I saw this and I thought I'd this it here. Anyone use Premium fuel and notice better performance and MPG?



Ford Tweaks Engines for Premium Power Payoff


USA Today

Consumer groups insist there is no benefit in using premium fuel if the owner's
manual specifies regular. But many Ford, Mercury and Lincoln trucks, and the 1998
Lincoln Town Car that goes on sale in December, have a feature that makes their
engines more powerful and improves mileage slightly if you use premium. That's so
even though the engines are designed for regular, and advertised poweris obtained
using regular. Ford engineers David Amos, Gary Barringer and Gary Brewer came up
with the clever gimmick brainstorming. The magic gadget is a knock sensor similar
to those on many engines, but set to work differently. Other knock sensors work in
the negative. That is, they tone down some engine computer settings when the
engine starts knocking, quelling the commotion at the expense of engine power. But
Ford's has headroom built in. It will work like the others, but if you use premium, it'll
also step up settings to exploit premium's properties. Amos says it adds five to
seven horsepower to the nominal 205 hp in the overhead-camshaft
Explorer/Mountaineer V-6. And he says premium improves fuel economy in that
engine 0.8 to 1 mile per gallon. Ford can't advertise the higher horsepower and fuel
economy numbers unless it's willing to specify premium fuel, which marketers fear
could scare off buyers. The sensor also is on all trucks using Ford's 4.6-liter and
5.4-liter V-8s and 6.8-liter V-10. That's most F-series V-8 pickups, all Expedition and
Lincoln Navigator sports utilities, and some Econoline vans. And it will be on the
4.6-liter '98 Town Car.

 

Excellent info V-10 Man. I wonder why Ford doesn't make this info available for the hard core groups like us. If the V-8 can make that much extra power, I wonder what the V-10 produces. I'll try premium next time I tow. Do you know when this appeared in USA Today?

 

Snomoman,

I really don't know. I found it surfin the net and thought I should share. I bet it take a couple tanks to really see any difference.

 

>Excellent info V-10 Man. I wonder why
>Ford doesn't make this info available
>for the hard core groups like
>us. If the V-8 can make
>that much extra power, I wonder
>what the V-10 produces. I'll try
>premium next time I tow. Do
>you know when this appeared in
>USA Today?

The soft, Lincoln Town Car-like shifts that the SD's transmission produces are an engraved warning NOT to tow! Consider looking into adding a Superchip to firm up the shifts and protect the tranny from excessive heat and wear. Not only that, but you'd get some impressive HP and torque improvements from the V10. Incidentally, the Superchip addition *requires* that you use premium gasoline because of engine ignition timing alterations.

Tom

 

Well I gave it a shot. Mine is a 2000 F350 4x4 SD CC V10 XLT with camper and towing packages also 4.30 gears. I have been monitoring my mpg off and on and was keeping a fairly steady 11.3 regardless of speed or traffic. When I read this I decided to try it. Well, it took 3 tanks, but I can honestly say I can hear the difference and I have easily gained more than 1 mpg if not nearly 2 mpg. However, I am just now busting 3000 miles so some of the improvement may be from everything loosening up.
I will go back down to standard for about 3 tanks then back up to premium again for atleast 3 more just to make sure. I'll let'ya know.

 

>Well I gave it a shot.
>Mine is a 2000 F350 4x4
>SD CC V10 XLT with camper
>and towing packages also 4.30 gears.
> I have been monitoring my
>mpg off and on and was
>keeping a fairly steady 11.3 regardless
>of speed or traffic. When
>I read this I decided to
>try it. Well, it took
>3 tanks, but I can honestly
>say I can hear the difference
>and I have easily gained more
>than 1 mpg if not nearly
>2 mpg. However, I am
>just now busting 3000 miles so
>some of the improvement may be
>from everything loosening up. I will
>go back down to standard for
>about 3 tanks then back up
>to premium again for atleast 3
>more just to make sure.
>I'll let'ya know.

Bruce,

Thanks for the info. I ordered pretty much the same exact truck as yours and should have it within a couple of weeks. My question is, how do you like your new rig so far? Any problems? I have read with interest many posts where people are complaining of things like squeeking, vibration, etc. and am wondering if these things were fixed in '00.
Any feedback would be appreciated, thanks.

'00 F350 XLT SD CC DRW LB V10 5SP Tow Pkg. etc.

Signed 'Waiting not so patiently'

 

I have a 99 SD,CC,SRW,4x4,Camper special,4.30 gears, with regular I get /- 11.5 gal. per mile, With Primium I get 14 mpg's with 89 octane I still get a little over 11. I have 32,000 miles and have tried this test several times. Certain brands also differ.