fisdu Posted February 11, 2011 Report Share Posted February 11, 2011 Bought my '08 Edge about a month ago. I did an experiment in my last car and found that it really didn't pay to burn expensive(higher octane) fuel in my Pontiac Grand Prix GT. I was thinking about doing a similar experiment with my Edge and see if it paid off. Here is what I did in my car. I took one month and burned each of the octanes (87, 89, 91) keeping track of how much I bought and how much more it was than regular 87 octane. Also, I kept track of the miles I drop giving me the MPG average for each as well as how much more I spent on fuel to get the extra MPG(if any). It turned out that if I did get any increase in MPG it was very small and when compared to the extra money I spent to get the higher octane fuel, it was actually costing me more money per mile to drive than if I had used regular 87 octane fuel. Has anyone done anything like this with an Edge? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyerjmr33 Posted February 11, 2011 Report Share Posted February 11, 2011 Bought my '08 Edge about a month ago. I did an experiment in my last car and found that it really didn't pay to burn expensive(higher octane) fuel in my Pontiac Grand Prix GT. I was thinking about doing a similar experiment with my Edge and see if it paid off. Here is what I did in my car. I took one month and burned each of the octanes (87, 89, 91) keeping track of how much I bought and how much more it was than regular 87 octane. Also, I kept track of the miles I drop giving me the MPG average for each as well as how much more I spent on fuel to get the extra MPG(if any). It turned out that if I did get any increase in MPG it was very small and when compared to the extra money I spent to get the higher octane fuel, it was actually costing me more money per mile to drive than if I had used regular 87 octane fuel. Has anyone done anything like this with an Edge? Why waste your time and money? The results will be in favor of the lower octane fuel because the edge engine is designed to run on regular grade gasoline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theakerr Posted February 11, 2011 Report Share Posted February 11, 2011 I cannot remember the numbers but when I was travelling through Texas and Missouri towing my MC trailer the low grade gas (83 or 85 I think) very definitely gave significantly worse mileage in my 2008. Once ascertained i went to the mid grade that if I remember correctly was was 87 or 88 octane and my mileage came back to normal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fisdu Posted February 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2011 Good to know since I live in Missouri. I cannot remember the numbers but when I was travelling through Texas and Missouri towing my MC trailer the low grade gas (83 or 85 I think) very definitely gave significantly worse mileage in my 2008. Once ascertained i went to the mid grade that if I remember correctly was was 87 or 88 octane and my mileage came back to normal Thanks for the input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Feirstein Posted February 11, 2011 Report Share Posted February 11, 2011 I helped start up a fuel quality testing regulatory program for my state and learned from the lab guys from the oil companies, and related research, that once a motor is provided with a fuel with an adequate octane number increasing the octane level will have and cannot have any impact on motor performance or efficiency. The lab guys for the major oil companies assured me that except for octane levels, the various fuels were exactly the same across each brand. In fact, most if not all brands of fuel are provided from the closest refinery source, without regard to brand. What special additives may or may not be added at the fuel terminal before it is distributed I cannot comment on since that was considered to be a trade secret. They assured me that tracers were added so that they could confirm that the brand being dispensed was the same as the brand on the pump, but again they would not share the details with the reguator agency. In my opinion, if the motor does not ping or knock, there is little if anything to be gained by using a higher octane fuel. By the way, in my state I helped slip into the fuel quality law that each station pump also had to post the cetane level for diesel fuel. Richard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThinLine Posted February 11, 2011 Report Share Posted February 11, 2011 It is always best to use the lowest octane fuel that your engine will allow before you experience "detonation". Kinda sounds like marbles being shook in a metal coffee can. This will give you the best fuel mileage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted February 11, 2011 Report Share Posted February 11, 2011 Using a higher octane than recommended typically won't help, but there are some exceptions. Some vehicles have computer programming that advances the engine timing for better performance. When you advance the engine timing you usually have to increase the octane to compensate. These vehicles will usually be advertised as Premium Fuel recommended (as opposed to required). