Looking for 2.3 owners input

[TX_HillCountry]

I'm surprised not many people talked about the sound and feel of the engines. I drove the 2.3 and decided to get the 2.7 based solely on how much I hate the buzzy sound and feel of a 4 cylinder. It has plenty of power and arguably is a more reliable engine, but I couldn't spend $55k on something that sounds and feels like a 2000 Mazda 626 when you close your eyes. If that doesn't bother you then you'll be happy with the 2.3. I love the 2.7, smooth and effortless power but the 10 speed auto kind of sucks. Works fine 95% of the time but occasionally it will have very awkward jerky upshifts shifts and other odd behavior. Took to the dealer to update programming but it still isn't right. Aftermarket tunes seem to fix this issue but I'm not ready to ruin the warranty yet.

I purchased my 2.3l Black Diamond off a dealer lot in 2022 because I was too impatient to wait for the 2.7l I had on order to get scheduled. After installing the Ford Performance tune, the sound/feel of the engine is the only complaint I have. Power is not an issue for me, but that engine sound does take away from the driving experience IMO. Not enough to trade in for a new model though. Now that the 2.7 is not available on lower trims, It doesn't seem worth it just for this reason.

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[Huntsetter1]

Put a corsa exhaust and it will fix the sound and you will lose the massive muffler that you have today.

 

[Jason519]

Hi all,
I am looking for 2.3 owners input that have the Sasquatch package and 10 speed automatic. I am trying to decide on the 2.3 vs 2.7 and would like to hear what owners have to say about the power of the 2.3 using 87 octane. I am looking at a 4dr Badlands and wonder how the 2.3 performs as a daily driver and light off road use. Reliability vs the 2.7.
Thanks for your input.
Steve

I have a 2.3 2 door automatic i usually drive mine in sport mode it’s plenty of power i have 65k no issues so far

 

[zyglyrox]

This has been hashed over repeatedly. Ford advertises the 93 octane because that gets the most amount of benefit. You can still run 87-92, you just won't get the benefit (or as much). To get advertised hp and torque, go 93.

Yeah no, you NEED to run 93

 

[xtreme_exploder]

Yeah no, 93 is not required unless you want the full advertised power. The tune does not deactivate the knock sensors. It will pull timing just like stock if knock is detected. That being said, if you read the fine print of the Ford Performance warranty for this tune, it says 91 octane is required for warranty coverage. If 93 was required, half the country wouldn't be able to use the tune because the the highest octane available is 91.

 

[KC2LLW]

Yeah no, 93 is not required unless you want the full advertised power. The tune does not deactivate the knock sensors. It will pull timing just like stock if knock is detected. That being said, if you read the fine print of the Ford Performance warranty for this tune, it says 91 octane is required for warranty coverage. If 93 was required, half the country wouldn't be able to use the tune because the the highest octane available is 91.

Thanks we ordered our badlands last Friday my wife opted for the 2.7 after driving both back to back

 

[zyglyrox]

Why would you install a tune DESIGNED to run 93, then hamper it by using 87. you aren’t getting ANY gain because the computer knows it isn’t receiving the correct octane.

Learn how tuning works before you sprout nonsense.

 

[xtreme_exploder]

Last statement was a bit ignorant to say the least. Here's several reasons why someone may want to tune their vehicle and not run it at its maximum potential all the time. If you drive to a state that doesn't have 93, what do you do? Bring a trailer full of 93 because some person on the forums said it's nonsense to have a tune and not use it's full potential 100% of the time? Or if you're wheeling and you don't need maximum horsepower, or 87 is all that's available? Or if you're on a roadtrip and you want to save a bunch of money on fuel because you're just highway cruising? There's a long list of reasons you may want to install the tune and not use 93 all the time. I've tuned vehicles myself for almost 10 years so I'm well aware how this stuff works. But maybe I'm clueless and you can educate me on why all this is wrong.

 

[hellahella]

I got a 2.3 in MT 2dr. The fun factor outweighs the 2.7 in any configuration for me.

If the 2.7 came in MT, I would probably have a different opinion.

