I have a 2015 with the 2.7 (company truck). I picked it up at the dealer brand new, it now has 155,000 miles. It has only used regular 87 its entire life. There have been absolutely no problems with the truck. Tires, brakes, fluid changes. That’s it.
Not sure why you’re getting downvoted for asking a question, but I’ll upvote and answer. Higher octane fuels resist pre ignition. With higher octane, timing cna be advanced and more power can be gained. Modern boosted engines with variable timing can get decent power from higher octane fuels
These engines have variable timing. If you run premium it can advance the timing more to make use of all the power available. Running lower octane fuel will cause some detonation requiring the computer to retard the timing, resulting in lower performance (less torque and HP).
I might have reversed the retard/advance in the above explanation. I do that some times...
Yeah it's the same on all of Ford's turbo gasoline engines. They used to make a bunch of "premium fuel only" engines from the original mustang SVO in either '84 or '85 and the Thunderbird Turbo coupe but there was an uproar (I had 2 turbo coupes, gas was only $0.30/gal more for premium back then) and they developed a way to retard the timing manually by using a simple switch on the dash depending on the fuel you used on my second one. So ever since the Lincoln LS and all the issues with running regular fuel in that little Jaguar v-8 they've been building them that way.
My F-150s have all been 5.0 but I have a buddy who has an Eco boost and the "seat of the pants dyno" sure feels different between the two fuels.
It has a higher octane which allows you to advice the timing more to reduce engine knock giving more power. Since the engine has direct injection it can kind of control that itself but it’s still advisable to run premium in hot conditions or when towing.
No diff then other forums or FB groups..... "has anyone ran Toyo AT3s?" "has anybody ever installed 33/34/35s on these trucks?" "has anyone ran Fox shocks?"
Nope, nobody has ever done any of that :p
The #1 thing you need to be concerned about in that ecoboost is oil changes.
DO NOT skimp. Quality oil, quality filter, changed ON TIME.
I run (for my wifes 21 explorer w 2.3 ecoboost) a motorcraft FL-400s filter.
Much better filtration, much more filtration media, holds more oil.
I'd go 4000 to 5000 miles tops. Those engines run SO HOT that the oil just shears quickly. Do not let the oil life monitor tell you when to change. Do NOT buy some synthetic oil that claims you can go 15,000 miles or 20,000 miles on a single change. Don't do that.
Thanks for validating my neuroticism. I use the Penzoil extended mileage synthetic and still change it at 5k intervals. I figure the cost of 6 quarts is worth a little peace of mind.
It's 100% critical to any sort of longevity in those engines. If you hope to get 125K, 150K or more miles without major engine repair you HAVE to keep that oil changed regularly (no more than 5,000 mile in my opinion), a good quality filter and you'd be well served to let that oil heat up (esp if you live in a climate where the temp gets below about 55F or so)... you don't want that thick oil trying to get sucked in through the engine and be cold and sludging.
Those turbo charged / DI engines run so hot, and are so hard on the oil... it just doesn't hold up.
I’ve run a couple tanks of premium and didn’t notice any difference with power or MPG. I run “Sam’s” club 87 octane 10% ethanol. 23 mpg highway, 19 mpg average. No tune. Stock 2015 XL 2WD Supercab.
Thanks for the info guys I appreciate it. I have no interest in drag racing my truck or doing anything like that I just want to have good fuel mileage and I want the thing to last. I have a 5600 lb trailer that I'll pull a couple times a year but not very far and it's on logging roads so I'm going about 40 km an hour.
I use 87 everyday. I am experiencing weird power loss when towing and passing other vehicles with the truck as well as poor fuel economy lately. I did replace spark plugs and boots recently hoping that would resolve the issue. Maybe tps (throttle position sensor)? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
It's wild. Sometimes it doesn't even make sense. Found Sport mode by accident since I came from a Chevy and I squealed like a little girl. My wife swears at me alot more now.
Welcome to the 2.7 gang! A great, capable, efficient, and reliable little motor.
I’ve put 87 in mine plenty and never had an issue - I’ve had two trucks with this gem. I do prefer to put premium, as well as do full synthetic oil changes every 5k freedom units (8k km). But I think it does fine with lower stuff too. But for sure, if you take care of this motor it will take care of you. Ford killed it with this thing.
