junehhan

You guys have it! That is exactly why the narrative that running premium fuel will not improve performance or fuel economy is not necessarily true like all the so called consumer experts still continue to spout from their pie holes. Ford is careful in how they word this because they do not want people to get spooked thinking that they absolutely have to run premium fuel in everything. The gains are going to be the greatest in the Ecoboost lineup where I suspect that they vary more than just engine timing based on what octane fuel is in the tank.

With the exception of some of Ford's specialty vehicles, the factory fill is a synthetic blend. It is actually a good synthetic blend based on what is currently available on the market, but the additional temperature stability and additive packages on full synthetics will help. One should note that not all full synthetics are actually fully synthetic by the traditional definition. Some examples of synthetics that are fully synthetic are Amsoil, Mobil 1, Redline, and possibly Pennzoil Platinum. Other so called full synthetics utilize a base stock that is mostly a highly refined stock which includes nearly all of your mainstream full synthetics such as Castrol(there is a new one that may be fully synthetic though), Valvoline, and etc. Royal Purple is also a synthetic that is not fully synthetic.

Alan is exactly right. I remember back in the old days when Ford actually recommended against running a higher octane fuel than originally needed as it could create drivability problems. That is no longer the case with most of Ford's lineup. Ford has been using an engine timing strategy since about 2008/2009 in most of their engines that constantly seeks for a higher octane fuel. This is very similar to how Porsche calibrates their engines in that independent enthusiasts were able to determine on their Porsches that performance gains were seen till you hit about 98 octane fuel. I suspect that Ford does not use as aggressive of a strategy, but remember that Ford rates nearly all of their engines on premium fuel now which indicates that the octane seeking strategy is in play. Recently on the Edge Sport front, a couple of the guys running the Livernois 93 octane tunes on their Sports were able to pick up decent performance gains by running 101 octane race fuel. It made for a 0.2-0.3 second increase in the 1/4 mile.

The 2.7 was an all new design made from the ground up. I would wager that this is a motor that should outlast the turbos easily considering that it was originally designed for truck duty in the F150. Other than the oil pan leakage that affected some early 2.7's, it appears to be a very solid and reliable motor so far. Hopefully we will get some data as more 2.7's rack up miles as to carbon buildup on the intake side of the plumbing. The 3.5's do experience significant carbon buildup, but I do not recall if anyone has encountered any actual drivability problems. Driving your car like you stole it or performing the infamous Italian tune-up can actually be beneficial so long as you are not totally abusing the drivetrain. There appears to be correlation between hard worked engines and less carbon building up. As for the turbos, there is really no need to idle them before shutting the engine down unless you have been really flogging it hard. They are water cooled pretty well.

It is a sickness for sure. I have been curious to see how far the Edge platform can be taken without compromising daily drivability. I didn't even know you could do that to the stock turbo housing, but wouldn't that negatively affect long term durability? Those things cycle between extreme heat conditions continuously. I am still waiting to see who has the first 12 second Edge Sport. Leo is close with his run at 13.2 on race fuel.

Ford actually has stated several times that their adaption of dual fuel injection is for emissions purposes. Dual fuel injection is expensive but has been agreed upon by many industry analysts as being needed to meet the next level of emissions requirements. Ford has stated that they chose to go with CGI for part of the 2.7's block in order to save weight while keeping things durable. Ford chose to use CGI in the parts of the block most stressed while utilizing aluminum for everything else. By utilizing this material, they were able to achieve the strength needed with less material thickness as they might have needed if they chose to go with full aluminum. That makes sense considering that Ford was intent on making the 2.7 their volume leader engine for truck duty.

That is exactly it. Different people feel comfortable doing different things. I still know people today who still change their oil every 3k miles no matter how much I tell them otherwise. Many of us hardcore performance enthusiasts only feel comfortable when we are running the best of the best. For instance I changed out the PTU fluid at 5k miles to the best possible gear lube on the market just to feel safer.

The problem with tuning for E85 is that it is not a consistent octane or concentration as that varies from season to season. E85 is going to be around E70 during the winter months which means it will likely be lower octane. As a result, I suspect E85 tunes probably put in a fair margin of safety. Going to E85 pretty much guarantees that you will need to upgrade the fuel pumps, injectors, and O2 sensors to make it work right. For GTDI engines like ours, that means a LOT of money but then again you have to pay to play and having that kind of octane to work with means massive performance gains so long as you don't plan on driving into the many parts of the country that have little or no E85 availability.

You guys would be in heaven in my part of the country. We have E85 stations everywhere with E85 selling for as cheap as $1.49 a gallon right now. Everytime I pass them, I almost never see anything other than the occasional Subie WRX at the yellow pump. Supposedly there is good aftermarket E85 support for Subies. I am curious to see what is coming as there is not very much demand for performance stuff like there are for SHO's and Fusion Sports.

I am simply saying everyone should use what makes them feel comfortable. I generally do not max out the life of extended drain filters so I like filtering efficiency. I would wager that it could be more important on a turbo engine along with better flow. Chances are that the electronics will probably nickel and dime the vehicle before the engine will, but why would it hurt when the cost is not all that much more?

Nick, at those prices you are factoring in the specialty nature on top of the fact that this particular tire size is pretty rare. Remember the golden rule that you have to pay to play. As we see more Edge Sports hitting the market, other brands will hopefully jump into making 21's which could drive prices down.

