87 & 93 Octane Performance Testing

[@davidmartindaletheycallmemacgu]

That was actually fun, I felt like I was in the car with you!

[@DIYJeff]

@David Martindale, glad you could ride along :)

[@sirj9]

Jeff. Thank you for the video. I found it very informative. Outside of octane levels, there are other items that can affect 0-60 and 1/4 mile performance. Tires and how well they stick to prevent spinning. Cold air intake and how well it is sealed from engine bay temperature. Exhaust and whether running true duals or a Y-Pipe with cat backs. H-Pipe vs X-Pipe determines where in the power band the engine will produce most of it's power. (below 3k RPM or above) Limited slip vs open differentials will improve your hook-up. Finally, a change in driveshaft from steel to a one piece aluminum or carbon will cut rotational mass 50% or more which will give a quicker transfer of power and quicker revs. You may be interested in doing a few of these mods and running your performance test again. It would be nice to see. I own an 05 v6 that I greatly enjoy with the above listed mods and more. Sure, I could have taken the v8 route but the 4.0 is a rock solid engine that can be built up over time and it gives a challenge to strive and get the most out of the 4.0. The Insurance is cheaper and fuel economy better. In my opinion, from stock, the cost difference between an S197 GT and 4.0 just to be 1 second quicker is not worth it for a street machine that is not taken to the track. The beauty of owning a mustang is we can make it our very own. No two are exactly the same. Great video.

[@DIYJeff]

@Jonathan, thanks for the comment. Yes, I agree that there are numerous variables that can affect the tests I did. I have some of those upgrades and like you mentioned, unless a vehicle is bone stock with the exact same tires and tread depth, performance testing like this is subjective to that specific vehicle and is not an indication of what other same models will perform. The purpose (and curiosity) of my test was to show performance difference between the octanes by keeping all variables the same (except the octane). That way, the results could be truly comparable. The tires I had for my testing were not grippy so I admit that the times could have been lower since I had wheel spin, but the wheel spin for each test was relatively similar, still allowing for the comparisons to be accurate. I have new tires now and it would be interesting to see what the time differences would be given all the same variables as before. Maybe a video for another day. Thanks again for your thoughts.

[@danr97123]

I vote for a zero to 45 MPH test because that is as fast as daytime traffic allows on undersized West coast Blue state highways :-) Must be nice to see 60+ MPH on FL highways!

[@DIYJeff]

danr97123 , that’s unfortunate. You truly are missing out. In Florida we have grown up speed limits and oversize our roads for future growth.

[@wayno111wayne2]

Thanks Jeff that was very informative,.

[@gerryscat]

I haven't watched your vid (just found your channel) but my manual clearly states to stick with 87 only (GT)

[@DIYJeff]

@Gerry H, you are 100% correct. Stock mustangs should run 87 octane. However, this is because the cars computer has been programmed for this octane by the manufacturer. In the video I explain that I have a tuner for my car that reprograms the computer to work with 93 octane. As long as the computer has been told to operate on 93 octane, it's safe on the car.

[@someguyyouknwo7351]

Name of spoiler?

[@DIYJeff]

SOMEGUY Youknwo, it’s made by Steeda. The only place I’ve ever seen it for sale is on Steeda’s website.

[@someguyyouknwo7351]

@@DIYJeff very much appreciated Jeff