU will compensate. In CA, the highest available is 91, which is what I've been using for Max performance.

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[Battle Design]

Not too sure on what others are running, But have been filling up with 91.

 

[TyphoonFiST]

I use 91...when I can't find 93 oct.....but 93 is prevalent here in Mn....plus e30...e85...you get the idea. But for the Ethanol fuels you must have a tune to run...FYI....just keep powering through on 91!

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[danbfree]

Haven't found any forums with comprehensive info on this yet, but what Octane fuel are most running on their FiST? Was originally told that 87 regular was fine, since, like most modern engines, the ECU will compensate. In CA, the highest available is 91, which is what I've been using for Max performance.

Where I live e85 is rare and no cheaper than premium but our premium is rated at 92 and that was before they started making it e10 and they never re-rated so it's more like 94 octane, so I run 93 tunes with plenty of overhead... But non-ethanol tunes will work up to e20, so you can always add a gallon of e85 to the rest 91 premium when filling up and run a regular 93 tune just fine, it will still be less than e20 even starting as e10 and the octane will be there to handle the additional timing... It's a good way to have an in-between tune if you don't feel like doing a full e30 tune and determining your percentages, etc.

 

[danbfree]

I use 91...when I can't find 93 oct.....but 93 is prevalent here in Mn....plus e30...e85...you get the idea. But for the Ethanol fuels you must have a tune to run...FYI....just keep powering through on 91!

Non-ethanol specific tunes are fine up to e20, so by adding a gallon of e85 to 91, one can run a 93 octane tune safely, makes for an easy little upgrade from 91 without paying for an e30 tune.

 

[TyphoonFiST]

Non-ethanol specific tunes are fine up to e20, so by adding a gallon of e85 to 91, one can run a 93 octane tune safely, makes for an easy little upgrade from 91 without paying for an e30 tune.

Try to tell a Dealer that when you have a fuel system failure when they get nose and test the quality of fuel. I've seen it done by a factory Rep.....VOID warranty....but what do I know about certain manufacturers and warranty work....I only did it and processed it for a decade of my life.

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Right from Ford supplemental manual for a FiST......


FUEL QUALITY - GASOLINE Choosing the Right Fuel
E161513 We recommend regular unleaded gasoline with a pump (R+M)/2 octane rating of 87. Some fuel stations offer fuels posted as regular unleaded gasoline with an octane rating below 87, particularly in high altitude areas. We do not recommend fuels with an octane rating below 87. For vehicles with EcoBoost engines, to provide improved performance, we recommend premium fuel for severe duty usage such as trailer tow. Do not use any fuel other than those recommended because they could lead to engine damage that may not be covered by the vehicle Warranty. Note:Use of any fuel other than those recommended can impair the emission control system and cause a loss of vehicle performance. Do not use: • Diesel fuel. • Fuels containing kerosene or paraffin. • Fuel containing more than 15% ethanol or E85 fuel. • Fuels containing methanol. • Fuels containing metallic-based additives, including manganese-based compounds.
• Fuels containing the octane booster additive, methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MMT). • Leaded fuel (using leaded fuel is prohibited by law). The use of fuels with metallic compounds such as methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (commonly known as MMT), which is a manganese-based fuel additive, will impair engine performance and affect the emission control system. Do not be concerned if the engine sometimes knocks lightly. However, if the engine knocks heavily while using fuel with the recommended octane rating, contact an authorized dealer to prevent any engine damage.
10

 

[jcal0820]

At the local military base, where fuel prices are a little lower than the regular market, they run ethenol blend on all the octanes, but don’t state the percentage.


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[danbfree]

Try to tell a Dealer that when you have a fuel system failure when they get nose and test the quality of fuel. I've seen it done by a factory Rep.....VOID warranty....but what do I know about certain manufacturers and warranty work....I only did it and processed it for a decade of my life.

We aren't talking warranty, we are talking about tunes in the first place, LOL... they especially can handle a little additional ethanol anyway.... and one gallon of e85 to something e10 to start with ends up right around e15, especially when it's UP to 10 % ethanol, it's usually a little less, it's not going to hurt anything... and that statement is not what's in my supplement manual, they clearly recommend premium fuel, 87 is MINIMUM.