Alan, that is the point exactly. Ford warranties it to 60k miles. Upto 150k miles depending on which ESP you buy. After that, it is all on the consumer. If you can get a better filter that has better filtering efficiency and less pressure drop as the filter accumulates mileage, wouldn't that be worth it?

Ford is probably never going to allow for ethanol blends above E15 in their Ecoboosts because of a very important issue that especially plagues people who do lots of short trips. That issue is fuel dilution. You get enough of it into the oil and it destroys its ability to properly keep certain components like turbo bearings from getting destroyed. The other issues I see without a dedicated E30 tune is that you are very likely running lean unless the tune has the proper calibrations. Running lean can be very dangerous in a tuned forced induction engine. Once you get a proper E30 tune, I would then be worried about the stock pump and injectors.

When it comes to oil consumption, I think it is as much the luck of the draw as it is the kind of engine you have. Lower volatility means that you may see less oil loss with less viscosity change when running a top of the line synthetic. However, some engines are just different. If you think a quart during an oil change interval is bad, you have not seen the BMW 4.4 litre v8's, GM LS7 v8, Honda S2000 2.0 I4, as well as Porsche engines from back in the day. My S2000 went through 2 quarts every 3000 miles or so although I did give it the 9300rpm wack every day. FWIW, I would avoid running any fuel additives in an Ecoboost and would just stick to top tier brands.

I will pay closer attention next time I take the Edge out for a drive in 2 days, but I probably should have noticed it by now if it was normal

Exactly. Anyone who has complaints about the seats should definitely take it to an automotive upholstery shop to have them evaluate it. Those guys can really do wonders to make a seat more comfortable. Depending on what they need to do, it may or may not be cheap but it beats sacrificing comfort.

Go with what speaks to your heart. I will tell you that you will have a LOT more replacement options for the 20's than the 21's as Pirelli is the only game in town right now. These Pirelli's can run $300-400 each to replace unless Tire Rack has some sort of sale where I have seen them as low as $280 each. These 21's do look stunning on the Sport, but they are also extremely heavy. If road hazards are a concern, the 20's would be a better bet. Due to less weight, they should be faster and get you marginally better fuel economy.

Are you hearing the clicking from the inside or outside? I do not hear any clicking at all unless my windows are down and I am making tight turns. Since I am hearing it with the windows being down, it is probably standard EPAS rack and pinion steering related noises as all of the adaptive ratio hardware is inside the steering wheel itself. I would stop by a dealer and just have one of the technicians or the shop foreman go on a ride with you.

Yup, you put up good points. The entire block is not CGI as only the bottom end is. That said, I would be surprised if the 2.7 couldn't achieve the upper limits of what the tuned SHO's with a stock motor are doing. I would be more concerned with the drivetrain than anything else though. If he is not running a specific tune designed for E30, my biggest fear is that he could cause damage from running too lean.

Exactly. Have you guys seen those aweful looking Chevy S10's back in the old days in rough neighborhoods running around with really small almost Matchbox toy car like tires on it? It looks goofy and lost. The right way to do it is the lower it properly using a proper kit. Just understand that it could void some warranties. It also changes the suspension geometry and can cause CV joint, halfshaft, and transmission related issues depending on how much variation the stock drivetrain can tolerate. Lowering springs can typically cause abnormal CV joint wear, leaking seals around the half shafts, and so on.

Of course there is if it will make you feel better!

The base program or calibrations they work from could be VERY different between the MKX and Edge as Ford is going to make changes for the needs of each specific vehicle. For instance, our 2.7 is likely programmed or calibrated very differently from the F150. If it was a copy and paste affair, the MKX tune likely would have come out already for the Edge Sport as holding it back would have done nothing to improve their competitiveness. As of right now, the fastest Edge Sport is running their tune.

Why would you want to use a fuel that Ford specifically does not recommend(E15 is maximum) knowing that you are jeopardizing your warranty on the powertrain potentially? Especially when you consider the fuel dilution issue that plagues ALL GTDI and GDI engines, I would find that worrisome unless you are performing oil analysis' at regular intervals. Are you running a tune?

As long as the 2.7 has been out for and with the sheer volume Ford has sold, I am still surprised that there are no premium performance oil filter replacements for this motor from companies like Mobil or Amsoil so far. This is my first Ford that I have not been able to run such premium oil filters for due to unavailability. My Corolla runs a TRD filter, but that is because the Mobil 1 filters for that motor comes from China.

You also have to understand that some tires age better than others. Pirellis traditionally do not age well. Some of the Goodyears and other name brands also have tires that do not age well while some do exceptionally well. I think the golden rule is true that you ultimately get what you pay for. The only people who really should factor in the wear rating on a tire should be those who drive enough miles each year to the point that they wear them quick. Even then, you have to understand some of the compromises for tires with long wear ratings as it may be a hard tire or one that may not be compatible with your driving or comfort preferences. The problem for those of us with these Edge Sport 21's is that Pirelli is the only game in town and these 21's can cost upto $400 each. Since Ford sells 10-12k of these new Sports a year(they have admitted the take rate for the Sport is 10%), we should hopefully start getting some other options that should bring the price point down while keeping a high level of quality.