I am a first time Ford Man and a first time truck owner as well. I was going over the the owners manual, warranty etc. with the dealer while they cleaned my new truck. They said to not use Super Unleaded - it would produce sludge in the bottom of the tank and clog all the fuel plumbing. I am not very mechanical and new to Fords and trucks but this sounds kinda Hoaky!?

 

Why Bother?

ECU and the engine are designed to run on 87 octane unless you have a Lightning or a Harley supercharged.

Now if you have modified the engine, that could be a different subject.

However, i have never heard of fuel causing "sludge" build up in the fuel tank. Unless it was very, very old fuel.

 

I don't know about the sludge part but what was explained to me by Ford reps. is that it could cause problems with some of the sensors. I have a 99 Expy that I run a chip in and I do have to run 93 octane in mine to keep from detonating. Hope this helps.

 

The octane rating of gasoline tells you how much the fuel can be compressed before it spontaneously ignites. When gas ignites by compression rather than because of the spark from the spark plug, it causes knocking in the engine. Knocking can damage an engine, so it is not something you want to have happening. Lower-octane gas (like "regular" 87-octane gasoline) can handle the least amount of compression before igniting.

There is no more power to be had with higher octane rated gas.

 

You can get more power with higher octane rated fuel. Look at race fuel, 107 octane, 110, 112, etc...

But on every day gas, I believe that the higher octane burns more efficiently, more controlable. Just my .02 worth.

 

You can get more power from higher octane fuel if you advance the timing of the engine. But, these engines have a fixed timing curve and therefore they cannot take advantage of the higher octane. That is one thing aftermarket computer chips do, they advance the timing and thus require higher octane gas.

I set the timing way up on my 3.0L, '92 Ranger and it felt like a V8! Of course it pinged like crazy so I had to back it down just below the point of pinging.

 

It is hoaky what they told you, and also there is no need to use a higher octane gas, unless you want to spend more then what we already are.

 

I think everybody ought to use Super Unleaded so when I go to the station, the cheap gas pump is available.

 

Fx4x42002, you are absolutely correct about the timing, I totally forgot that the trucks were unchangeable. Thanks for setting me straight off the beaten path.
I'm just use to playing with the timing on my Mustang.

GOOD DAY

 

Higher octane gas doesn't mean more efficient. In theory, if you could mix water and gas, you will increase your octane. Higher octane burns slower so it can withstand higher compression engines. If you put high octane in an engine designed for 87 you will run rough and loose power.

Now you can go to one station and the pump says 87 but in reallity it may be 86.7 and another station may actually be 87.2. I think this is why some engines run better with some brands of gas than others.

 

Ok, here it is in a nut shell. Higher octane will yield more power in our engines. The stock programming will adjust the timing and produce more power. That is a fact. That is why there is a knock sensor. The PCM is constantly trying to run more timing up to its mechanical limits. It can not advance the mechanacle timing to 100° BTDC. The problem is that the extra cost of the higher octane is not offset by the increase of power. The timing can not be advanced enough to produce enough power to recoupe the cost with stock programming. If the timing was set and could not be adjusted how does the chip change it. The answer is that the timing is set quite far ahead some where in the area of 40° and the PCM retards it to 10° at idle and around 30° or so at speed.

Regards

Jean Marc Chartier

 

90 ssc. racing gas of 100+ octane gives more power at the race track because the engine is set up to use it. We were racing 600cc Yamaha singles with 12 to 1 compression and while they stayed together we had doubled the power output.(stock 32 hp at the crank, now 62 hp at the rear wheel) But the cost is high. Crank cases broke, crank bearing failed, clutches fried. So if the engine is built to run on 87 octane then higher won't help till you change something else too.

 

Been running 92 and up and a chip for at least 2 years, or more. I haven't had a sensor problem other than a bad MAF a year or so ago now. Once I got the old one back I removed the housing post and swapped the sensor out. Still no trouble.I only wish that 92 up was cheaper,,,,98

 

98SCREAMER,

I am new to truck ownership (just purchased a 2000 F150 4x4 SuperCab Flareside w/5.4) and would like to know what the benefits are of using a chip and running higher octane?

John

 

John,

The chip or microtuner is a performance enhansing device. It increases the power that the engine produces. To obtain the maximum power it requires high octane fuel. One of the benifits is a possible increase in your MPG. If you wnat to learn more check out the Computer Chips Forum. https://www.f150online.com/forums/fo...?s=&forumid=34

Regards

Jean Marc Chartier