Thread: Gasoline question.....settle this once and for all!!

Friend and I were having a discussion about gasoline and he told me that during the winter months he runs premium in his F-150 (it has the 4.2L V6.....he thinks it's a bauce status truck but that's another topic). I basically told him that since he isn't using it for anything other than driving back and forth to school, and since he doesn't have any mods or anything, he's an idiot for paying for premium. He swears up and down that premium is a necessity in the winter and doesn't believe me when I said that they make winter blend gas for a reason.

So, what's the scoop on this? If he's wrong I swear I'll show him this thread....maybe it will shut his Ford mouth up.

not a necessity. winter mix is a real thing, but it wouldnt affect something driven normally like a normal person.

What is reccomended in his owners manual? That is the only real answer to this qurestion.

That motor could run on colorado piss water gas (85 octane) at sea level. Your friend's a putz.

Bauce. F150. LMFAO.

Originally Posted by 02 WS6 TA

Bauce. F150. LMFAO.

This.

He's told me before that he thinks his F-150 could take my "Grand Putz" (as he calls it). Now I know my GP ain't that fast but I'd sure as heck hope I could take a 4.2L F-150.....

All your buddy is doing is hurting his motor.

If the truck is not designed to run on "the good stuff", its not going to run right. Vehicles that are designed to run on the good stuff typically have a higher compression ratio and tighter tolerances, and are typically geared to high horse power and performance. If the vehicle is not designed to run on it, it can not completely and efficiently burn the air/fuel charge. This means that your converter has to work double time, and you risk plugging up your converter if it becomes over loaded with this unburnt fuel.

I used to be a certified emissions tech here in Southwestern Ontario.. People would bring their car in for an emissions test, and it would fail. They would take it, throw an air filter in it, fill it with premium, take it for a boot to get it hot, and bring it back. I would put it on the dyno and re-test it, only to have it fail with MORE emissions than their previous test, mainly HC's (Hydrocarbons), or in simpler terms, raw fuel.


Just sayin..


Jay

In winter you could run lower octane gas because the intake air is colder. Octane is the measure gasolines tendency to auto ignite. The factors that effect auto ignition is compression ratio and air temperature. High octane fuel does not contain more energy but lets you compress it more so that you can get more energy out of the fuel.

If the engine was designed for 87 octane higher octane does nothing.

Look at Wikipedia
Octane rating - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

LOL more power to him if he wants to throw his money in the tank. He's a gas companies favorite customer.

Pee in your gas tank, it will give you better mileage

On the contrary, the Saab is designed to take any grade 87, 89, 91, or 93. It will adjust itself for each level of octane.

Why do you think the Giant Pile (you like that one?) has two octane tables? Low and high. So that when you put in crap..it realizes how much knock it's seeing and goes to the low spark table to keep from seeing the kr.

the Saab isn't special...cept for that mushroom stamp it got this weekend when he was fetching the GP key. (I stamped both Dave...Nick paid me to do it)

Interesting Bill, I never realized that these 4 wheeled machines had 2 different octane tables.

Ah...duh.

Tell him your gp could pull his truck around

normaly i would say not to use the higher grade fuel as he is just thoughing away money.. but it's a 4.2 he already throw away money buying that POS engine

has he blew the head gaskets yet? lol the 3.8/4.2 v6 was one the worst engines for ever made (i would say the 6.0 but that was navistar and not ford) i freaking hate when they come in at work hate them i am lucky i am a diesel tech


if any thing all he is doing is loosing power. the stock 4.2 computers do not comand that much timing and using a higher octane is also a lower volitility fuelt hat has less energy in it. his truck would get better MPG and power with 87 fuel do to it's more volitility and enrgy it has in it

Originally Posted by 98L36

This.

He's told me before that he thinks his F-150 could take my "Grand Putz" (as he calls it). Now I know my GP ain't that fast but I'd sure as heck hope I could take a 4.2L F-150.....

an air cooled VW bug could take out a 4.2 any thing

He already threw his money away on a Ford. Why not take it a step further?