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dealership said do NOT run higher octane in sport

For premium top tier fuel, go to Costco; as their prices is generally lower than most gas stations.
 



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Overall, 94 octane appears to be $1 more than 87 which sells for $4.58 (CDN) a gallon. 91 would be $5.45 and 94 would be $5.58. Keep in mind that our gallon has 20% more volume than a U.S. gallon. These are converted prices that I read at the Petro Canada (Sunoco) pumps yesterday. As you can see, there is little difference between 91 and 94 octane.
http://blogs.marketwatch.com/canada...ices-higher-than-u-s-because-of-higher-taxes/
I might try a couple tanks of 91 just to see if I notice any difference but like I've mentioned before, I'm very happy with the current performance.

That is a huge difference, even taking into account the imperial gallon to US gallon. If I didn't drive so many miles per year, I would think stronger about premium. Still may try it for a few bucks a tankful just to see if I notice anything that would be worthwhile.


Peter

For premium top tier fuel, go to Costco; as their prices is generally lower than most gas stations.

Totally agree with Costco. Filled up at Costco last night. Just got the 87 though.
 






Totally agree with Costco. Filled up at Costco last night. Just got the 87 though.
Right now Costco 91 is at 108.9 and the Shell down the road is at 121.9
 






The reason I use Petro Canada (Sunoco) is because they are the closest brand name stations in my area and with the Petro Points I have a get 12 cents off per litre.

Peter
 






Just for clarity, taking into account the differences between US and Imperial gallons and US and Canadian dollars, the equivalent US prices would be for 87 ~ $US 3,03 while 91 goes for ~ $US 3.60 and 94 would be ~ $US 3.69.

An Imperial gallon is about 20% bigger than a US gallon and a US dollar is worth $1.253 today

https://www.convert-me.com/en/convert/volume/

https://www.oanda.com/currency/live-exchange-rates/USDCAD/

Our gas prices are higher but thankfully nowhere near as bad as Europe where their equivalent of 87 would be $US 5.88!

Overall, 94 octane appears to be $1 more than 87 which sells for $4.58 (CDN) a gallon. 91 would be $5.45 and 94 would be $5.58. Keep in mind that our gallon has 20% more volume than a U.S. gallon. These are converted prices that I read at the Petro Canada (Sunoco) pumps yesterday. As you can see, there is little difference between 91 and 94 octane.
http://blogs.marketwatch.com/canada...ices-higher-than-u-s-because-of-higher-taxes/
I might try a couple tanks of 91 just to see if I notice any difference but like I've mentioned before, I'm very happy with the current performance.


Peter
 






So in the end what octane should we use in our 17
Sports :confused:
 






All I can provide are my Canadian observations. I bought my 2017 Sport just over a year ago now, and initially I just used premium gas, and kept data for liters purchased and km's traveled. I did that for a couple months (after the 1000km breakin), then I switched to regular and repeated the process.

There was essentially no difference in mileage or performance. I now just put in regular 87 octane. But I had a recent trip to the US and filled up with a 93 octane and weirdly enough, my throttle response noticeably diminished (flooring the gas while going about 30MPH), which wasn't happening with lower octane. Who knows, maybe it was cheap fuel (but it was a Chevron in Seattle) so no reason to expect that.

Also I keep my car in Sport mode all the time in city driving because I find it shifts less and I get better mileage. It also predicts my desired gears better. Vancouver has stupid expensive premium gas. Whenever I go on road trips, I usually fill up with premium when dealing with mountain passes. Premium outside of Vancouver is cheaper than regular gas in Vancouver.

I get 13mpg in the city and 23.5mpg on a highway (between Vancouver and Seattle -- only minor hills). My city mileage is crap because there is a lot of stop and go traffic on my commute and some hills.
 






