Car and Driver octane test

Lynnmor wrote:

ShinerBock wrote:

Lynnmor wrote:


Sad that folks need to resort to personal attacks because they can't even read an owners manual.

We can read it just fine, you just interpret what it states differently than what normal people do. You think it means that you have to run premium when towing, and we know it means that it is a recommendation if you want max power output which will be more noticable in situations such as towing, but it is not required in order to tow.

I didn't "interpret" anything, I simply displayed the owners manual for those that will not otherwise read it. This is the TOWING section of an RV FORUM and some may want to educate themselves, a few apparently want to only make childish remarks.

We are all reading the same thing, but most here do not interpret it the same way you are. It seems that you(a non Ecoboost owner and one who has never towed with one) are one of the very few people that insist the manual means that you need premium fuel when towing. Most others(many being actual owners who have towed with one) take the manual as saying that the engine is designed to run on 87 octane, but using premium fuel will get you additional horsepower and will be most noticeable in high load situations such as towing.

Why do you even care this much what kind of fuel people use in an engine that you dislike and do not even own is beyond me.

ShinerBock wrote:

Lynnmor wrote:


Sad that folks need to resort to personal attacks because they can't even read an owners manual.

We can read it just fine, you just interpret what it states differently than what normal people do. You think it means that you have to run premium when towing, and we know it means that it is a recommendation if you want max power output which will be more noticable in situations such as towing, but it is not required in order to tow.

I didn't "interpret" anything, I simply displayed the owners manual for those that will not otherwise read it. This is the TOWING section of an RV FORUM and some may want to educate themselves, a few apparently want to only make childish remarks.

Lynnmor wrote:


Sad that folks need to resort to personal attacks because they can't even read an owners manual.

We can read it just fine, you just interpret what it states differently than what normal people do. You think it means that you have to run premium when towing, and we know it means that it is a recommendation if you want max power output which will be more noticable in situations such as towing, but it is not required in order to tow.

marcsbigfoot20b27 wrote:
When you are sitting on the couch watching tv it doesn’t matter if you are at sea level 20.9% oxygen or at 9000 ft and only 16% O2. You aren’t doing much work so it won’t matter.

Your vehicle will run on 87 octane under minimal load just fine.

Now try and play tennis, basketball, push start a motorcycle etc with low O2 and this is how your vehicle will feel with 87 octane when under a load, the lower the altitude the worse.
It will re tard (wow got censored for re-tard) the timing and you make less torque/power/fuel mileage.

This is an RV forum and most are towing or pushing motor homes so the vehicle is working hard, I would use premium unleaded On a turbo vehicle for sure.

It may re tard the timing, but it also increases boost.

My Eco works the same at 900ft as it does at 10k ft, while on 87.

I personally dont care at all what anybody else uses for fuel in their own vehicle. Use whatever makes you sleep well at night.

Grit dog wrote:
Lynmor, you and mt1729 need to keep your fingers from jabbering long enough to not look silly......
Btw, it's easy to tell who knows what about vehicles and who is an armchair quarterback who's now an expert because they bought a pickup truck when they retired and learnt how to tow an AreVee around....

Sad that folks need to resort to personal attacks because they can't even read an owners manual.

When you are sitting on the couch watching tv it doesn’t matter if you are at sea level 20.9% oxygen or at 9000 ft and only 16% O2. You aren’t doing much work so it won’t matter.

Your vehicle will run on 87 octane under minimal load just fine.

Now try and play tennis, basketball, push start a motorcycle etc with low O2 and this is how your vehicle will feel with 87 octane when under a load, the lower the altitude the worse.
It will re tard (wow got censored for re-tard) the timing and you make less torque/power/fuel mileage.

This is an RV forum and most are towing or pushing motor homes so the vehicle is working hard, I would use premium unleaded On a turbo vehicle for sure.

Lynmor, you and mt1729 need to keep your fingers from jabbering long enough to not look silly......
Btw, it's easy to tell who knows what about vehicles and who is an armchair quarterback who's now an expert because they bought a pickup truck when they retired and learnt how to tow an AreVee around....

mich800 wrote:

Lynnmor wrote:

ShinerBock wrote:

Lynnmor wrote:


Name a few people that said that.

What do you use for a tow vehicle?

