94 Octane Chevron

[Water Warrior 2]

Got to thinking about some of the octane discusions and bikes. So I said to myself why not try a tank full in the Ranger. Instead of 87 with Ethynol I got pure 94 octane with no Ethynol. Oh my does the Ranger 4.0 liter V-6 like that stuff. Smoother running, quieter running and a lot of noticeable power increase. The little truck easily pulls up grades in overdrive that previously required a downshift to 4th. If I did a long trip I think it might be a bonus if the mileage would increase enough to cover the added cost of $0.78 a Can gallon. One thing I did notice is the engine does run a little cooler on the temp guage. Not something a person would want in a cold Canadian Prairie winter. That would really draw down gas mileage from my experience. There are ways around that too if anyone is interested. Thankfully I longer inhabit the prairies.

[dentheman]

That makes sense since ethenol dilutes the pure-gas. But I don't see why the engine would run cooler if the thermostat is working properly.

[Water Warrior 2]

The only thing that comes to mind is a more controlled burn rate which might cause a little less engine heat or hot spot near the temp sensor. Maybe some one else has an explaination other than mine. I'm all ears.

[dentheman]

Ah yes, I failed to separate the temp sensor from the thermostat in my mind.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by dentheman

That makes sense since ethenol dilutes the pure-gas. But I don't see why the engine would run cooler if the thermostat is working properly.

I suspect that the difference is mostly due to the lack of ethanol and not the difference in octane.

Part of the temp. difference is that the mixture is effectively a little richer with pure gas; leaner mixture burns a bit hotter.

I'd think the difference would have to be LARGE to justify a difference in price of $.75 per gallon.

[Water Warrior 2]

Easy, I suspect you are very correct. Never thought of the leaner burn issue. Good reasoning.