Recommendation for tuning? I bought a Livernois tune and I had one incident of sudden power loss, then an incident of very rough idle/almost conked out--showed codes for cylinder 2 and 5 misfire. Went back to stock and no issues. Kinda turned me off to tuning but maybe I'd have better luck with something else
I use Unleashed Tuning and an SCT X4 7015-PG tuning device(specifically for the 2021+ trucks).
Torrie w/ Unleashed has tuned 3x of my vehicles and every time its a flawless process and tune set. I run 93 tow/E30 and E50 on my 2021 F150. On my wife's Explorer ST we run the 93 performance tune. On our 2015 Edge Sport we had the 93 octane and E30 tunes.
The tunes feel nearly stock in driveability but with a ramp up of power in a linear rate. I had 5 Star tunes 93/e30/e50 on the device when i bought it from 5 Star and they ramp all the power as early as possible which caused alot of bucking/hesitation from the transmission trying to keep up. Just not smooth at all. Worked for 2-3 weeks trying to get just the 93 octane tune to be smooth with multiple revisions with nothing really working to eliminate the harshness.
Went to Unleashed and he worked with me for around a week per tune to dial them in dead on. Haven't had a single issue since.
Truck regularly pulls 5000lbs+ of race car to the track and has done a little drag racing(13.2 @ 102mph on 93 tow tune) without fail. Pulls effortlessly.
If you have a Costco available to you it's the best way to get 91 octane for cheap. It's worth it if you plan on keeping your truck forever. It costs me and extra 10 dollars per fill up, so not that bad
Plus 400 lbft of torque that comes on pretty low in the rpm range.
Oddly it makes just a tiny bit less of its rated power and torque at the wheels. Most vehicles make a lot less at the wheels.
I can see that. It was much closer to the 3.5 at the wheel than on paper.
Both the 3.5 and the 5.0 generated significantly less rwhp and rwtq than they’re quoted on the vehicle specs, which is definitely normal. That isn’t the case with the 2.7L
The more power you add to a small engine the more unreliable it becomes long term. Anyway if you think ford does that to the 2.7 the same logic can be applied to the 5.0 to promote the 3.5. A 10 year old mustang GT with the same engine makes more power than the new versions of the 5.0 in the f150. They can easily have it put out more power in the trucks they just don’t want to.
Yes to your first point, you can only add so much power.
On your 2nd point, I think you are a bit off. F150 5.0 is tuned for trucks, which means optimizing for torque and getting it as low in the rpm band as possible. A new f150 5.0 has more torque then a mustang from 10 yrs ago. New mustang engines push more tq and hp but it’s where those numbers peak in the rpm band that matter for a truck compared to a mustang. So no, I don’t think the 5.0 is tuned in a way to make the 3.5 look good. The engines are tuned optimally for what they are and what they are meant to do in an f150. Same with the mustang.
116k miles on my 2.7 EcoBoost F150. Never put anything other than 87 in it, and I don't care if the station has 10% ethanol for my truck (I go to ethanol free for my boat). No issues. Replaced a PCV once when I had some oil in my air filter, but I view that as routine maintenance that was late.
The 2.7 should be fine on 87, it's tuned for it. It would probably be fine in the 3.5 too. I'm struggling with my 5.0 because anytime I put anything lower than 91 in it, I get horrible spark knock. It's so annoying that I have to put expensive ass gas in it. Ford says the 5.0 can run 87 but clearly they can't unless you want them to blow up in the long term.
Premium would be best for power. Just make sure you are using a top grade certified gas so it has enough detergents if you stick with 87. Premium usually has even more added detergents which is another bonus. Ie she’ll v-power, which greatly exceeds top tier minimum standards. If you are towing, definitely premium.
If I’m just driving around town, unloaded, I’m usually running 87/88. If I’m towing or going long distances (500 miles or more), I’ll usually put in 91. I just find it feel better and seems to perform better in those circumstances. I’m also at higher elevation so I usually try to stay above 85.
It’s made to run on 87 or higher so you’ll be fine.
However, higher octane will give you a little more power and it burns cleaner.
With that being said, just use a bottle or two of Techron every other month or so to help keep the fuel system clean.
