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Those living with the 2.3…

Snacktime

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I like to go read a few mustang forums about different fuels and 2.3 Ecoboost. Mostly been looking into Methanol injection to boost octane allow more timing. Right now it's more like window shopping performance parts, once full tuning becomes available we will see how far we can go.
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Lucky Green

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I have about 1500 miles on my base 2.3L and haven't used premium once (strictly using 87 octane) and I must say, it has plenty of power and torque. Another poster mentioned that switching to sport mode gives you that little extra muscle and I concur.

Since gas went north of $4/gallon I have been driving exclusively in Eco mode and I don't have any complaints, just don't expect to win any races...
I completely agree my big bend 7 speed only in ECO mode more than enough for back and forth to work 20miles mostly highway set cruise to 70 my MPG indicator 21.5 to 23 have gotten it up to 24 on some side roads. Tried sport mode a few times on some curve(y) noticed the difference haven’t gone off road yet.
 

JoeSpeed

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30hp at what, 6k rpm. How often are you driving at 6,000rpm. Maybe 5 seconds a trip. It doesn't do much for the low end torque that your using 99% of your drive. That's a lot of money wasted for a few seconds of slightly higher power.
Its also throughout the power band and better fuel economy

its not the full 30, its just the overall benefits, plus I do give it a weekly italian tuneup anyway, and I drive solely in Sport Mode, unless im offroad
 

thebladerunnr

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I completely agree my big bend 7 speed only in ECO mode more than enough for back and forth to work 20miles mostly highway set cruise to 70 my MPG indicator 21.5 to 23 have gotten it up to 24 on some side roads. Tried sport mode a few times on some curve(y) noticed the difference haven’t gone off road yet.
21.5-23 is pretty good for a vehicle that's shaped like a barn. Glad you've had a similar experience, and I love the Eruption Green, great choice!
 

F OR D

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2 tanks test, one 87 and one 93. same road trip twice, slight variables in stops.

got 19~ with 87. 20~ with 93. no difference in power, etc. that i can notice.

2.3 is so good. fun to drive, no real lag, transmission is smooth. passenger driving with me commented on how smooth and nice it is, and that they expected the "truck-like" drive and it was more akin to a truck that feels like a polished suv.

for reference stock bd 2.3. i'll go back to 87, maybe 89 depending. i'll take the extra $10 a fill and put it to parts. never-ending ideas and upgrades for this thing, i love it.
 

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Scruff9983

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I've used 87 since my bronco left the lot 5 months ago. If your worried about a few miles per gallon difference than buying a bronco wasn't the right choice.
 

Gwhisler

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I am running 87 (in New Mexico that’s the lowest grade) with my 7-speed 2.3 and get 22.2 mpg on 285 bf Goodrichs. I’ve never thought I needed more power.
 

NVCowboy

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Any one living with the 2.3 tow anything with it?
 

erics667

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2.3L MT 4 Door Badlands here. Gauge says I've gotten 19.2 average over 6100 miles. Driving mixture is about 50% highway and I've always used 87. No reason to get 92 though IMO. You *pay more* for better gas mileage but in reality getting 87 is cheaper. Right? In MN 92 can be 60 cents more per gallon and so for 21 gallon tank that can be near 12 bucks a fill up. The extra 1-2 MPG you are getting is NOT worth it. Not even close. Is 92 a little better for your engine? Sure. But not 12 bucks a tank worth it. #2cents.
 

ChetC

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Any one living with the 2.3 tow anything with it?
I tow a small, 1500 lb travel trailer almost constantly as I live on the road during the summer months. About 6,500 miles on a non-Sasquatch, Big Bend 2 door with 2.3L and manual, 5,000 of which is towing, so far. Averaging 17.5-18mpg overall, hand calculated and burning premium. That's about 2-3 mpg more than my Ram 1500 averaged pulling the same trailer. By the end of the season I should have around 12k miles on her.

I have zero complaints and I regularly pull the trailer from he midwest to the east coast and back, through the Appalachian mountains of PA/WV/MD. I found that I get better MPG in 5th as opposed to 6th gear, even on the flats, as it doesn't hit the turbo as hard. Not pulling the trailer I can get 20-22 mpg pretty easily.
 

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Coldsmoke

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Just took a 3500 mile round trip to some national parks in SD, WY, and MT. Used 87 octane the whole trip and averaged 20.1 MPG which included a majority of the trip at 80 MPH highway speeds with some crazy headwinds. Previously, I have used premium at times and never noticed a difference in power.

As for horsepower, anyone who says the 2.3L doesn’t have enough power for the Bronco either doens’t know what they are talking about, or never drove one with the 2.3L. It has no trouble quickly accelerating from 75mph to 90mph to pass on the highway, and also has no trouble accelerating quickly while merging at highway speeds. Last, I had the opportunity to go off-roading in the Black Hills on some pretty serious trails and the 2.3L never labored or stuttered while navigating serious inclines and trail obstacles. It’s a pretty sweet power plant.
 

Shenk1007

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4 door bb, 3.73 rear end. I'm averaging about 24mpg. In eco with max effort I can squeak out 25.5 maybe 26. Lots of light throttle input, cruise control and costing and leaving auto start stop on
I am averaging 18 mpg on my 4 door bb non-sas. Everyone is getting so much more. No clue why!
 

Big Boss

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I am averaging 18 mpg on my 4 door bb non-sas. Everyone is getting so much more. No clue why!
I can't remember where I heard but sure seems true. with an eco boost you can have eco OR boost but you can't have both haha. I don't feel like I drive like a granny but I also don't drive it like I stole it. Lots of cruise control and coasting. Daily commute is 40 miles round trip, decent mix of freeway speeds 65MPH and 45mph speed limits. Not a ton of stop and go
 

zombie

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I've put one tank of premium in since I bought my bronco last September, I honestly didn't notice any difference in performance so I think you're wasting money putting anything higher than regular in, personally.
 
 


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