Brent372
Official SE Event Coordinator
Would it be possible to make a tune for the SVT motor that will allow the use of 87 octane without any side effects or long term damage?
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87 octane tune
- Thread starter Brent372
- Start date
on average 93 is about .20 more per gallon than 87 right? it takes what like 12gal to fill up the tour unless you run it real low. That makes 2.40 a tank that you would be saving.
If you figure in 2 tanks a week or 8 tanks a month, Your total savings for 12 months would only be 230.40 for a year. The xcal is most likely going to cost 250+ and idk what a tune will run you, not to mention if you will get as good of mileage on the 87 or not:shrug: Just figured I'd throw that out there for you to look at. If you want to try it then hey go for it. it kinda goes down the line of someone buying a bike cause gas is too high. it takes a long time to get o being ahead after the purchase.
If you figure in 2 tanks a week or 8 tanks a month, Your total savings for 12 months would only be 230.40 for a year. The xcal is most likely going to cost 250+ and idk what a tune will run you, not to mention if you will get as good of mileage on the 87 or not:shrug: Just figured I'd throw that out there for you to look at. If you want to try it then hey go for it. it kinda goes down the line of someone buying a bike cause gas is too high. it takes a long time to get o being ahead after the purchase.
the knock sensor in the SVT motor WILL compensate for lower octane fuel, the SVT motor will run smoothly on 87 octane, however, because the knock sensor has to compensate and retard ignition you are going to loose performance out of the motor, and very possibly gas mileage as well, so why pay $3 less a tank of gas to turn your SVT contour into even more of a turd then it already is?
ronssvt
Hard-core CEG'er
well I just ran 87 last week, didn't notice any difference in the way it drove, but I think im gonna go back to premie just to make sure I get my full potential out of my car.
beyondloadedSE
Hard-core CEG'er
its certainly possible (just a spark timing reduction ought to do it.)
but your going to need to spent at least a few hundred for the chip and more for the tune. so its probably not worth it.
It really depends, but I do kind of agree. 91 octane is .10 cents more a gallon, so your probably only saving about $1.30 everytime you fill up. A tune to adjust the timing is $200 from NPG since this falls into the "performance" tune. Chips can be had cheap. I sold mine for $40. If you dont do that, you'll probably have to buy an X-Cal 2 for $350.
Overall, youre looking at minimum of $240. If you fill up once a week, it's going to take you about 3.5 years to break even. FWIW, I did get 30 mpg in my SVT coming home from SZ 08 and its bone stock. Pretty good I think.
oberthecat
Veteran CEG'er
This is more of a question than an answer but could you get a PCM out of a nonSVT 2.5l car? It probably won't work because of the knock sensor and the compression difference. Perhaps someone out there knows.
IDK if that would work or not but it is however a good questionThis is more of a question than an answer but could you get a PCM out of a nonSVT 2.5l car? It probably won't work because of the knock sensor and the compression difference. Perhaps someone out there knows.
beyondloadedSE
Hard-core CEG'er
This is more of a question than an answer but could you get a PCM out of a nonSVT 2.5l car? It probably won't work because of the knock sensor and the compression difference. Perhaps someone out there knows.
I would think so, since people with non svt's have 'upgraded' to SVT pcm's. Probably best to get a chip/flash though.
I am sure you could since some like myself have gone to the SVT PCM, but why? the SE tune doesn't have the timing curves, etc that match the engine ....
My 99 CSVT is very octane sensitive, but it seems primarily related to air temperature. Here at high altitude (7000 ft) we get 85/87/91 octane because effective compression ratios are lower in the thinner air, but in the winter, I can run 85 octane with not even light pinging. Summer is a different matter, anything over 70F air temperature and 91 oct is required. In warm air, on less then 91 oct, it will ping hard on a hard pull, like an uphill freeway entrance ramp. The ECU doesn't seem to pull timing and back away from the ping, I have to get out of the loud pedal.
My experience is that Ford tends to use crappy knock sensors and oft times even crappier knock strategies. In my Ford engineering days, I spoke to some calibrators who admitted to getting frustrated and turning off knock strategies in higher performance vehicles. It wouldn't surprise me to learn that the CSVT knock strategy is hamstrung or even shut completely off.
On the old EEC-IV calibrations, Ford put a jumper in the underhood wiring harness called the Octane Shorting Bar. If you pulled the jumper, the ECU will pull 3 degrees timing globally. It was a painless way to get through a load of crap fuel. I haven't gone looking, but I wonder if the EEC-V harnesses have an OSB?
My experience is that Ford tends to use crappy knock sensors and oft times even crappier knock strategies. In my Ford engineering days, I spoke to some calibrators who admitted to getting frustrated and turning off knock strategies in higher performance vehicles. It wouldn't surprise me to learn that the CSVT knock strategy is hamstrung or even shut completely off.
On the old EEC-IV calibrations, Ford put a jumper in the underhood wiring harness called the Octane Shorting Bar. If you pulled the jumper, the ECU will pull 3 degrees timing globally. It was a painless way to get through a load of crap fuel. I haven't gone looking, but I wonder if the EEC-V harnesses have an OSB?