Running 89 octane

[WildBill44]

Anyone running 89 octane in their 2.3l as your lower end fuel any issues or knocking I know the 2024 2.3 Ecoboost is rated for 87 octane but a few people on here seem to be having issues. 89 and 93 are regularly available here but if I can would like to run 89 all the time . Had a 04 Land rover years ago what a mistake thy was, it was 93 or nothing .

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[adam1991]

https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/threads/dyno-run-2-7l-completed.113588/

104 or GTFO, according to some here.

Don't let anyone tell you that you "have" to run anything, or that Ford "recommends" anything that you can't find documented.

Do YOU have knocking issues with 87? If not, don't worry about it.

If so, you could be using cheap gas that doesn't play well.. The first thing I would do then is use a few tankfuls of 87 from a station that sells Top Tier gas. Their web site will tell you who's nearby. I would very highly recommend Costo Kirkland fuel, if that's available to you at all.

If you're having knocking issues and a good 87 octane fuel gets rid of it, there you go. From there you can move up in octane rating and see if you see any other difference that you find meaningful. If you don't, then stick with high quality 87 octane fuel.

Check that thread above. Some swear the 2.7 sees better mpg with 93 octane. That may be--but at a dollar more per gallon for 93, the math doesn't add up. All you end up getting at that point is slightly more range between fillups, along with a higher per-mile fuel cost.

Others will jump through hoops to combine some regular 10% ethanol gas with some 85% ethanol gas to make a tank mixture that's even higher in octane. Y'all can play in your bathtub like that if you want; I call it crazy.

Regardless, Ford specifies 87 octane fuel.

 

[Brian_B]

With no tuning run 89 (or even 87) to your hearts content.

It is true that it will make more power and get better mileage with more octane, even without a tune, but it won’t net enough to save you money. Just do it if it makes you smile.

if you run any tune though - you need to follow the recommendations for your tuner

 

[adam1991]

But Top Tier 87 > grocery store 89 (or even 93).

 

[VirginiaHeritage]

Anyone running 89 octane in their 2.3l as your lower end fuel any issues or knocking I know the 2024 2.3 Ecoboost is rated for 87 octane but a few people on here seem to be having issues. 89 and 93 are regularly available here but if I can would like to run 89 all the time . Had a 04 Land rover years ago what a mistake thy was, it was 93 or nothing .

I’ve been running Shell 89 in my 2.7 since I bought it in April. Runs like a champ. Can’t tell you if it’s any better than 87.

 

[Zeaks]

I run 93 octane at 40-60 cents more per gallon than 87. I don’t get better fuel mileage but I think it’s at least the same or close, the Bronco tells me I get right around 19 mpg on my daily commute. I ran 2 tanks of 93 last summer and my mpg dropped from 19.5 to 17.5 so I went back to 87 for a few months and it immediately came back up 2 mpgs. I switched back to 93 a couple months ago because my Bronco runs smoother and pulls a bit harder than 87, and I’m preparing myself for the FP tune.

 

[CitrusBronco]

I run 87 Chevron, used 93 on my first 2 tanks after using up the dealer fuel.
I’ve not seen any issues in 13k miles with the 87.

 

[WildBill44]

I appreciate the help guys be safe have fun and enjoy the off roading.

 

[dejones64]

I run 92/93 when its offered. Just because.

 

[adam1991]

I run 93 octane at 40-60 cents more per gallon than 87.

Where? It's gotten stupid around here--a buck more. I'd die if I saw a 40 cent differential anymore.

 

[james1414d]

My RAM calls for 89, so kinda out of habit I run it in the Bronco as well.

 

[DrillRX]

No reason not to run 87/89 on a regular basis if all your doing is driving around unloaded.
I do see quite a noticeable difference running highway speeds in the mountains, in terms of power. With 92/93 6th gear will climb anything at highways speeds with 800 lbs of gear. With 87/89 I’d have to drop to 5th or even 4th gear on the steeper climbs. No knocking whatsoever with either on the 2.3 L SAS MT. BTW, this is at 5000’+ ASL.

 

[Sgt Badlands]

I have always ran 87 top tier gasoline w/o any issue.

 

[Bugkillah]

These engines (both i4 and v6) have knock sensors and variable ignition timing so you can run any octane. We argued on another thread or three about gas mileage, seems as though mileage was about same. The difference is hp/torque, you do get a bump in power from the higher octane, so use it if you need it or if you like to zoom faster around town.

My wife runs 87 with ethanol (cheap stuff) in her 4 door i4, and no knocking. I run 91-93 in 2 door v6, and I go vroom.

(edited for correction)

 

[crenca]

These engines (both i4 and v6) have variable valve timing, so you can run any octane.

Variable valve timing has no practical (theoretically, very very minimal) on the relationship between octane, knock, compression, etc. The significant mechanical factors are compression ratio (fixed), amount of turbo boost (controlled by computer at any given point), and timing advanced (where in the stroke cycle the spark plug is ignited, again controlled by the computer).

In other words, the reason the Ford Ecoboosts are somewhat "octane agnostic" is the computer's ability to vary boost and timing advanced based on what the knock sensors are reporting to it.

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