93-octane necessary?

[DANACO]

I live at 5280ft elevation and regularly go into the mountains that double that elevation, highways mostly, the difference between 87 and 91 octane is very noticeable at any throttle opening, the response is far better, I avaerag about 1-2 mpg better but mostly it’s the throttle response and power that so noticeable. And just because it’s a turbocharged motor doesn’t mean it can achieve the rated HP regardless of altitude, it doesn’t work that way, they still loose HP, just not as much as an NA motor will.

 

[poltrup]

This thread makes me laugh (and then cry) every time it's come up since 2010.

Just put ******* gas in it and drive.

Rich people don't get rich by spending money - so if you bought a $70K truck but OCD compels you to save $500 a year... run 87 octane.

Fast people don't get fast by keeping money in their pockets (fast is a proven inverse corollary of rich...) - run 93 octane (and it will actually save you money maint-dollars v gas-dollars).

End of the day - compression and/or advanced ignition timing (aftermarket boost/tuner) induce premature detonation Ford's knock sensors are not calibrated to help with. Premature detonation makes your piston want to violently turn counter-fast-wise (it's a bad thing, OK?). The more tune, and/or the more boost, the more octane you need to calm the propensity to detonate early (and no man likes to be thought of as detonating early now do you... you are a suck squeeze bang blow MACHINE! )

 

[Ricoman]

I have the Gen 1 so maybe different from the new Gen 2 with Turbo....I have the Shelby Supercharger which was done at Shelby in AZ..They make a point of putting a sticker on inside of gas tank door that says 91+ Octane ONLY... To be honest,the first fill up I didnt even notice the sticker.....and it ran fine on the 87....BUT...after reading the paperwork and seeing the sticker....Damn right I'm only putting in 91 that they recommend....is it better...I'm not an engineer,,,but when a large company with years of experience with Engines,etc tells you 91+...I'm going to listen.Maybe I'm wasting $500 a year....but its called Insurance...we all pay it in some form,and never want to use it.

 

[jzweedyk]

Not a gasoline engineer, but the advertising also leads you to believe that premium gas has better/more detergent and additives in it. Anyone know if this is true?

 

[Cliffster]

I don't know if 87/93 matters if you drive easy on the gas.If you like to beat it like me and that's why I bought it fuel matters.I have done much testing with timing lights and G force meter at WOT fuel matters !

 

[hammer73]

Caring most about performance or fuel economy are two different objectives and require different actions. I don’t understand the debate... they like apples and oranges.

Do what you think is best for you.

Personally I bought the Raptor for performance and so fuel cost is not the first thing I worry about.


18 SCrew Magnetic, Roush CAI. Whipple tuned. SPD adapters, Kooks Green catted down pipes. HF & VHF Connected.

 

[OriginalToken]

Someone correct me if I am wrong here, but the higher octane would only be required/beneficial when our forced induction kicks in with higher compression.

87 and 93 would be equivalent when NA (e.g. highway cruising).

I don’t claim to know how Ford specifically does it in the Raptor, but under boost may not be the only time a motor can benefit from increased octane. Modern adaptive valve trains, spark, etc, can also better match performance curves.


I have not done extensive testing in my Raptor, I have only taken some basic numbers. But this same question came up in the Miata forums I visit (and pretty much EVERY other car forum I have been to where a maker recommended Premium). In the NC (third gen) Mazda Miata, Premium fuel is recommended but not required, much like the Raptor. So when I replaced my 2nd gen Miata with a 3rd gen I tracked, closely, fuel economy for the first 20,000 or so miles.


In my normally aspirated Mazda I get, on average, 12% better fuel economy running Premium (91 octane locally is as high as it goes) than running Regular (87 octane) from the same stations in roughly 20,000 miles of testing (I would do ~2500 miles per segment, each type of fuel, switching back and forth at around the 2500 mile mark, this flattened out other variables, like season). I also happen to feel the vehicle runs better on premium, but that is totally opinion not backed by any quantifiable data. Locally 91 oct is about 10% more expensive, for example this morning when I filled up 87 oct was 2.899 / gal and 91 oct was 3.199 / gal. Premium was about 10.4% more expensive but sometimes it is a little more of a delta.


So this morning premium was ~10% more expensive, but I get ~12% better fuel economy, making it cheaper to run premium. Plus, I feel (seat of the pants only) like the car runs better. So in the case of my un-boosted Miata it is a no brainer, I run premium.


I did take some data early on with my Raptor also. However, I really did not draw any firm conclusions, I just did not take enough data. I seemed to have gotten slightly better economy using premium, but we are talking like the difference (during my ~8000 mile testing period) between ~15.4 (regular) and ~16.7 (premium) MPG. In the few thousand miles I tracked this I am not sure 1.3 MPG was a valid delta, or if other factors contributed. However, I do, solidly, feel the vehicle drove better.


So very possibly my Raptor got better fuel economy on premium. Maybe not quite enough to offset the extra cost of premium, but enough to offset at least some, if not most, of the extra cost. Further, I feel (seat of the pants) the vehicle runs better. If my mileage testing was valid, then running premium has cost me an extra ~75$ in the last year (~22,000 miles) of ownership. The cost of a single hamburger per month for me to feel like the vehicle runs better. I am OK with that.

T!

 

[HoldenTX]

But wait - there's more.
In addition to the octane levels, the big names all have their customized additives. Techron, Nitro+, Synergy, V-Power, TOP TIER etc. Many of these claim to improve your mileage - and some of them are only available in the higher octane fuels. So where you buy your gas can be another endless debate to add here on which gets you the best mileage per $ and which keeps the most grime out of your engine.
Bottom line is I agree with some of the previous posts - and as my dealer told me years ago - "I tell anyone who asks me about gas mileage that the Raptor aint the vehicle they want!"

 

[TwizzleStix]

….End of the day - compression and/or advanced ignition timing (aftermarket boost/tuner) induce premature detonation Ford's knock sensors are not calibrated to help with...

Wow, where to start…? This quoted statement is a perfect example of the absolutely false "information" posted on this forum. There's no such thing as "premature" detonation other than in war movies. If you're this badly miss-informed, I recommend google as the learning tool for now. Just search "detonation" and "pre-ignition" to learn some facts...

 

[cass09]

I had a 2012 raptor 6.2 I ran farm fuel in it. I noticed no difference in HP or performance. My gas mileage dropped, but that was it. I just bought a 2019 3.5 Raptor. I decided to run the highest octane i could buy, which in Canada is Shell nitro. It's expensive. I noticed no difference in get up and go. My mileage has dropped from 20.3 to 19.1 L per 100 km. That is idling. Highway it will improve also i am assuming well i kinda know. The new gen 2 Raptors can run well on anything from 87 and up. The engine will adjust to different fuels. My highway mileage on my new raptor if i drive 100-107 km per hour can be as low as 12 L per 100 km which is very good. That is on 91 octane i believe maybe 93 i cant remember. As far as performance any fuel will work. That has been my experience. Lower octane lower gas mileage. Higher octane better gas mileage. I do not think you will notice a huge difference in power, or it will be so little that well whatever.