 

[zyglyrox]

Last statement was a bit ignorant to say the least. Here's several reasons why someone may want to tune their vehicle and not run it at its maximum potential all the time. If you drive to a state that doesn't have 93, what do you do? Bring a trailer full of 93 because some person on the forums said it's nonsense to have a tune and not use it's full potential 100% of the time? Or if you're wheeling and you don't need maximum horsepower, or 87 is all that's available? Or if you're on a roadtrip and you want to save a bunch of money on fuel because you're just highway cruising? There's a long list of reasons you may want to install the tune and not use 93 all the time. I've tuned vehicles myself for almost 10 years so I'm well aware how this stuff works. But maybe I'm clueless and you can educate me on why all this is wrong.

Yeah, that isn’t how it works once you install the FP tune. It is EXPECTING 93/91. Since you wanna be pedantic about that difference. The vehicle only has a certain amount of knock correction before timing is adjusted. Timing is power. Pull too much timing and you’re now adjusting your entire power curve. Then you start getting into pre-detonation (a HUGE issue on these Ecoboost motors. You command 100% throttle and it sends 17psi of boost at 2100 rpm, but you can’t handle 17psi of boost because you don’t have enough energy in the gasoline.

 

[userdude]

Last statement was a bit ignorant to say the least. Here's several reasons why someone may want to tune their vehicle and not run it at its maximum potential all the time. If you drive to a state that doesn't have 93, what do you do? Bring a trailer full of 93 because some person on the forums said it's nonsense to have a tune and not use it's full potential 100% of the time? Or if you're wheeling and you don't need maximum horsepower, or 87 is all that's available? Or if you're on a roadtrip and you want to save a bunch of money on fuel because you're just highway cruising? There's a long list of reasons you may want to install the tune and not use 93 all the time. I've tuned vehicles myself for almost 10 years so I'm well aware how this stuff works. But maybe I'm clueless and you can educate me on why all this is wrong.

Not to sprout nonsense, but to have the tune and not run 91 at least most of the time would be counterproductive. As @Bryan B mentions, knocks aren't great for an engine, and waiting for a knock for the engine to reprogram will have some cumulative effect (how much, I don't know). As you mention, though, there are times someone may need to (or even accidentally) run lower octane gas, I just don't know I'd choose to do that too often.

 

[SoDak1623]

Yeah, that isn’t how it works once you install the FP tune. It is EXPECTING 93/91. Since you wanna be pedantic about that difference. The vehicle only has a certain amount of knock correction before timing is adjusted. Timing is power. Pull too much timing and you’re now adjusting your entire power curve. Then you start getting into pre-detonation (a HUGE issue on these Ecoboost motors. You command 100% throttle and it sends 17psi of boost at 2100 rpm, but you can’t handle 17psi of boost because you don’t have enough energy in the gasoline.

As a slight correction, octane rating isn't the energy density of the fuel, and it has caused people confusion for decades. Octane rating is resistance to detonation, higher octane being more resistant to detonation. That's why the ecoboosts get full performance with 91+ and the tune calls for 91+ as it needs that resistance to pre detonation in order for the engine to use full boost and not pull timing.

 

[zyglyrox]

Not to sprout nonsense, but to have the tune and not run 91 at least most of the time would be counterproductive. As @Bryan B mentions, knocks aren't great for an engine, and waiting for a knock for the engine to reprogram will have some cumulative effect (how much, I don't know). As you mention, though, there are times someone may need to (or even accidentally) run lower octane gas, I just don't know I'd choose to do that too often.

Yeah, this is what i’m trying to say. I didn’t word it perfectly

 

[userdude]

As a slight correction, octane rating isn't the energy density of the fuel, and it has caused people confusion for decades. Octane rating is resistance to detonation, higher octane being more resistant to detonation. That's why the ecoboosts get full performance with 91+ and the tune calls for 91+ as it needs that resistance to pre detonation in order for the engine to use full boost and not pull timing.

You mention that ecoboosts operate best at 91 octane. So I'm wondering how the knock sensors and tuning works stock. Does it assume 87? How does it know it has 91 without allowing knocks to occur and deprogram back to programming anticipating lower octane? It all seems confusing to me how this stuff works in practice. Hopefully that makes sense.

 

[Rydfree]

Last statement was a bit ignorant to say the least. Here's several reasons why someone may want to tune their vehicle and not run it at its maximum potential all the time. If you drive to a state that doesn't have 93, what do you do? Bring a trailer full of 93 because some person on the forums said it's nonsense to have a tune and not use it's full potential 100% of the time? Or if you're wheeling and you don't need maximum horsepower, or 87 is all that's available?

Ya don't have to bring a trailer full of 93. Just sayin' LOL

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