XLT to ST is it worth it?

[honky]

But, if you are into performance--the ST wins it hands down!

 

[Jost]

For me, I’m wanting to get leather seats and really love the overall look of the ST. The power would be nice, but I’m not as worried about that part.

If you are not concerned about the power why not look at a new ST Line. It has the ST trim but the 2.3

 

[Forddealz]

Get what you want but the Sport Appearance Package has all the appearance of the ST. Plus honestly I like the carbon grey painted pieces than black anyway. Get the ST if you want but you are probably not going to like the 17-18 mpgs you are going to get and filling up with premium fuel sucks too.

Why with premium fuel? I have an ST and I never put in premium fuel. 87 regular is what ST needs.

 

[Fix4Dirt]

Why with premium fuel? I have an ST and I never put in premium fuel. 87 regular is what ST needs.

regular is what the ST will take. however, for max performance, iirc it took 91+, more so in hotter climates. also its got twin turbos, etc. imo, if you get the ST, get the full boost out of it

 

[DoraAExplorer]

Why with premium fuel? I have an ST and I never put in premium fuel. 87 regular is what ST needs.

eventually your vehicle will go BOOM, ethanol and low octane is not the friend of any turbo engine. Ever.

 

[Fix4Dirt]

eventually your vehicle will go BOOM, ethanol and low octane is not the friend of any turbo engine. Ever.

really? i see no issue with it, it will just detube itself to prevent knock. thats all octane is, measure of resistance to knock

 

[DoraAExplorer]

really? i see no issue with it, it will just detube itself to prevent knock. thats all octane is, measure of resistance to knock

Yes, really. I have been into turbo motors probably longer than you have been alive. Turbos are great power adders but ethanol is not there friend. I have had to clean out intake runners, core exchange turbos, replace EVAP/ EGR stuff as well. It tends to gunk up but you don't have to run it all the time. As long as the plugs and air cleaners are changed you can run 1 tank of premium per 4 tanks of fill ups. It just will help clean the system out, Yeah you should also run the heck out of it on occasion. My Raptor sounded like a machine gun till I put it in sport mode and do a couple of full throttle pulls. That will help blow the gunk out and make the vehicle run better. Turbo HIpo motors tend to like to be ran hard.

 

[Fix4Dirt]

Yes, really. I have been into turbo motors probably longer than you have been alive. Turbos are great power adders but ethanol is not there friend. I have had to clean out intake runners, core exchange turbos, replace EVAP/ EGR stuff as well. It tends to gunk up but you don't have to run it all the time. As long as the plugs and air cleaners are changed you can run 1 tank of premium per 4 tanks of fill ups. It just will help clean the system out, Yeah you should also run the heck out of it on occasion. My Raptor sounded like a machine gun till I put it in sport mode and do a couple of full throttle pulls. That will help blow the gunk out and make the vehicle run better. Turbo HIpo motors tend to like to be ran hard.

i see! yep, still in school, so youve been doin this much longer than i!!!

 

[Jost]

regular is what the ST will take. however, for max performance, iirc it took 91+, more so in hotter climates. also its got twin turbos, etc. imo, if you get the ST, get the full boost out of it

Same applies to the 2.3 . 87 is fine, but use a tanke of 93 at least once in a while if not all the time.

 

[fast_dave]

Just sayin'

On the left coast, Top Tier Premium Fuel (91 octane) has a much larger quantity of the very important detergent additive package than low grade 87 and mid grade 89. That's part of the higher price when compared to lesser grades.

In this environment of Gasoline Direct Injected engines - the detergent package in high grade fuel is a very important "maintenance" item.

Some apropo phrases refuse to die, such as: "you can pay me now OR pay me later..."

Carry on -

 

[Fix4Dirt]

Just sayin'

On the left coast, Top Tier Premium Fuel (91 octane) has a much larger quantity of the very important detergent additive package than low grade 87 and mid grade 89. That's part of the higher price when compared to lesser grades.

In this environment of Gasoline Direct Injected engines - the detergent package in high grade fuel is a very important "maintenance" item.

Some old guy witty phrases refuses to die like: "you can pay me now OR pay me later..."

Carry on -

but dont all the major ones meet that top tier standard, or is that not enough? i know the shell v power one has got more detergents than normal. didnt know that there were more detergents in 91, wil have to look mroe into that.

 

[fast_dave]

Three grades, three MINIMUM additive package standards - that's why there's a price difference in each grade - you're getting what you paid for - simple.