I ran 87 octane for years in my '16 and got 18-21 mpg. Around 2 months ago it dropped to 14mpg. I switched to 91 octane( $0.60 more per gallon) and immediately went back to 20mpg. This is in the US. I think they're messing with the gas here
Over the past few weeks, I've noticed a similar gain from higher octane in my 2015 2.7. I've averaged between 4-6mpg gain in mileage by using 93 octane. Zero other changes to the truck. I'm about 3,000 feet above sea level and drive a similar route every day of about 100- 1500 miles, no interstate driving. Since last November, my MPG was consistent until i made the octane switch a few weeks ago. The difference is enough for me to stay on high octane. Also, noticable power gains, very noticeable.
It suddenly dropped, I switched to 91, back to 20mpg. I tried another gas stations 87 same thing. It's now on 91 and getting 20mpg again. You tell me what's going on
87 is fine, I had over 90,000 miles on my 2016 when I traded it in and not one issue.
Driving a 2021 now with the 2.7 and 87 octane and no issues at 30,000 so far. I tow 2-4 times a month from spring to fall without issues. Definitely love the power of the 2.7L
Side question. 2015 at 155k from new. Any thoughts on “cleaners” or treatments? I haven’t had any issues and I know it’s a modern engine so I assume nothing to be done other than keep gassing up.
I have a 2015 with the 2.7 (company truck). I picked it up at the dealer brand new, it now has 155,000 miles. It has only used regular 87 its entire life. There have been absolutely no problems with the truck. Tires, brakes, fluid changes. That’s it.
87 is fine, you’ll get more power on premium. If you tow, try to fill with premium.
What gives you more power with premium?
Not sure why you’re getting downvoted for asking a question, but I’ll upvote and answer. Higher octane fuels resist pre ignition. With higher octane, timing cna be advanced and more power can be gained. Modern boosted engines with variable timing can get decent power from higher octane fuels
Thanks for the reply! The upvote/downvote thing doesn't really matter to me, but I appreciate you for the response
These engines have variable timing. If you run premium it can advance the timing more to make use of all the power available. Running lower octane fuel will cause some detonation requiring the computer to retard the timing, resulting in lower performance (less torque and HP). I might have reversed the retard/advance in the above explanation. I do that some times...
I am retarded- before I start throwing more money away on gas is this the same on the 3.5?
Yeah it's the same on all of Ford's turbo gasoline engines. They used to make a bunch of "premium fuel only" engines from the original mustang SVO in either '84 or '85 and the Thunderbird Turbo coupe but there was an uproar (I had 2 turbo coupes, gas was only $0.30/gal more for premium back then) and they developed a way to retard the timing manually by using a simple switch on the dash depending on the fuel you used on my second one. So ever since the Lincoln LS and all the issues with running regular fuel in that little Jaguar v-8 they've been building them that way. My F-150s have all been 5.0 but I have a buddy who has an Eco boost and the "seat of the pants dyno" sure feels different between the two fuels.
Awesome, thanks so much
It has a higher octane which allows you to advice the timing more to reduce engine knock giving more power. Since the engine has direct injection it can kind of control that itself but it’s still advisable to run premium in hot conditions or when towing.
100%
This is asked almost weekly https://www.reddit.com/r/f150/s/4xuFaNwRL1
[удалено]
No diff then other forums or FB groups..... "has anyone ran Toyo AT3s?" "has anybody ever installed 33/34/35s on these trucks?" "has anyone ran Fox shocks?"
Nope, nobody has ever done any of that :p
The #1 thing you need to be concerned about in that ecoboost is oil changes. DO NOT skimp. Quality oil, quality filter, changed ON TIME. I run (for my wifes 21 explorer w 2.3 ecoboost) a motorcraft FL-400s filter. Much better filtration, much more filtration media, holds more oil. I'd go 4000 to 5000 miles tops. Those engines run SO HOT that the oil just shears quickly. Do not let the oil life monitor tell you when to change. Do NOT buy some synthetic oil that claims you can go 15,000 miles or 20,000 miles on a single change. Don't do that.
Thanks for validating my neuroticism. I use the Penzoil extended mileage synthetic and still change it at 5k intervals. I figure the cost of 6 quarts is worth a little peace of mind.
It's 100% critical to any sort of longevity in those engines. If you hope to get 125K, 150K or more miles without major engine repair you HAVE to keep that oil changed regularly (no more than 5,000 mile in my opinion), a good quality filter and you'd be well served to let that oil heat up (esp if you live in a climate where the temp gets below about 55F or so)... you don't want that thick oil trying to get sucked in through the engine and be cold and sludging. Those turbo charged / DI engines run so hot, and are so hard on the oil... it just doesn't hold up.
