Powerboost Owner Tips!

[BRDVPRA]

Things I wish I knew at the beginning.

1. Engine needs heat! I noticed that it took 7 miles for the engine and transmission to get to full operating temperature. I got terrible mileage until then.
   1. Got an engine block heater/oil pan heater.
   2. Drive the truck in Sport Mode until it's up to temp. Takes 2.5 miles to get to temp now and my 24 mile commute gets around 1.5 mpg better with this method.
2. The stock "skid plate" that is cloth is absolute garbage. Swap it out for a real one from an aftermarket company.
3. Drive 70 mph or below if you expect highway mileage. 80 and above kills mileage.
4. Heavy tires kill mileage. KO2's are great, but weigh around 15 lbs more PER TIRE than stock. Get tires that match what you use the truck for.
5. Use premium gas for best power and mileage. Costco 93 is the best deal in Texas.
6. Change your plugs at 60k miles.
7. Use synthetic oil. This is a twin turbo, 430 HP, 3.5 liter motor. Not long ago that was good for a Porsche.

Just wanted to share. Seems like there's a lot of people who put big wheels with beefy tires, a lift, run 87 octane, and cruise at 85 mph who are shocked they aren't getting 23 mpg.

Get it up to temp, treat it right, and enjoy. There are drives I don't care about mileage and just want to put the pedal down and enjoy a 430 HP truck. Other days I just want to have a quiet commute home and get the best mpg in Eco Mode. I'm amazed that this truck can be whatever you ask it to be.

Relating to the plugs at 60K.... Were you noticing a miss or notice a mileage improvement after? I have changed them in other 3.5s, any new considerations on changing them yourself?

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[HammaMan]

What is the MPG gain from 87 vs 92/93? It'd have to be significant to justify an additional $20-$30 a fillup (most stations are $1/gallon higher for premium).

I also do not buy into going 80 MPH versus 70 MPH will get you to your destination that much sooner if you're going around town. If I'm wrong, all for being corrected.

If you have e85 available, put in 3.5 gallons for every 20g of 87 octane and your truck should give you all of the benefits of 91 octane, for a cost less than 87. @Snakebitten has been watching his OAR and mixing in e85. He may have more info on what's possible.

 

[Snakebitten]

Hammaman called?

Powerboost.
So 30 gallon tank.
Not trying to save money, but rather give the torque management engine management an opportunity to stretch its legs with the timing/boost
tables.
26 gallons of 93(E10) and 4 gallons of E85.
Not exactly sure what the Octane rating would be, but the E rating would still be below E20. So the factory calibration has no issues with Lambda/AF ratio.

Think of it as Filet Mignon for a pump gas factory stock Ecoboost.

 

[mxwrk]

I have a short 8 mile commute on surface streets...about 30-50 mph and the mornings are cold these days. If I remote start for a few mins prior to leaving, vs just leaving, I definitely see better MPG's on the dash. However...am I really saving fuel? probably not since when the truck is idling its getting 0.0mpg.

 

[HammaMan]

I have a short 8 mile commute on surface streets...about 30-50 mph and the mornings are cold these days. If I remote start for a few mins prior to leaving, vs just leaving, I definitely see better MPG's on the dash. However...am I really saving fuel? probably not since when the truck is idling its getting 0.0mpg.

Can't remember if the remote start fuel shows up in the 'this trip' meter, but it does under the other trip meters. You can track it by resetting it regularly. Test by resetting a trip meter before parking it, and then before shutting it off compare to reset trip.

 

[mxwrk]

Can't remember if the remote start fuel shows up in the 'this trip' meter, but it does under the other trip meters. You can track it by resetting it regularly. Test by resetting a trip meter before parking it, and then before shutting it off compare to reset trip.

Yeah I don't think it shows up in the trip. I don't really care what the trip says I'm just trying to figure out what's more economical

 

[HammaMan]

Yeah I don't think it shows up in the trip. I don't really care what the trip says I'm just trying to figure out what's more economical

OBD tools shows up so you may be able to look more closely at fuel burn info and put something together. I'd remote start regardless as a couple dollars per fill-up to help minimize engine wear is worth it.

 

[Spudnutz]

What is the MPG gain from 87 vs 92/93? It'd have to be significant to justify an additional $20-$30 a fillup (most stations are $1/gallon higher for premium).

I also do not buy into going 80 MPH versus 70 MPH will get you to your destination that much sooner if you're going around town. If I'm wrong, all for being corrected.

Just personal experience but in idaho, non ethanol gas costs 10% more than 87 ethanol gas. I get 20% milage boost. Haven't tried premium ethanol because i prefer non ethanol to keep the cats clean.

 

[mdn14]

Just personal experience but in idaho, non ethanol gas costs 10% more than 87 ethanol gas. I get 20% milage boost. Haven't tried premium ethanol because i prefer non ethanol to keep the cats clean.

I have run a full tank of ethanol free gas and noticed no difference in fuel mileage. You're saying if you get 20 mpg on regular 87, you are seeing 24 with non-ethanol?

 

[RickBullotta]

What is the MPG gain from 87 vs 92/93? It'd have to be significant to justify an additional $20-$30 a fillup (most stations are $1/gallon higher for premium).

I also do not buy into going 80 MPH versus 70 MPH will get you to your destination that much sooner if you're going around town. If I'm wrong, all for being corrected.

It will get you there 14% faster. ;-)

 

[Spudnutz]

I have run a full tank of ethanol free gas and noticed no difference in fuel mileage. You're saying if you get 20 mpg on regular 87, you are seeing 24 with ethanol?

