audioAl

These new "Electronic Hot Rods" can adjust the timing according to octane.

chromebluestrat

I got the base Black GT with automatic and rear sensing sys/security package. MSRP $33670.
I got Ford $3000 rebate, then $2000 dealer discount. Then a real good trade on my 2010 V6 coupe. sweet deal.

BrazenStang

Its not a dyno sheet, but a quote about the engines. The article was written by an editor who sat down with 3 Ford engineers:

The powertrain ECU has been upgraded with a very aggressive deceleration cylinder shutoff for fuel economy, coupled with very rapid tip-in for street performance. On the flip side, the ECU has been reprogrammed with adaptive-knock spark control. If the two knock sensors embedded in the cylinder block don't hear knocking, the ECU will keep advancing the spark until it does.

What this means in performance terms is that, if the owner uses premium or race gas on weekends, the engine should make considerably more power and torque than the numbers quoted here, which are the product of standard SAE dynamometer laboratory testing procedures and not real-world driving.

Here's the article. Its pretty damn informative. http://www.musclemustangfastfords.co...37l_v6_engine/

The information is out there. It just depends if you are the "seeing is believing" type.

Derf00

definitive data.

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/regular-or-premium

If the car says requires premium, you can try a lower octane just be prepared to switch back when it knocks or has other issues.

"If the car is sufficiently new and sophisticated, it may not suffer any ill effects, but all such skinflints should be ready to switch back to premium at the first sign of knock or other drivability woes."

Rolling the dice for a measly savings vs the cost of an engine to me is just not worth it. Run what the car needs/requires. It's not a hard concept to grasp /discussion

P.S. Again Recommended vs Required
http://lifehacker.com/5846880/should...-gas-in-my-car

Mrbobcat

So about 28670 before deducting trade? Not too bad, but I've seen a couple grand less.

btw, on topic. My genesis coupe recommends premium. I usually use it in the summer and regular in the winter. Its supposed to adjust hp slightly depending on the octane used, but I can't really feel a difference and I usually get better mileage with regular for some reason.

chromebluestrat

Yes, $28670 before trade.

bryan67

haha Brazen I do like a quote from that article, how they say it "huge amounts of power" cause of the VVT. From what i know from working with these engines is Ford locks out the VVT at WOT. Its used in a 15% to 85% window from what i have been told. Do know it helps mid range torque but the programming Ford gives, uses it more to help Emmissions and economy then HP. Thats why your not seeing any Dyno #'s statements or Hp numbers( which you think they would be raving about??.) And about, how you put it seeing is Believing!! Hey come on out to the track. Run a tank of Prem. in yours with stock tune. Ill run reg. on stock tune. Lets see who crosses finish line first. Thats the type of Seeing is believing i go For.

AK_Kayaker

I find it hard to believe Ford is just telling owners to spend extra money for no reason, or do you think they own so much stock in fuel companies, that they see extra profit from it.

RetiredSFC 97

I've heard that for most of my life from people, but my experiences have been different. But I haven't used premium in what I call a modern car when it wasn't required. The last car I used premium on occasion when I didn't have to was in my 87 Monte Carlo SS. And it did in fact get 2 MPG better than 87 octane. I take that back. I used premium when I took trips in my 94 Cougar XR7 and I got an increase in MPG. I imagine you wouldn't notice a difference in say a Camry or Honda etc, though.

One thing people need to realize also who have ethanol in their gas.

The 87 and 89 are the same gas. So when you think you're getting 87, you're actually using 89. The ethanol by default increases the octane to a minimum of 89.

The signs posted on the pumps are required to state what the "minimum" octane rating is for that particular fuel.

Edit: You know what? I probably did get better fuel mileage on those cars at that time with premium because we didn't have ethanol back then, or not much of it anyway. Now, like I said, there's no difference in the 87 and 89 ethanol treated fuels, and not much difference from them to the 91. 93 there would be.

So today, I would agree with what you said.

Recon111

87 octane burns faster than 93 octane. Timing and compression govern what octane you have to run. Your owners manual will tell you what octane to run, the timing is set from the factory and the octane goes with that timing. Makes no difference to the season of the year. 93 octane fuel burns slower, If you have the timing advanced you need 93 or the faster burning 87 octane will ignite before the piston is at the top giving you a ping or a knock.
That's why the tuners sell 87-91-93 octane tunes, what they are doing is advancing the timing.