So in the end what octane should we use in our 17
Sports :confused:

I don't think you'll get a definitive answer. The owners manual is vague stating that it was designed for use with 87 octane, but for best overall performance, use 91 or higher octane. Bottom line is that 87 should not hurt the motor. I'm using 87 octane and am happy though I will use premium unleaded when towing as recommended in owners manual. Owners manual states "Your vehicle is designed to operate on regular unleaded gasoline with a minimum pump (R+M)/2 octane rating of 87. "

Additional details are as follows as copied from the owners manual for my 2017 Explorer Limited with 3.5EB:

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 a Trailer.
Do not use any fuel other than those recommended because they could lead to engine damage that will not be covered by the vehicle Warranty.
Note: Use of any fuel other than those recommended can impair the emission control system and cause a loss of vehicle performance.
Do not use:
  • Diesel fuel.
  • Fuels containing kerosene or paraffin.
  • Fuel containing more than 15% ethanol or E85 fuel.
  • Fuels containing methanol.
  • Fuels containing metallic-based additives, including manganese-based compounds.
  • Fuels containing the octane booster additive, methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MMT).
  • Leaded fuel (using leaded fuel is prohibited by law).
The use of fuels with metallic compounds such as methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (commonly known as MMT), which is a manganese-based fuel additive, will impair engine performance and affect the emission control system.
Do not be concerned if the engine sometimes knocks lightly. However, if the engine knocks heavily while using fuel with the recommended octane rating, contact an authorized dealer to prevent any engine damage.
 






So in the end what octane should we use in our 17
Sports :confused:
Really it's what ever you want. Try a few tanks (probably 3) of each to see for yourself. If you require or want top performance, premium is recommended. The HP and Torque numbers advertised by Ford were achieved using 93 octane. I find 87 or 89 gives me all I want/need.

Peter
 






I would like to see a dyno test as well
I could really feel the difference on my explorer sport & my SHO before the reprogramming with the Livernois tune
Have not tried the Livernois 87 octane tune verses their 93 octane tune
My '14 SHO and '16 and now '17 Explorer Sports were filled with 87 at the dealer. 93 made a marked difference after two full tanks of replenishment. Ultimately I added a performance tune which make it a wonderfully zippy ride. Cold air intake on the '16 definitely made a difference when full open throttle, despite claims they aren't effective at lower RPM. My '17 just doesn't reach the full power potential at high RPM like the '16 with CAI. The sport model has a turbo for a reason and should have appropriate octane or why would you buy it? Go limited or XLT with appearance package if you just want darker body parts. Torrie at Unleashed Tuning may be able to provide you with the dynos you're looking for if you haven't realized how much 1/4 mile time you make up with better fuel. If you can't observe the improvement without a dyno, maybe something is wrong with your vehicle.
 






........ The sport model has a turbo for a reason and should have appropriate octane or why would you buy it? Go limited or XLT with appearance package if you just want darker body parts. Torrie at Unleashed Tuning may be able to provide you with the dynos you're looking for if you haven't realized how much 1/4 mile time you make up with better fuel. If you can't observe the improvement without a dyno, maybe something is wrong with your vehicle.
The Platinum also has the same engine and is the main reason I have that engine. The MKT also had it and ran just great with 87. Lots of get up and go. I'm not at all interested in 1/4 mile or speed times as that is not what I got the vehicle for. Lately I have been running 91 in the Platinum and it seems to have brought the MPG's up a little but not in a way that it offsets the extra cost of the gas. To each his own.:)

Peter
 






The Platinum also has the same engine and is the main reason I have that engine. The MKT also had it and ran just great with 87. Lots of get up and go. I'm not at all interested in 1/4 mile or speed times as that is not what I got the vehicle for. Lately I have been running 91 in the Platinum and it seems to have brought the MPG's up a little but not in a way that it offsets the extra cost of the gas. To each his own.:)

Peter
Mileage for me wasn't the priority obviously, I just love the GTDI. presently with my tune I have to put 93 in, but have the option to program for 91 if not available. For a everyday standard configuration I still did the premium, despite the cost, I felt like i was losing out on the potential. The platinum is a superb trim.
 