Opposite - better milage with non-ethanol. Also have noticed not all non-ethanol is created equal so not sure Im always getting the right gas.

 

[HammaMan]

Just personal experience but in idaho, non ethanol gas costs 10% more than 87 ethanol gas. I get 20% milage boost. Haven't tried premium ethanol because i prefer non ethanol to keep the cats clean.

I went from 87e10 to 93e0 and saw no meaningful delta. Given I have a specific loop I can run to gauge changes, I'll run it again here soon. However, I do 75mph runs quite regularly and measure over that run for 10 miles or so, it's mostly flat and while I don't document, my mental notepad reports unremarkable difference. Even a 5% difference would yield 1 MPG at that speed.

 

[mdn14]

Opposite - better milage with non-ethanol. Also have noticed not all non-ethanol is created equal so not sure Im always getting the right gas.

Sorry, that's what I meant. Corrected my post now.

That's interesting that non-ethanol makes such a difference when the only difference I saw is what I shelled out at the pump!

 

[joejamesatou]

Corrections!

These are tips for best performance, not for $ savings.

My bad on the secondary cooling system being for the engine. It is not.

I have not calculated the power draw of an engine block heater nor the $ per kw/hr which varies by everywhere. The engine will run better if it is at temp.

According to Car and Driver 93 octane is worth 20hp and .5 seconds off your 0-60 and 1/4 mile time and worth .6 mpg in a gen 2 3.5 Ecoboost. This engine performs very similarly.

https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a28565486/honda-cr-v-vs-bmw-m5-ford-f-150-dodge-charger/

This aligns with what Ford says:
For best overall vehicle and engine performance, premium fuel with an octane rating of 91 or higher is recommended.

https://www.fordservicecontent.com/...erall vehicle and,91 or higher is recommended.

Also, the changing of the plugs at 60k is playing it very safe. 100k is in the manual.

Yes, you can run 87 octane, run in eco mode and take 8 miles to get to temp, and change the spark plugs every 100k. It will be cheaper for sure. Premium costs an extra $.40 a gallon at Costco. Electricity for the block heater and oil pan heater cost money. Spark plugs cost money.

For best performance run 93 octane, get it to temp, and change your plugs. No, you won't net any savings. I'm just a car guy who wants his truck running the best it can.

 

[HammaMan]

Corrections!

These are tips for best performance, not for $ savings.

My bad on the secondary cooling system being for the engine. It is not.

I have not calculated the power draw of an engine block heater nor the $ per kw/hr which varies by everywhere. The engine will run better if it is at temp.

According to Car and Driver 93 octane is worth 20hp and .5 seconds off your 0-60 and 1/4 mile time and worth .6 mpg in a gen 2 3.5 Ecoboost. This engine performs very similarly.

https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a28565486/honda-cr-v-vs-bmw-m5-ford-f-150-dodge-charger/

This aligns with what Ford says:
For best overall vehicle and engine performance, premium fuel with an octane rating of 91 or higher is recommended.

https://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/vdirsnet/OwnerManual/Home/Content?variantid=7386&languageCode=en&countryCode=USA&Uid=G2071057&ProcUid=G1717126&userMarket=usa&div=f&vFilteringEnabled=False&buildtype=web#:~:text=For best overall vehicle and,91 or higher is recommended.

Also, the changing of the plugs at 60k is playing it very safe. 100k is in the manual.

Yes, you can run 87 octane, run in eco mode and take 8 miles to get to temp, and change the spark plugs every 100k. It will be cheaper for sure. Premium costs an extra $.40 a gallon at Costco. Electricity for the block heater and oil pan heater cost money. Spark plugs cost money.

For best performance run 93 octane, get it to temp, and change your plugs. No, you won't net any savings. I'm just a car guy who wants his truck running the best it can.

You don't want an engine oil heater, they have a tendency to cook the oil. The oil pan is also a polymer so just don't do it. I suggest a simple remote start ~5 minutes out from leaving. The exhaust heat scavenging is highly effective and designed for use while idling. I haven't checked to see if it works while in motion, but it works quite well idling, far more than you'd think. Its operation takes coolant from the block via the pump, down into the heat scavenger on the exhaust, into the heater core (possibly back into the block first, there's valves associated with it), and back into the block. Engine coolant temp seems to rise about 20 degrees per minute, but I've only bothered to watch it twice. The cabin temp comes up quite quickly and the engine as well. The colder it is, the longer it appears to operate as if there's a temp limit for its use around 100f or so. So much about the truck's logic we don't know. (trans is also heated by this water)

Spark plug change on the PB should go around 60k miles at most due to the generator function if you use it. It can add up to a fair amount of use that doesn't show up in mileage. The engine oil life calculator does take into account those variables so if you want a decent gauge, replace the plugs every 10 oil changes. Use eco idle for a hotter combustion chamber temp vs standard idling.

As for power between the fuels, it takes the computer time to learn the OAR, so simply running down an 87 tank and dropping in 93 doesn't immediately take effect. The computer is continually trying to get more power out of the engine but retards timing based on the knock sensors. If you do go from 87 to 93, it should be accompanied with a battery disconnect if you don't have other means for resetting the ECU to reset the OAR to 0 and let it learn from there saving time in the learning process.

The engine block heater could be an effective solution if you're in Alaska, but with the PB, the remote start's capabilities should not be discounted. Block heater thread here https://www.f150gen14.com/forum/threads/adding-oem-engine-block-heater.4980/#post-81996

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