You were one of them that stated premium fuel is required when towing with an an Ecoboost truck.

I currently use a Ram 2500 CTD as a tow vehicle. What does that have to do with anything?

I did repeatedly copy & paste fuel information from the Ford owners manual without embellishment, you choose to disregard what it says, Here it is once again:

For best overall vehicle and engine performance, premium fuel with an octane rating of 91 or higher is recommended. The performance gained by using premium fuel is most noticeable in hot weather as well as other conditions, for example when towing a trailer.

You want comments from only those that own a Ecoboost while you use a Ram diesel and comment on a Ford. :S

This is actually the full quote:

"Your vehicle is designed to operate on regular unleaded gasoline with a minimum pump (R+M)/2 octane rating of 87.

Some fuel stations, particularly those in high altitude areas, offer fuels posted as regular unleaded gasoline with an octane rating below 87. The use of these fuels could result in engine damage that will not be covered by the vehicle warranty.

For best overall vehicle and engine performance, premium fuel with an octane rating of 91 or higher is recommended. The performance gained by using premium fuel is most noticeable in hot weather as well as other conditions, for example when towing a trailer. See Towing. "

So premium is recommended not required for full performance. I think everyone is wrapped up on being correct instead of accurate. The standard ecoboost was designed to operate on regular 87 octane.

I keep trying to tell him this, but he refuses to accept it.


There are engines that have their hard parts designed to run premium meaning things like cam profile is specifically design run on premium fuel, but they can adjust/turn the cam and alter ignition timing to run on regular fuel with lower performance and may run into knock issues depending on the main cam profile. Then there are engines with hard parts designed to run on regular fuel, but can adjust to run on premium fuel for more performance. These generally knock much less with regular fuel because their profile is specifically designed for regular fuel

However, engines can only adjust their timing to a certain point and some engines can adjust more than others depending on how they adjust their cam. I know the cam phasers on both the exhaust and intake valves on the over head cam Ecoboost engines has a large range of adjustment. Push rod engines generally have less adjustability due to only having one cam instead of 2-4 cams on OHC engines. Another thing that adds to their ability to adjust is direct injection which also cools the pistons as well.

Lynnmor wrote:

ShinerBock wrote:

Lynnmor wrote:


Name a few people that said that.

What do you use for a tow vehicle?

You were one of them that stated premium fuel is required when towing with an an Ecoboost truck.

I currently use a Ram 2500 CTD as a tow vehicle. What does that have to do with anything?

I did repeatedly copy & paste fuel information from the Ford owners manual without embellishment, you choose to disregard what it says, Here it is once again:

For best overall vehicle and engine performance, premium fuel with an octane rating of 91 or higher is recommended. The performance gained by using premium fuel is most noticeable in hot weather as well as other conditions, for example when towing a trailer.

You want comments from only those that own a Ecoboost while you use a Ram diesel and comment on a Ford. :S

This is actually the full quote:

"Your vehicle is designed to operate on regular unleaded gasoline with a minimum pump (R+M)/2 octane rating of 87.

Some fuel stations, particularly those in high altitude areas, offer fuels posted as regular unleaded gasoline with an octane rating below 87. The use of these fuels could result in engine damage that will not be covered by the vehicle warranty.

For best overall vehicle and engine performance, premium fuel with an octane rating of 91 or higher is recommended. The performance gained by using premium fuel is most noticeable in hot weather as well as other conditions, for example when towing a trailer. See Towing. "

So premium is recommended not required for full performance. I think everyone is wrapped up on being correct instead of accurate. The standard ecoboost was designed to operate on regular 87 octane.

ShinerBock wrote:

Lynnmor wrote:


Name a few people that said that.

What do you use for a tow vehicle?

You were one of them that stated premium fuel is required when towing with an an Ecoboost truck.

I currently use a Ram 2500 CTD as a tow vehicle. What does that have to do with anything?

I did repeatedly copy & paste fuel information from the Ford owners manual without embellishment, you choose to disregard what it says, Here it is once again:

For best overall vehicle and engine performance, premium fuel with an octane rating of 91 or higher is recommended. The performance gained by using premium fuel is most noticeable in hot weather as well as other conditions, for example when towing a trailer.

You want comments from only those that own a Ecoboost while you use a Ram diesel and comment on a Ford. :S