It looks like mileage could take a hit in the future as increasing ethanol content from 10% to 15% is under consideration here. You just can't win.:(
 






ran 87 and 94 octane, 1/4 mile time and mph were not even 1/10 sec, or even a mph off on average. So no difference, ran mid 14 sec stock NO TUNE. Didn't try it with a trailer and fully loaded, high octane probably makes a difference on a stock Explorer when loaded up to GVW:dunno:.
Only way one might be knocking or pinging is if yours has an issue or the engine is full of carbon due to driving it very gently over many years, maybe driving in extreme heat high octane is useful
 






There is no state or federal mandate to test the octane rating of any gasoline or diesel at the pump. Only the volume dispensed from each pump is checked for accuracy by the Weights & Measures Dept. in each state. The octane test rating in is done by refinery labs or independent contract lab that have the original single piston equipment. So I rely on the computer timing to make the adjustments. I do not tow anything, but I may have a full vehicle with passengers and/or cargo. In addition, I do like to give the twin spinners a stomp on the on ramp, which also adds a hard load to the engine. So I run 91 Costco gas or 89 elsewhere.

Ethanol blend at the pump, if you read the fine print on the yellow tag, is only up to 10 percent blend. Based on the cost of ethanol imports (most of it is imported), there can be anywhere from 6 to 8 or 10 percent in the blend. No regulation against it. And ethanol does degrade over a much shorter time than non-ethanol gas. The octane grade does not change the process.
 






LOL, surprises me the amount of silly stuff Techs will tell customers....
 






I have posted two two recent threads on here about issues with my 2015 sport I recently purchased acting sluggish and having all kinds of power issues. The first time the dealership said it was probably bad fuel and that I SHOULD use either 89 or 93 octane gas. I told them that I had been putting 89 but I would then try 93.
I ran several tanks of 93 octane and the car still had issues.

I just took it back to the same dealership and they now tell me the mechanic noticed the lack of power and said he found it was running 3 times as high in octane as it should be. They then told me to use only 87 octane and to never use anything higher again. They said after a few tanks it should start running better. The mechanic said had I kept running at higher octane "I would have burned that engine out".

I'm no car expert and I feel they are giving me the run around. I know the 3.5 ecoboost is designed to run on all 3 grades of gas and I feel even if this helps the problem, it is just putting a bandaid on the issue as there is still something not right with the engine not coping with the higher octanes it is supposed to have.

Those who have far more knowledge on this forum than me, please chime in, as your responses are going to help me decide my next phone call to this dealership, as I'm not real happy. Thanks.
There is information online that suggests first gen 3.5l Ecoboost engine have more timing chain wear (single) vs 2nd gen 2016 later production to 2019 (dual) with less wear contributing to what you are stating. If it's in warranty that dealer may be stalling to get you out of warranty because it's a big job to repair replace engine. Just a thought
 






There is information online that suggests first gen 3.5l Ecoboost engine have more timing chain wear (single) vs 2nd gen 2016 later production to 2019 (dual) with less wear contributing to what you are stating. If it's in warranty that dealer may be stalling to get you out of warranty because it's a big job to repair replace engine. Just a thought
Welcome to the Forum. :wave:
FYI, the member you responded to was last seen here on July 28, 2018. Seeing he has a 2015 Explorer I doubt he would have any warranty unless he bought an ESP. Perhaps your post may be of help to others.

Peter
 






Welcome to the Forum. :wave:
FYI, the member you responded to was last seen here on July 28, 2018. Seeing he has a 2015 Explorer I doubt he would have any warranty unless he bought an ESP. Perhaps your post may be of help to others.

Peter
Thanks Peter, he may have been experiencing timing chain wear related performance issues. By now it's worked it's way out. A rattling in cold starts, idle changes have been noted on an Ecoboost forum. I have 2016 platinum with 92k miles, so far so good we don't drive it much now. Still runs strong on 87. F250 gets distance duty runs.
 



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