Different Gas Types: A Brief Introduction
87, 89 and 91: these are the most common kind of gasoline that you can choose. Those grades are referred to Regular, Plus and Premium fuel in the U.S. market.
Regular has 85-88 octanes with an average of 87, Plus 88-90 with an average of 89, Premium has more than 90 with an average of 92.
But what are those numbers? They are referred to how much octane they contain and octane indicates how volatile a gasoline is. Easy.
There are two definitions of octanes: the first is related to the chemical compound: a flammable hydrocarbon, along with others, define what we know was “gasoline”.
The second refers to the amount of energy required to ignite the gasoline. These numbers are a percentage measured against pure 100% gasoline performance.
Different octanes have different combustion: the less octanes the easier it burns. Less octane also means a stronger combustion when pressurized, producing a ticking or knocking noise in the engine.
Knocking is produced by a combination of fast burning gasoline under high pressure environments that produces small explosions that interfere with cylinders and can damage engine parts.
The evolution of electronic gas control
In the past, premium fuel was pretty important, particularly before computer control was so prevalent in vehicles.
Back in the ‘90, when you had a high performance engine with a high compression, it would show pre-detonation and pre-ignition without the proper high octane fuel.
Few years later, the introduction of the On-Board Diagnostics system “OBD2” gave the engines a lot more control over the fuel and the air mixture.
Thanks to OBD2, even if your car needed Premium, you could get away with running a Regular without any negative effects or noticing anything different.
In 2012 the first generation of EcoBoost came out with a totally different system: Ford designed a direct injected engine with a compression rate cranked way up to 10:1.
Ford announced that its first EcoBoost didn’t require Premium fuel, but it was recommended for heavy towing to use, even if many owners didn’t notice any difference whatsoever.
SUVs motors are designed to produce more fuel compression, that’s why they often run best on plus or premium fuels. For the same reason luxury cars require Premium gasoline.
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1. Does your 2021 F-150 3.5 EcoBoost need Premium?
In the 2020 F-150 owner manual, Ford announced that gasoline with an octane rating below 87could result in engine damage that will not be covered by the vehicle Warranty.
Ford highly recommends Premium fuel with an octane rating of 91 or higher for best overall vehicle and engine performance, such as hot weather and towing.
There’s a reason Ford recommends higher octane for towing: by its very nature is a huge increase in torque request just to drive and accelerate at normal speeds.
And Ford’s OAR (Octane Adjust Ratio) logic is there to leverage that octane to safely operate at those higher torque demands.
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Along with that, the F-150 manual has a very specific list of “forbidden” fuel such as:
- Fuel containing more than 15% ethanol or E85 fuel
- Fuels containing methanol
- Fuels containing MMT additive
However, if you want a slightly better fuel economy advantage, Ford recommends you to use 93 octane. Whatever you choose, be sure that the first digit is a 9.
2. Why does your 2021 F-150 3.5 EcoBoost need Premium?
There are different reasons why you must use Premium. Firstly: Warranty Void. The F-150 manual is crystal clear: less than 91 and you can say goodbye to your Warranty.
Secondly: EcoBoost has a turbocharger. In a turbine engine, there is more energy generated, resulting in an overproduction and a pre-ignition of fuel.
Premium gas does better at resisting pre-ignition because it has more octane, protecting the cylinders and preventing those annoying knocking and ticking.
Thirdly: enhanced overall performances. There is clear evidence that the kind of fuel you use can dramatically affect your F-150 performance.
Many independent studies have shown a wide variety of benefits in choosing Premium for your 2021 F-150 3.5: look at the following data to understand the wide picture.
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Measured wheel power
The measured 360 hp using 87 octane fuel rises up to 380 hp with the 93, underlining a +6% in terms of wheel power.
Measured wheel torque
The torque has an increase of 12 lb-ft, passing from the 463 lb-ft using the 87 to the 475 lb-ft using the 93 octane.
0-60 mph speed test
Your F-150 3.5 can slightly increase its acceleration going from 5.9 sec measured using 87 octane to 5.3 sec with the 93.
0-100 mph speed test
That test shows consistent results with the previous 0-60 mph: using 93 octane will let your F-150 reach 100 mph in 14.2 sec, 1.8 sec less than 87 choice.
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¼ mile test
F-150 3.5 with 93 has a better performance, cutting the finish line in 14 sec at 99 mph, instead of the 14,5 sec at 95 mph test of 87 test.
75-mph fuel economy
Last but not the least: fuel consumption. EcoBoost system shows better miles-fuel-ratio in the 7m-mph test if it’s provided with 93 octane.
The data is clear: Premium wins the race with 17,6 mpg against 87 octane that ends with a barely 17 mpg.
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Conclusions
F-150 owners know that Premium is perfect in extreme road and weather conditions, but many of them are still unsure about the real advantage of 93 octane.
Those doubts depend on a wide variety of aspects: the driving style, the average speed, the actual load you are carrying around in your truck.
Following Ford’s advice, we suggest you choose 93 to fill your tank; its higher price is compensated by real advantages that you have to consider in the long run.
If you are willing to shift to Premium remember that your F-150 computer takes a while to start to get the benefits from 93.
Ford suggests waiting after a couple tank fills before the computer can adapt the program to the new hi-octane gasoline. But it will be worth every single penny.