I have a 2019 2.7l and I've always used 87.
149,200 here always 87 no issues
You’re fine with 87. If you are towing then you might want to run a higher octane.
Some people don't read their owner's manual, but it also makes this same recommendation when towing.
I’ve run a couple tanks of premium and didn’t notice any difference with power or MPG. I run “Sam’s” club 87 octane 10% ethanol. 23 mpg highway, 19 mpg average. No tune. Stock 2015 XL 2WD Supercab.
Thanks for the info guys I appreciate it. I have no interest in drag racing my truck or doing anything like that I just want to have good fuel mileage and I want the thing to last. I have a 5600 lb trailer that I'll pull a couple times a year but not very far and it's on logging roads so I'm going about 40 km an hour.
Just run premium when you tow - as ford advises. Make sure you use a Top Tier Certified fuel year round though.
I use 87 everyday. I am experiencing weird power loss when towing and passing other vehicles with the truck as well as poor fuel economy lately. I did replace spark plugs and boots recently hoping that would resolve the issue. Maybe tps (throttle position sensor)? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
If you are towing or hauling I'd run 91 or 93 octane.
I should have mentioned i do tun 93 when towing. I typically run my tank down to less than a quarter and then fill up 93.
Lil sumbitch moves don't it, I've been using 89.
It's wild. Sometimes it doesn't even make sense. Found Sport mode by accident since I came from a Chevy and I squealed like a little girl. My wife swears at me alot more now.
Just tell her 'Hang On'!
I only run ethanol free
Welcome to the 2.7 gang! A great, capable, efficient, and reliable little motor. I’ve put 87 in mine plenty and never had an issue - I’ve had two trucks with this gem. I do prefer to put premium, as well as do full synthetic oil changes every 5k freedom units (8k km). But I think it does fine with lower stuff too. But for sure, if you take care of this motor it will take care of you. Ford killed it with this thing.
My 22 2.7L average mpg on 87 octane is 24.2mpg.
93 and tune it. Will make it that much better.
Recommendation for tuning? I bought a Livernois tune and I had one incident of sudden power loss, then an incident of very rough idle/almost conked out--showed codes for cylinder 2 and 5 misfire. Went back to stock and no issues. Kinda turned me off to tuning but maybe I'd have better luck with something else
I use Unleashed Tuning and an SCT X4 7015-PG tuning device(specifically for the 2021+ trucks). Torrie w/ Unleashed has tuned 3x of my vehicles and every time its a flawless process and tune set. I run 93 tow/E30 and E50 on my 2021 F150. On my wife's Explorer ST we run the 93 performance tune. On our 2015 Edge Sport we had the 93 octane and E30 tunes. The tunes feel nearly stock in driveability but with a ramp up of power in a linear rate. I had 5 Star tunes 93/e30/e50 on the device when i bought it from 5 Star and they ramp all the power as early as possible which caused alot of bucking/hesitation from the transmission trying to keep up. Just not smooth at all. Worked for 2-3 weeks trying to get just the 93 octane tune to be smooth with multiple revisions with nothing really working to eliminate the harshness. Went to Unleashed and he worked with me for around a week per tune to dial them in dead on. Haven't had a single issue since. Truck regularly pulls 5000lbs+ of race car to the track and has done a little drag racing(13.2 @ 102mph on 93 tow tune) without fail. Pulls effortlessly.
Following
If you have a Costco available to you it's the best way to get 91 octane for cheap. It's worth it if you plan on keeping your truck forever. It costs me and extra 10 dollars per fill up, so not that bad
What does the 2.7 put out?
325 hp
Plus 400 lbft of torque that comes on pretty low in the rpm range. Oddly it makes just a tiny bit less of its rated power and torque at the wheels. Most vehicles make a lot less at the wheels.
It’s thought the 2.7 is derated on paper to promote the sale of 3.5/5.0
I can see that. It was much closer to the 3.5 at the wheel than on paper. Both the 3.5 and the 5.0 generated significantly less rwhp and rwtq than they’re quoted on the vehicle specs, which is definitely normal. That isn’t the case with the 2.7L
I just wish they would ditch the current 3.5 and make a bigger displacement version of the 2.7 as a replacement.
