Running 93 Gas so far in 2024 lariat Ranger 2.3 turbo. thoughts ?

[Trock85]

Hi Everyone

the non mechanic guy is back!

like the proactive oil change at 1K miles i have read differing things on using the high octane gas in the 2.3 turbo

so far i have been using only that, have read some people say its better for it and its peppier? i dont mind spending that extra but i also dont want to actuaklly hurt the engine so i thought i would ask the experts here

any feedback on what is actually happening running this vs 87 ?

thanks so much !

 

[sgtsandman]

Hi Everyone

the non mechanic guy is back!

like the proactive oil change at 1K miles i have read differing things on using the high octane gas in the 2.3 turbo

so far i have been using only that, have read some people say its better for it and its peppier? i dont mind spending that extra but i also dont want to actuaklly hurt the engine so i thought i would ask the experts here

any feedback on what is actually happening running this vs 87 ?

thanks so much !

I just run 87 octane unless I plan on making the 2019 work. You get the most power and torque with 93. There is a fuel mileage benefit, but not enough of one to off set the big step in fuel cost.

Some here split the difference and run 89 or 91. So, it's a personal call.

As far as the fuel being better for the engine, it depends on what you are doing with the truck on a regular basis. Ford says 87 is ok to use, but with that being said, they also say 10K oil changes and other extended fluid changes are ok too (they aren't). So, it's a personal call on which fuel you use.

 

[broncc]

Another layman chiming in and providing my opinion. I make batteries for a living not cars! If a car has a turbo IDC what the gas cap says its getting at least 89. Those cylinder pressures are getting high and modern engines are at the bleeding edge between reliability and epa standards. I live at an intersection and I couldn't tell you how many gdi turbo cars just knock like crazy pulling away. Engineering Explained made a cool video about "super knock" that these cars can get.

 

[JohnnyO]

I mostly run E15 88 because it's cheap but if I can't get that I use 89.
MPG is slightly better with 89 over 87 so it doesn't really cost more to use 89.
I drive a lot and use almost two tanks a week.

 

[JoshT]

Let me lead this respone by clarifying that I neither have a late model Ranger, nor a Turbo engine (yet). What I do have is an engine that is tuned for high octane gas, 91 in my case since that it the national standard for high test. Some places (like here) do have 93, but not all and I didn't want to be limited to those places that do. I also have a lower octane tune that can be installed if necessary.

The question is what does Ford say about minimum octane rating for your truck? It should be specified in the owner's manual, maybe even printed somewhere inside the fuel door. Unless you have had aftermarket tuning installed, that is the octane rating that your truck is tuned for. Running lower octane rating than that is a bad thing. Running higher octane rating will not hurt, but carries no advantages since the computer is not tuned to take the advantages that they offer (namely increased timing due to higher detonation resistance). If the vehicle is built with an octane sensor it may be able to detect rating of fuel going to injectors and adjust timing accordingly, but I have no idea if the late Rangers have this sensor built in. If the vehicle is not tuned for or capable of adjusting for the higher octane then you are wasting money on higher grade gas.

The only time I run higher grade gas in a vehicle not tuned for it is when mixing with old gas. By old gas, I really mean old. Like the vehicle has been sitting for a year and burning out what's left in the tank old. Draining and filling with fresh would be better, but a PITA if it doesn't have a drain plug and the stuff will still burn. Don't know if it actually works this way, but in my mind the average octane would be higher than if I filled with low test, and as a result the old stuff will burn better.

EDIT: I got dyslexic when typing turbo and it was bugging me.

 

[SenorNoob]

Ford Ecoboost and the Octane Adjust Ratio Monitor

I have no idea if this source is accurate or not, but an interesting read for sure...

 

[Blmpkn]

All that's required is 87, thanks to direct injection. DI is absolutely one of the best technological advancements vehicles have seen over the past couple decades.. hands down.

91/93 will net you more power... But that's it.

All I ran in my 21 ranger was 87.. had a lot of fun in it and towed over it's max rating a few times, never an issue. Put 40k on that truck. It's no different with my 23 bronco.. 30k miles on it now and it's never seen anything but 87..

It's just not worth paying the premium for super, imo. 91/93 is usually a full dollar more than 87 where I am.. I'd rather save 1000 dollarydoos a year than have a little extra power.

 

[sgtsandman]

All that's required is 87, thanks to direct injection. DI is absolutely one of the best technological advancements vehicles have seen over the past couple decades.. hands down.

91/93 will net you more power... But that's it.

All I ran in my 21 ranger was 87.. had a lot of fun in it and towed over it's max rating a few times, never an issue. Put 40k on that truck. It's no different with my 23 bronco.. 30k miles on it now and it's never seen anything but 87..

It's just not worth paying the premium for super, imo. 91/93 is usually a full dollar more than 87 where I am.. I'd rather save 1000 dollarydoos a year than have a little extra power.

It's the same here. Nonethanol fuel is a good dollar per gallon more as well. The fuel savings vs the increase in fuel cost just doesn't balance out unless you are towing or haulling heavy. At least, that is what I found in my experiments with local driving and long trips.

 

[SenorNoob]

Would be cool if someone could put numbers to the more power saying. Anybody got time and money to run a dyno experiment on a stock Ranger?

 

[sgtsandman]

Would be cool if someone could put number the more power saying. Anybody got time and money run a dyno experiment on a stock Ranger?

Stock Rangers are supposed to put out 270 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 310 lbs-ft of torque at 3,000 rpm. No mention is made concerning what octane is used to get those numbers. I have to assume 93 octane, since that is what is recommended in the owner's manual for heavy towing.

 

[Blmpkn]

Stock Rangers are supposed to put out 270 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 310 lbs-ft of torque at 3,000 rpm. No mention is made concerning what octane is used to get those numbers. I have to assume 93 octane, since that is what is recommended in the owner's manual for heavy towing.

I was always of the opinion that they used 93 to get the rangers numbers... Not because of the heavy hauling recommendation or anything but simply because I know how marketing departments operate lol.

The only people better at 'stretching the truth' than a law firm is the marketing department at a multinational corporation.

That being said.. Fords own numbers for the 2.3 bronco are 275/300 on cheap swill and 300/315 on the fancy gas.

 

[JohnnyO]

It's the same here. Nonethanol fuel is a good dollar per gallon more as well. The fuel savings vs the increase in fuel cost just doesn't balance out unless you are towing or haulling heavy. At least, that is what I found in my experiments with local driving and long trips.

I only used non-ethanol once, a few months ago when I got a new knee and I knew it would be sitting in the garage for a month. It's 90 octane and the truck did seem to run a little smoother but it's not worth an extra $1 a gallon as much as I drive.

All modern vehicles have knock sensors. It's fine to run 87 (unless premium is required), it just might not run as well since the computer will dial the timing back. The 2019+ owner's manual says to use a minimum of 87 but to use 91 "for best performance, towing, or in extremely hot weather".

 

[Trock85]

So, in a burst of energy, and totally against my normal operating procedure.. I went and pulled up the online manual!

and found

paraphrase - is designed for 87 but if you want the best mileage and power higher octane 91-93 is suggested.

I will try and find it again and paste it here. But it is in the manual lol

thanks !

 

[Trock85]

Found it lol