My brother told me to run 87 octane in my 5.0 F-150 for years, and I think he was wrong

My older brother, who has owned a few Fords, always said using premium gas in my 2018 F-150 with the Coyote V8 was a waste of money. He insisted the truck was built for 87 and that's all it needed. For about three years, I listened to him, filling up with regular at the station down the road. The truck ran fine, but I always felt it was a little sluggish pulling my small camper up hills on I-70. Last month, I decided to try a tank of 91 octane just to see, and the difference was real. The engine felt smoother, the throttle response was quicker, and it didn't seem to downshift as much on those same grades. It made me wonder if I've been leaving power and maybe even some fuel economy on the table this whole time. Has anyone else done a long term test with different fuels in their newer gas trucks and seen a clear benefit?

2 comments

2 Comments

jamies455d ago

Ever notice how the truck just feels more alive with premium? My old Silverado was the same way. Ran on 87 for years because the manual said it was fine, but it always felt a bit lazy. Switched to 91 and it was like a different truck, way more pep pulling out onto the highway. I did the math and the better mileage almost paid for the price jump. Your brother isn't totally wrong, but the computer in these newer trucks can actually use that better gas. You were for sure leaving some power on the table.

olivia4784d ago

Yeah, @jamies45, that's the thing with a lot of modern gear. They build in a safety net for the cheap stuff, but you're not getting the full experience. It's like buying a nice speaker and only ever using bluetooth instead of a wired connection. You paid for the better performance, so you might as well use it.