What octane for towing?

[Alucke]

I have a 2014 Ford F-150 XLT 5.0 supercrew, and recommended octane is 87. I have heard that people use 89 octane when towing. What octane would you recommend for towing a travel trailer? Thank you in advance for your replies.

Alucke

[upflying]

Use the recommended octane.

[jd50i]

what the manual recommends which is 87.

[Alucke]

Ok thank you

[babock]

My 2018 manual says you can use up to 91 octane especially in hot weather and towing. The owners manual state it will increase performance. It can do this since the engine has knock sensors and can adjust the timing.

I looked up your 2014 manual it it does not state this unless you have the 3.5 Ecoboost engine where it will increase performance.

Personally, I only use 87 since my truck has plenty of power already.

[ysidive]

Originally Posted by Alucke

I have a 2014 Ford F-150 XLT 5.0 supercrew, and recommended octane is 87. I have heard that people use 89 octane when towing. What octane would you recommend for towing a travel trailer? Thank you in advance for your replies.

Alucke

Use what is recommended... :Your vehicles system is programmed to be the most efficient with the recommended octane... Using higher octane will not enhance your vehicles performance but will definitely lighten your wallet a bit more than the recommended does...

[5picker]

I agree, use what is recommended.

Should you experience engine knock in exceptionally hot weather, then use 89 but even that issue is mostly caught by the engine computer.

Or... spend your R/V accessories money on high octane and never get the goodies you want!

[Riccochet]

For the Ram 5.7 Hemi owners you can use 87, but it's going to pull timing and thus reduce power. 89 is recommended in the manual. I only run premium when towing as I found I get better fuel economy when the engine isn't pulling timing. That's been my experience. My truck spend 70% of it's life towing a camper or bass boat.

[BarabooBob]

Use whatever the owners manual says. Shade tree mechanics may disagree, but I will go with the Ford engineers.

[JohnD10]

If you ever get out west, you will find that 87 octane in higher elevations is actually 85 octane.

87 in the higher altitudes is considered midgrade and 89 in premium.

[MR.M]

The only need to go up in octane is for knocking/pinging . with today's engines with knock sensors they will change the timing to prevent knock. if your truck call's for 87, 85 , 89 . chances are going up in octane won't make a difference and may rob fuel economy and power . doesn't matter much outside temps since the engine temps are regulated by the radiator . so unless you can tell the engines computer has changed the timing to compensate for knocking you're just guessing

[MR.M]

Originally Posted by Riccochet

For the Ram 5.7 Hemi owners you can use 87, but it's going to pull timing and thus reduce power. 89 is recommended in the manual. I only run premium when towing as I found I get better fuel economy when the engine isn't pulling timing. That's been my experience. My truck spend 70% of it's life towing a camper or bass boat.

In this case you are correct . the manual recommends 89 for best performance . but going to 91 won't help . finding non ethnol gas will givee you the best bang for the mpg buck

[babock]

Originally Posted by MR.M

doesn't matter much outside temps since the engine temps are regulated by the radiator . so unless you can tell the engines computer has changed the timing to compensate for knocking you're just guessing

Actually, air temps matter a lot which is one reason why turbos have intercoolers on them.

I used to work for GM and we were working on cylinder pressure sensors that allowed us to change timing on individual cylinders. Air temperature affected it a lot!

[MR.M]

Originally Posted by babock

Actually, air temps matter a lot which is one reason why turbos have intercoolers on them.

I used to work for GM and we were working on cylinder pressure sensors that allowed us to change timing on individual cylinders. Air temperature affected it a lot!

Turbo's have intercoolers on them because they use exhaust gas to spin up the turbo creating lots of heat . outside temps play a very little roll . now extreme heat say 110 and up maybe higher octane , but average summer temps between 80 and 100 not so much. Stick with the manufactures recommended octane for best performance . . . or does manufactures recommendations only count when inflating tires and carrying weight

[rsdata]

I have heard that people use 89 octane when towing. What octane would you recommend for towing a travel trailer?

I thought this also, then was told by automotive engineer that has much experience with modern engines, and I trust that I was wasting my money...

[babock]

Originally Posted by MR.M

Turbo's have intercoolers on them because they use exhaust gas to spin up the turbo creating lots of heat .

Totally agree! Hence the reason the temperature of the intake air plays a factor!

And yes...follow the manufacturers recommendation.
Here is what my manual says:

http://www.fordservicecontent.com/Fo...userMarket=USA

Your vehicle is designed to operate on regular unleaded gasoline with a minimum pump (R+M)/2 octane rating of 87.

Some fuel stations, particularly those in high altitude areas, offer fuels posted as regular unleaded gasoline with an octane rating below 87. The use of these fuels could result in engine damage that will not be covered by the vehicle warranty.

For best overall vehicle and engine performance, premium fuel with an octane rating of 91 or higher is recommended. The performance gained by using premium fuel is most noticeable in hot weather as well as other conditions, for example when towing a trailer.

[Chuck_S]

Use the octane recommended in your manual. The Ford 5.4 engine works find on 87. Higher octane gasoline actually buns slower and has less energy -- non intuitive I know. The Ford 3.5 EcoBoost engine develops more power with 93 than 87 but that's due to voodoo in the ECU. Normally aspirated engines just need higher power if they knock badly enough that the ECU can't manage the timing.

-- Chuck

[babock]

Originally Posted by Chuck_S

Use the octane recommended in your manual. The Ford 5.4 engine works find on 87. Higher octane gasoline actually buns slower and has less energy -- non intuitive I know. The Ford 3.5 EcoBoost engine develops more power with 93 than 87 but that's due to voodoo in the ECU. Normally aspirated engines just need higher power if they knock badly enough that the ECU can't manage the timing.

-- Chuck

The previous manual page I posted applies to all the 2018 gasoline engines...not just the ecoboost ones.

[Riccochet]

Originally Posted by MR.M

Turbo's have intercoolers on them because they use exhaust gas to spin up the turbo creating lots of heat . outside temps play a very little roll . now extreme heat say 110 and up maybe higher octane , but average summer temps between 80 and 100 not so much. Stick with the manufactures recommended octane for best performance . . . or does manufactures recommendations only count when inflating tires and carrying weight

Intake temp sensors are there to work in conjunction with MAP and MAF sensors, depending on setup, to determine charge density so the computer can adjust the air:fuel ratio.

Forced induction or naturally aspirated, the temperature of the air going in to your engine matters a lot.

And turbo chargers do not use intercoolers due to the heat generated from the exhaust housing. Compressing air in and of itself generates a large amount of heat. The temperature of that compressed air directly relates to the density of it. Cooling it provides a denser charge, which means you can inject more fuel to create more power.

[babock]

Originally Posted by Riccochet

And turbo chargers do not use intercoolers due to the heat generated from the exhaust housing. Compressing air in and of itself generates a large amount of heat. The temperature of that compressed air directly relates to the density of it. Cooling it provides a denser charge, which means you can inject more fuel to create more power.

Exactly! Also why superchargers also have intercoolers!