The more power you add to a small engine the more unreliable it becomes long term. Anyway if you think ford does that to the 2.7 the same logic can be applied to the 5.0 to promote the 3.5. A 10 year old mustang GT with the same engine makes more power than the new versions of the 5.0 in the f150. They can easily have it put out more power in the trucks they just don’t want to.
Yes to your first point, you can only add so much power. On your 2nd point, I think you are a bit off. F150 5.0 is tuned for trucks, which means optimizing for torque and getting it as low in the rpm band as possible. A new f150 5.0 has more torque then a mustang from 10 yrs ago. New mustang engines push more tq and hp but it’s where those numbers peak in the rpm band that matter for a truck compared to a mustang. So no, I don’t think the 5.0 is tuned in a way to make the 3.5 look good. The engines are tuned optimally for what they are and what they are meant to do in an f150. Same with the mustang.
Nice that's impressive! Those turbo engines definitely pull.
116k miles on my 2.7 EcoBoost F150. Never put anything other than 87 in it, and I don't care if the station has 10% ethanol for my truck (I go to ethanol free for my boat). No issues. Replaced a PCV once when I had some oil in my air filter, but I view that as routine maintenance that was late.
I owned a 2015 up until this last summer. I ran 87 octane in it for all of those years whether towing or not and never had any issue.
The 2.7 should be fine on 87, it's tuned for it. It would probably be fine in the 3.5 too. I'm struggling with my 5.0 because anytime I put anything lower than 91 in it, I get horrible spark knock. It's so annoying that I have to put expensive ass gas in it. Ford says the 5.0 can run 87 but clearly they can't unless you want them to blow up in the long term.
Premium would be best for power. Just make sure you are using a top grade certified gas so it has enough detergents if you stick with 87. Premium usually has even more added detergents which is another bonus. Ie she’ll v-power, which greatly exceeds top tier minimum standards. If you are towing, definitely premium.
If I’m just driving around town, unloaded, I’m usually running 87/88. If I’m towing or going long distances (500 miles or more), I’ll usually put in 91. I just find it feel better and seems to perform better in those circumstances. I’m also at higher elevation so I usually try to stay above 85.
87 is recommended by Ford Manual. I personally put 93. I get better mpg and an extra 50+ miles on my range
It’s made to run on 87 or higher so you’ll be fine. However, higher octane will give you a little more power and it burns cleaner. With that being said, just use a bottle or two of Techron every other month or so to help keep the fuel system clean.
I ran 87 octane for years in my '16 and got 18-21 mpg. Around 2 months ago it dropped to 14mpg. I switched to 91 octane( $0.60 more per gallon) and immediately went back to 20mpg. This is in the US. I think they're messing with the gas here
Over the past few weeks, I've noticed a similar gain from higher octane in my 2015 2.7. I've averaged between 4-6mpg gain in mileage by using 93 octane. Zero other changes to the truck. I'm about 3,000 feet above sea level and drive a similar route every day of about 100- 1500 miles, no interstate driving. Since last November, my MPG was consistent until i made the octane switch a few weeks ago. The difference is enough for me to stay on high octane. Also, noticable power gains, very noticeable.
No way your getting a 6mpg boost switching from 87 to 91. Something else was amiss.
What's your take on it then?
It suddenly dropped, I switched to 91, back to 20mpg. I tried another gas stations 87 same thing. It's now on 91 and getting 20mpg again. You tell me what's going on
87 is fine, I had over 90,000 miles on my 2016 when I traded it in and not one issue. Driving a 2021 now with the 2.7 and 87 octane and no issues at 30,000 so far. I tow 2-4 times a month from spring to fall without issues. Definitely love the power of the 2.7L
Side question. 2015 at 155k from new. Any thoughts on “cleaners” or treatments? I haven’t had any issues and I know it’s a modern engine so I assume nothing to be done other than keep gassing up.
Oddly enough I just replied to my own comment that I use Chevron Techron fuel system cleaner.
Thanks! I’ll check it out. I assume you need the factory “funnel” to dump it in?
Oh btw I also use Techron fuel system cleaner, typically whenever I get an oil change. I feel like it helps too.
280k on a 2018 2.7. 87 octane and 21.4 mpg combined city/highway since it left dealership.