2018 GT MPG 87 vs. 93 octane

[torqued]

I would say the 87 statement is more for marketing friendly to lure in buyers.

My guess is Ford's engineers would've put an icon of a 91 octane pump there but the lawyers told the company to make it the 87 cutoff related to the warranty.

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[Bikeman315]

Ford's wording is open to interpretation, I think. I don't interpret it as "use 91 only if you want the utmost performance", I read it as 91 is recommended, with some general reasoning given. I read the 87 thing being as part of the point that you don't go below that, not that 87 is recommended.

Interesting point. After rereading this a couple of times I now tend to agree with you. Just because the engine can safely run on 87 doesn’t mean that’s what Ford would “recommend” you do. The word recommended is used in regards to this statement.

Regardless everyone should just use what you want. It’s your car.

 

[WildHorse]

In my '17 owners manual it says :

"To provide improved performance, we
recommend premium fuel for severe duty
usage"

I'll assume severe duty means anything from racing, to being stuck in rush hour traffic in 90 degree heat.

 

[thunderstrike]

It's a sucker statement promoting lower fuel cost on sticker.

 

[Gregs24]

When you say "premium fuels", do you mean octane rating, Top Tier, or something else?

No

Higher octane fuels tend to be the premium fuels with additional compounds in them (other than octane improvers)

 

[Bikeman315]

No

Higher octane fuels tend to be the premium fuels with additional compounds in them (other than octane improvers)

Greg, do the higher octane fuels in the UK have higher levels of detergents?

 

[bootlegger]

In my '17 owners manual it says :

"To provide improved performance, we
recommend premium fuel for severe duty
usage"

I'll assume severe duty means anything from racing, to being stuck in rush hour traffic in 90 degree heat.

If someone isn't willing to pay for 91-93 octane for a track day in this car, they are asking for engine damage. No problem running it when daily driving or on long trips. Racing with it is questionable.

 

[bootlegger]

No

Higher octane fuels tend to be the premium fuels with additional compounds in them (other than octane improvers)

That is only occasionally true in the USA. Shell V power and Marathon premium are two examples.

 

[WildHorse]

If someone isn't willing to pay for 91-93 octane for a track day in this car, they are asking for engine damage. No problem running it when daily driving or on long trips. Racing with it is questionable.

Track days I use 100LL, any other time it's 93. an extra 20$ / month for premium isn't gonna break me.

 

[bootlegger]

Track days I use 100LL, any other time it's 93. an extra 20$ / month for premium isn't gonna break me.

I run E85 all the time. I would be sad if I couldn't run that anymore.

 

[Ebm]

Let's compare Ford Mustang vs Chevy Camaro. Both are from the 2019 owners manual.

 

[Bikeman315]

Let's compare Ford Mustang vs Chevy Camaro. Both are from the 2019 owners manual.

So even though both Chevy and Ford allow for the use of 87, they are suggesting the if you want to get the performance you paid for step up to 91/93. I do find Chevy using 93 instead of 91 interesting as it is not available everywhere.

 

[WildHorse]

More octane = more timing. With that you get better efficiency + it's byproduct, horsepower.

 

[GregP27]

Tell you what, Ebm, I've been running high-performance engines since the mid-1960's, quite successfully. I recommend that you, Ebm, run your car on 87 octane gasoline. Everyone else should use 91 octane or better.

 

[millhouse]

I hate taking vehicle to dealer for warranty work. Is it something I can do at home? I have the FORSCAN tool.

According to Ford:

"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."

You should bring your vehicle in for service.

Ford's wording is open to interpretation, I think. I don't interpret it as "use 91 only if you want the utmost performance", I read it as 91 is recommended, with some general reasoning given. I read the 87 thing being as part of the point that you don't go below that, not that 87 is recommended.

It's not open to interpretation. 87 octane is the minimum octane required to safely run on these vehicles during day to day operation. 91 octane isn't required. 93 octane isn't required. 87 octane.

You'll get a very small performance gain by going to 93 octane. It will do nothing for engine longevity.

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