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edgieguy Posted February 11, 2011 Report Share Posted February 11, 2011 (edited) Akirby, isnt the new mustang/edge 3.7 motor designed this way? I seem to remember reading that during the development this was talked about. The timing would advance until knock sensors detected knock. Obviously that would be directly related to octane rating. This was an "on-demand" type of performance enhancement built into the motor. I'll keep searching for the article to post here, unless someone finds it before me. Or maybe I'm confusing issues? Ok, here is what I read about the 3.7 motor. The specific paragraph is next to the photo of the rear of the mustang on page 2. http://www.musclemustangfastfords.com/tech/mmfp_1006_2011_ford_mustang_37l_v6_engine/37l_v6_engine.html Edited February 11, 2011 by Edgieguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThinLine Posted February 11, 2011 Report Share Posted February 11, 2011 Once the knock sensors are triggered, the cpu retards the timing. Some manufacturers say for best performance use 93 octane but 87 can be used. This doesn't necessarily correlate with the best mpg's wether you use 93 or 87. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waldo Posted February 11, 2011 Report Share Posted February 11, 2011 Once the knock sensors are triggered, the cpu retards the timing. But as Edgieguys link describes, Ford's latest tuning goes a step further and will advance timing until the knock sensors are triggered. Thus there is a performance benefit to running higher octane, though it still may not pay off considering the higher cost per gallon. The 2011 Edge has this strategy, but the 2008 of the OP does not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThinLine Posted February 11, 2011 Report Share Posted February 11, 2011 Knock sensors IMHO, are as useless as tits on a nun. They should save the cost of the sensors and install and install side mirror turn signal indicators. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyerjmr33 Posted February 12, 2011 Report Share Posted February 12, 2011 Knock sensors IMHO, are as useless as tits on a nun. They should save the cost of the sensors and install and install side mirror turn signal indicators. If you want to burn some holes in your nun's tits, disable her knock sensors--- you can't hear all detonation-- and, I do believe that 87 octane is the recommended grade for the edge. As far as I know, and I have traveled this whole state, there is no grade of fuel below 87 octane available in Texas. Colorado, yes, and possibly some parts of New Mexico, but I've never seen anything lower than 87 in Texas! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curlysir Posted February 12, 2011 Report Share Posted February 12, 2011 (edited) If you want to burn some holes in your nun's tits, disable her knock sensors--- you can't hear all detonation-- and, I do believe that 87 octane is the recommended grade for the edge. As far as I know, and I have traveled this whole state, there is no grade of fuel below 87 octane available in Texas. Colorado, yes, and possibly some parts of New Mexico, but I've never seen anything lower than 87 in Texas! Depends on the elevation, in the panhandle (Amarillo and surrounding area) where the elevation is 3000 feet and above you will find 85 and 86 and most premium is 91 instead of 93. Lived in that area for 30 + years and 93 was semi-hard to find in the last few years before I moved. And it appears to be spreading, about a month ago I made a trip in that direction I ran into the lower octane (86) gas in my home town which is around 1850 feet. Edited February 12, 2011 by curlysir Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyerjmr33 Posted February 12, 2011 Report Share Posted February 12, 2011 Depends on the elevation, in the panhandle (Amarillo and surrounding area) where the elevation is 3000 feet and above you will find 85 and 86 and most premium is 91 instead of 93. Lived in that area for 30 + years and 93 was semi-hard to find in the last few years before I moved. And it appears to be spreading, about a month ago I made a trip in that direction I ran into the lower octane (86) gas in my home town which is around 1850 feet. I lived in Lubbock for several years and am now in Houston--- I sure don't remember seeing anything less than 87 till I got into the New Mexico highlands--- but, when you get much above 3000 ft., the engine that required 87 at sea level only requires something less to produce a normal run without detonation. http://lubbockonline.com/stories/101809/col_506046607.shtml Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curlysir Posted February 12, 2011 Report Share Posted February 12, 2011 I lived in Lubbock for several years and am now in Houston--- I sure don't remember seeing anything less than 87 till I got into the New Mexico highlands--- but, when you get much above 3000 ft., the engine that required 87 at sea level only requires something less to produce a normal run without detonation. http://lubbockonline.com/stories/101809/col_506046607.shtml It was phased in over a period of time. I left the panhandle about 5 years ago. Before I left 93 octane premium was hard to fine, only a few stations carried it. And the 87 was being replaced with the 85 - 86 octane stuff. Lubbock is about the same elevation as Amarillo, and as the article your referenced, 86 is the standard there. Went to school at Tech and back then we could get the good stuff, 100 octane, at the pumps :yup: . My home town is about 120 miles east of Lubbock, and last month when I filled up the regular was 86 octane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyerjmr33 Posted February 13, 2011 Report Share Posted February 13, 2011 It was phased in over a period of time. I left the panhandle about 5 years ago. Before I left 93 octane premium was hard to fine, only a few stations carried it. And the 87 was being replaced with the 85 - 86 octane stuff. Lubbock is about the same elevation as Amarillo, and as the article your referenced, 86 is the standard there. Went to school at Tech and back then we could get the good stuff, 100 octane, at the pumps :yup: . My home town is about 120 miles east of Lubbock, and last month when I filled up the regular was 86 octane. Ya got one of those old bumper stickers that says,"Lucky Me, I'm leaving Lubbock!"