Edit: They definitely changed the supplement manual, and newer models doesn't mention fuel at all, but they also both clearly give the engine ratings with 93 octane, so to me that is clearly what you should run if you want to get what you paid for... one interesting thing is they lowered the torque rating from 214 ft/lbs at 5000 RPM in the 2014 manual to 202 ft/lbs at 4200 RPM in the 2017 manual... sounds like they changed the tune slightly, no wonder some people can feel the Cobb OTS stage 1 more than others.

 

[TyphoonFiST]

No this is about What type of Octane everyone is using....not tuning. Reading a thread title goes as follows....left to right ....top to bottom....grouping words into what are called sentences....take Tylenol for and headsches....Midol for any cramps.....or ibuprofen if your into NSAIDs.

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[danbfree]

No this is about What type of Octane everyone is using....not tuning. Reading a thread title goes as follows....left to right ....top to bottom....grouping words into what are called sentences....take Tylenol for and headsches....Midol for any cramps.....or ibuprofen if your into NSAIDs.

Oops! But, this whole site is about running tunes, this is for enthusiasts!

That said, the bottom-line is this: Run 93 or you don't get the same power that the car is rated for, 87 is minimum for safety, but to me that's dumb to even risk the low-end, run mid-grade at least if you can... If you only have 91 octane available, you lose a bit of power compared to 93 but you also can try adding 1 gallon of e85 to the rest 91 fill-up. This will raise your octane and should keep you no more than e15 which the stock tune can handle, but the safest way to make power is to get an e30 tune if you have e85 available, then you are doing like 3 gallons of e85 to the rest 91, but you need check your actual ethanol percentage too, some e85 is actually as low as e54, but there are online resources that will tell you what you actually get in your area for what time of the year... I'll leave it at that, sorry if I over complicated it!

 

[TyphoonFiST]

Oops! But, this whole site is about running tunes, this is for enthusiasts!

That said, the bottom-line is this: Run 93 or you don't get the same power that the car is rated for, 87 is minimum for safety, but to me that's dumb to even risk the low-end, run mid-grade at least if you can... If you only have 91 octane available, you lose a bit of power compared to 93 but you also can try adding 1 gallon of e85 to the rest 91 fill-up. This will raise your octane and should keep you no more than e15 which the stock tune can handle, but the safest way to make power is to get an e30 tune if you have e85 available, then you are doing like 3 gallons of e85 to the rest 91, but you need check your actual ethanol percentage too, some e85 is actually as low as e54, but there are online resources that will tell you what you actually get in your area for what time of the year... I'll leave it at that, sorry if I over complicated it!

Its ok I still love you Danbfree,,....

 

[borborpa]

PA and surrounding states all have 93, so that's what I put in it. I do have the Cobb 93 Tune, but I was running 93 from the day it came home. Even from nearly empty it's only like $35 to fill it up, so it hasn't broken the bank yet!

 

[jmrtsus]

93 non-ethanol at home and where I can find it.......better engine response and gas mileage. My car hates Chevron/Texaco ethanol.

 

[TDavis]

I use the Cobb Stage 3 OTS 93 tune but put in 91. We only have 1 Shell station in my town and I prefer to use Shell but the highest octane it has is 91.

 

[alexrex20]

Since it sounds like the OP is stock, then yes 91 octane is fine. That's the minimum "standard" for premium across the country, though many areas have 93. The car will run fine on 87, but a little better on 91. And it will run awesome if you get an Accessport and do a stg1 tune for 91.

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[M-Sport fan]

PA and surrounding states all have 93, so that's what I put in it. I do have the Cobb 93 Tune, but I was running 93 from the day it came home. Even from nearly empty it's only like $35 to fill it up, so it hasn't broken the bank yet!

Yes, in that respect we are blessed, but just TRY and find an E85 station without burning half a tank of fuel to get there!

 

[alexrex20]

There are four E85 stations within 5 miles of my house. And all four of them consistently test above 75%. Not trying to rub it in or anything, just sayin... [emoji14]

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[borborpa]

There are four E85 stations within 5 miles of my house. And all four of them consistently test above 75%. Not trying to rub it in or anything, just sayin... [emoji14]

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Where's the downvote button....

 

[danbfree]

There are four E85 stations within 5 miles of my house. And all four of them consistently test above 75%. Not trying to rub it in or anything, just sayin... [emoji14]

We get it, you e30 all day every day.

 

[Bizzareo]

I only run 91. Haven't noticed any difference with 94/93. Also it's 1.30-1.50/litre for 91 in Canada so gotta save some money

I believe E30/E80 is easily available in Cali?