Premium Fuel from TOP TIER manufacturers such as ARCO, BP, Valero, Shell, Chevron, 76, Phillips 66, Exxon, Mobil, etc., have at least the minimum amount required for each fuel grade.

I live next to the big 4 Martinez refineries and have many neighbors that work there - that's how I get my insider info - trust me

 

[Fix4Dirt]

Three grades, three MINIMUM additive package standards.

Premium Fuel from TOP TIER manufacturers such as ARCO, BP, Valero, Shell, Chevron, 76, Phillips 66, Exxon, Mobil, have at least the minimum amount required for each fuel grade.

I live next to the big 4 Martinez refineries and have many neighbors that work there - that's how I get my insider info - trust me

intersting.. will have to keep that in mind for the newer DIT vehicle... LA gas prices are hard to swallow as is, let alone 91

 

[fast_dave]

Vote for the right guy -

 

[MisterWizard]

but dont all the major ones meet that top tier standard, or is that not enough? i know the shell v power one has got more detergents than normal. didnt know that there were more detergents in 91, wil have to look mroe into that.

Lots of old wife's tales in this thread. Any modern computer controlled engine will see no benefit from running a higher octane fuel than the manufacturer's specs. All you do after that is waste money. And any of the major brand fuels have the same additive packages regardless of whether it's 87,91, or 93 octane. I've run turbo motors over 150k on nothing but 87 otcane pump gas and never had a problem.
If it makes you feel better running a tank of the more expensive 93 otcane, go right ahead. It's not going to hurt anything other than your wallet.

 

[peterk9]

I use Petro-Canada gasoline. They took over a number of Sunoco stations in Canada. They offer 87, 89, 91 and 94 octane grades of gas.
It seems that each grade gets progressively higher amounts of their cleaning agent Tactrol and each contains up to 10% ethanol.
I use 91 octane.
"Our gas choices include our RegularClean 87 octane gas, our mid-level PlusClean 89 octane gas and our SuperClean™ 91 octane gas. We designed our premium gas, SuperClean 91, for vehicles that need a high octane gas for maximum performance. Plus, it’s an environmentally responsible choice."

Peter

 

[07EddyB]

If an engine doesn't require a higher octane fuel and the difference between them is cleaner additives then why can't you just do what we've all done for years - just add an aftermarket cleaner a few times a year? Now that the price spread has increased so much between the grades an 8 dollar injector cleaner is cheap compared to the price jump between 87 and 91 at the pump on a 18 to 20 gallon tank.

 

[fast_dave]

Peter - It works the same in Canada with Petro Canada as it does in the States with Top Tier ® graded fuels.

Below is something that should look familiar to you; A Petro Canada Gas Pump.

The Green Beakers = Amount of detergent package (Tactrol) added to each grade of fuel Petro Canada offers.

 

[07EddyB]

That picture stands out to me as pure marketing. AFAIK the octane rating is not related to the cleaner additives. Unless, I guess, the cleaner additives are what they use to boost the octane rating?
At the end of the day - some cars require a higher octane due to their compression ratios to prevent knock - most cars will happily dial things back a bit when running on a lower octane fuel. And the vast majority of people would never even know nor should they care.
I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the higher octane fuel has a higher profit margin than the lowly 87 octane stuff. So how do you sell more of it to people that don't need it?
Put more cleaner in it.
Of course, I can double a number and that sounds great - until you learn it was a very small number to begin with. I can also triple it and charge even more. If it weren't for the fact that all the pumps were set up for 3 grades I would have quadrupled it by now and told you how much better your 91 requiring ride would perform with my new 93 octane with four times the cleaning agents of the lowly 87 octane crap that we make.

 

[1sttimeexplorerowner]

If you're a fan of the explorer and/or performance, upgrading to the ST is DEFINITELY worth it.

If you don't care about those things, probably not worth the extra money. But even if you take performance out of the equation, the cosmetics of the ST destroys an XLT by miles. It's not even close. The ST looks aggressive and suits for a "younger audience" type of look whereas the XLT is for regular people who want to take their kids to school and back. I made the mistake of going this route because i wanted a relaxing commuter. I am a performance first type of guy so i knew i made the mistake not long after attaining my XLT. Not to mention with the poor performance, the HORRIBLE 10 speed trans (did they improve this in later MY's?), and i regret ever getting an XLT.

Had i known back then what i know now, i would've went right for the ST or not get an explorer at all.

I am actually explorer-less now as i was able to find someone on swapalease to take this nightmare off of me lol. I told him about the issues these cars have but he seemed to like it during the test drive lol. God speed to him haha