-- They came out right after the ones that said, "Lucky me I live in Lubbock." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomSm Posted July 25, 2011 Report Share Posted July 25, 2011 Is there any truth in the old saying, that using a higher octaine once or twice a year helps keep the plugs clean??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted July 25, 2011 Report Share Posted July 25, 2011 Is there any truth in the old saying, that using a higher octaine once or twice a year helps keep the plugs clean??? None whatsoever. That was based on the old practice of only putting detergents in premium fuel. Back then it did make a difference but today all grades get detergents and the only reason to use premium is to either prevent knocking (which means something is wrong with your engine) or in some vehicles to unlock a little more power and mpg - but only if the vehicle is specifically designed to advance the engine timing to take advantage of the higher octane. These vehicles are usually designated as "premium recommended" as opposed to premium required or they specifically state that premium will add more power. Otherwise using premium in a vehicle designed for 87 is a complete waste of money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Depiry Posted July 25, 2011 Report Share Posted July 25, 2011 Top Tier Detergent Gasoline TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline is the premier standard for gasoline performance. Six of the world's top automakers, BMW, General Motors, Honda, Toyota, Volkswagen and Audi recognize that the current EPA minimum detergent requirements do not go far enough to ensure optimal engine performance. Since the minimum additive performance standards were first established by EPA in 1995, most gasoline marketers have actually reduced the concentration level of detergent additive in their gasoline by up to 50%. As a result, the ability of a vehicle to maintain stringent Tier 2 emission standards have been hampered, leading to engine deposits which can have a big impact on in-use emissions and driver satisfaction. These automakers have raised the bar. TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline help drivers avoid lower quality gasoline which can leave deposits on critical engine parts, which reduces engine performance. That's something both drivers and automakers want to avoid. Marty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Depiry Posted July 25, 2011 Report Share Posted July 25, 2011 TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline Retailers Gasoline retailers must meet the high TOP TIER standards with all grades of gasoline to be approved by the automakers as providing TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline. In addition, all gasoline outlets carrying the brand of the approved retailer must meet the TOP TIER standards. Additional gasoline retailers are added to the TOP TIER list as they meet the standards. The retailers known to be on the TOP TIER list are shown below. TOP TIER Gasoline Retailers: USA Canada 76 Stations Chevron Canada Aloha Petroleum Esso Chevron PetroCanada Conoco Shell Canada Country Mark Sunoco Canada Entec Stations Exxon Holiday Stationstores, Inc. Kwik Trip / Kwik Star MFA Oil Co. Mileage Stations Mobil Phillips 66 Quik Trip Rebel Oil Road Ranger Severson Oil Shell Texaco The Somerset Refinery, Inc. Tri-Par Oil Co. U.S. Oil Marty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyerjmr33 Posted July 25, 2011 Report Share Posted July 25, 2011 Top Tier Detergent Gasoline TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline is the premier standard for gasoline performance. Six of the world's top automakers, BMW, General Motors, Honda, Toyota, Volkswagen and Audi recognize that the current EPA minimum detergent requirements do not go far enough to ensure optimal engine performance. Since the minimum additive performance standards were first established by EPA in 1995, most gasoline marketers have actually reduced the concentration level of detergent additive in their gasoline by up to 50%. As a result, the ability of a vehicle to maintain stringent Tier 2 emission standards have been hampered, leading to engine deposits which can have a big impact on in-use emissions and driver satisfaction. These automakers have raised the bar. TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline help drivers avoid lower quality gasoline which can leave deposits on critical engine parts, which reduces engine performance. That's something both drivers and automakers want to avoid. Marty All the more reason to not buy their cars! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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