I've always used Shell gas in my truck since the day I got it for a couple of reasons. 1. It's not oxygenated and 2. I get 5% back when I use my shell Mastercard.

I recently read here that someone's V10 really likes the Gulf gas so, the last 2 tanks have been Gulf just to see what happens.

My gas mileage has gone up from 10.5 to 11.6. Through all of the other mods, my milegage never wavered. I was amazed. The switch from 3.73 to 4.30, the PowerPack, it didn't matter. I never varied more than .5 mpg up or down. All of a sudden, running Gulf gas, I am getting 1.1 better mpgs.

Is it the gas or could it be all of the mods finally settling in? I'll stay with Gulf if it means I get another 35 or 36 miles out of a tank!

 

fredvon4 has a old post about different gas brands and blends. he's the one really up on the gases as he travels around a lot.
here in new jersey the brands around my town are 2 no name,1 mobil,1 gulf,1 getty anda citgo . best for me is the no name and the getty. with nj gulf and mobil i dropped to 9 from 11.6. i have never tryed the citgo as it's way on the other side of a 69 sq mile town or a 25 min drive on farm roads.
i don't know what gives but it sure stinks esp. when the price is going ski high again so every mile helps

 

Could be the pump is showing fewer gallons than it pumps?

Yep, Fred knows his gas ... oh, wait, I mean gasoline ...

$2.79 here for 87.

 

If you have a choice go for the unoxygenated stuff you will always get better mileage .....on LI and lots of areas you have no choice but run the enviro-**** blends. The no OX stuff (either "enhanced" with MTBE or Ethanol) should run you $.15 a gallon less. Great gas website-----------------> http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/oog/info/gdu/gasdiesel.asp lots of places to click and see all kinds of different info.

 

My V10 seems to like Chevron gas. It tends to ping on other types. Interesting though, when I pull long grades with the trailer I get pings until I get my first tank full of gas outside of California, then no more ping until I get back to CA.

My PSD used to run great on Texaco but it hated Unical 76.

 

i'm sure it's chevron that fred and wrench use. i don't have much choice around me and it's going to get worse .our getty was up for sale and rumors state our abdul is buying that one also. that will make 3 no name . leaving us with only 1 station thats not owned by him. a mobil owned property and run station.
it's bad enough they raise the price daliy by the stock market not by the load delivered when they get it. $3.00 is very close again. maybe by the next week at the rate it's going again. went to $2.699. last night while just 3 weeks ago it was $2.129.
sorry guys it's become a very bad subject. more since i'm on a fixed income of just $1385 a month now.

 

I can get from .5 to 1.7 MPG difference just with a switch to different brands.... both my Ford V10s really do much better with the Central Texas version of Chevron 87 with Techron. And the worst mpg including sluggish starts, poor idle, and loss of power is from the older grandfathered "in ground" quick mart / fuel stations. Not really a brand because they change names every few years here, "skinnies", "Mickie's", "stop n Go" etc.

Of course I would be interested in trying the Ethanol blended, my oxygenated blends that I know suck are all with 5, 10, or 15% MTBE

The funny thing is that over all my years driving in 10 different states, and three Europe countries, my different vehicles were fed what ever was convenient and I never developed a "Brand Loyalty" to any fuel. Most of my vehicles never showed a preference except my SS 396 Chevelle...she was high compression and demanded SUNOCO 102 octane to even run.... These V10 , at least to me, are the most sensitive motor to fuel I ever owned.

Toped off yesterday with 32 gallons of $2.679 Chevron... ouch....think we are heading for $3.000 real fast this summer!

 

Not to beat you about the head, Fred, but I gotta give the other side of this debate, as I always do

Not that what everyone else here has said isn't true, but there is at least one V10 that doesn't really care.

My 2001 V10 with normal 87 octane, 10% ethanol or MTBE, runs GREAT. On trips out of the "green" metro area, I've run 100% gasoline, many different brands, and NO change whatsoever in MPG or power.

The only thing I notice is that when I go with a really good name brand (like BP/Amoco), it acts like the octane is TOO high. Slightly worse idle, and acts like it's cold on off-idle, but WOT is just the same.

Both my 4.6L's, and the V10, all act the same on the Gulf down the street (cheapest around) and run great. Any big name brand, I get that slight indication it's running a little cool, same as running 89 or 93 octane. The cheapo down the street, I've run 90% of the time, and no big deposits of crud in the tank or filters.

What does this mean? My V10 and 4.6L's all run the best on plain 87 octane. With or without Ethanol or MTBE.

My own intuition with the V10 is that it's timing is retarded a bit more than I would like, and the octane of the gas really NEEDS to be as low as possible. Which is also why it doesn't care about different types of gas.

I'm beginning to wonder if all the people who say the gas really makes a difference have a non-CA calibration. (NY and other states require CA emissions).

 

This is an interesting thought. I live in CA but my truck is originaly from NV, so it is not a CA calibration. Although, I am not sure if there is a difference any more, since they are certified 50 state legal. Not sure on this.

Anyway, I run plain old 87 octane. Never ran anything more than 87 octane because I don't want to pay the money. But when I do run out of state gas (non-CA) the ping on long hard grades with the trailer goes away. I notice this usually on the very first tank full of out of state fuel.

I do know that this truck likes Chevron gas. It does not like Mobil, I have never calculated the difference in MPG between the gas brands, but Mobil does not get me as far per tank and it pings ALOT more than with the Chevron.

The V10 seems to ping anyway. When pulling hard on a grade with a trailer in tow, if you end up kinda in a neutral throttle position at high RPM the engine rattles like marbles are spilling out. Let out of the throttle or go deeper into the throttle and this goes away. I have heard of this from other V10 owners. Mine is a non-egr so I know this is not a faulty part causing the issue. Anyway, I just live with it. I love the V10, ping and all.

 

20 k and mine has never pinged on any thing even towing up a 25% grade .lost mpg's yes but never ping

 

Mine has the CA emmissions because even though I live in RI which doesn't require them (yet), I bought the truck in MA which DOES require the CA emmissions.

Just recently I noticed a sticker on the pump that the Shell gas that I've been using has 10% ethanol. The Gulf has MTBE added to the gas.

I think it's cool that the gas it does best on is also the cheapest.

 

captchas...mine must have came from the same mold as yours. I've never had mine ping and it gets worked HARD. I run a Hypertech tuner (on the 93 ocatne setting, mind you) K&N cold air kit and I also just installed a BBK twin-65mm throttle body. 4.30 gears, C/C dually F-350 2wd w/173,000 miles. I tow a 25', 3-axle trailer that weighs in at 12,500 (truck/trailer) empty. Most times I gross between 24-26k when loaded with hay (a tall load to boot).


I guess I'm just lucky, especially running the tuner on the setting I have it on but it runs and pulls way better there. I've never ran anything other than the cheapest 87 octane I could find which is usually BP or Conoco around here.

They don'e make 'em any better in my book!

 

You guys are lucky... Try California gas ... then you'll get her to ping

 

your not alone with a 93 octane tune, i'm doing the same thing only it's a 93 tune on 87 and she won't ping. i have a sct excal2 and love it because of all the areas i can change on it . i use a 93 street and have a 93 race tune that can wring this baby out in the 1/4 mile. i was going to try it this past weekend but mother nature did not give us a chance it freckin snowed 2 inches on saturday. i'll try again this comeing weekend after that it has to wait till vaction in HI. is over.

 

I can't wait to get a tuner and start playing... but gotta (should) wait until the lease is up, end of June.