Mistakenly neutered my Raptor

[ReconReggie19]

Had to make a trip from Louisiana to Georgia so to save a little bit of money in fuel cost I decided to go back to stock tune and run 87octane. I will never make that mistake again geez. To make matters worse it started storming pretty bad so I put it in wet mode. Trying to get back on the interstate from the feeder road I swear it must have taken a good 1/2 mile to reach the posted speed limit. Best believe I didn't make that mistake on the way back. Anybody had a similar experience or am I the only dummy that thought that would be a good idea.

 

[2020FordRaptor]

What were you thinking on that one !? Even in stock form it is supposed to take Premium 91 octane. Curious on why you thought that would work well.

 

[Gdog]

What the hell is "wet mode" ?

 

[CruiserClass]

I honestly don't understand buying an expensive vehicle with high horsepower then leaving the horsepower on the table over a 10%-ish reduction in fuel cost. Is it just for the image of owning the vehicle?

 

[GCATX]

I don't use wet mode, not that it rains around here anymore, but I just click it into AWD. 87 does suck, but I've been running it for a while now due to the prices and I drive a lot. The Burger pedal box thingy does make the throttle more responsive, more to my liking. But yeah.

 

[ReconReggie19]

I honestly don't understand buying an expensive vehicle with high horsepower then leaving the horsepower on the table over a 10%-ish reduction in fuel cost. Is it just for the image of owning the vehicle?

Again....I did it to save money on a long trip, I don't normally run 87. It did suck but $4.49-$4.69 compared to $5.80-5.99 in a 36 gallon tank did make a difference.

 

[CruiserClass]

Again....I did it to save money on a long trip, I don't normally run 87. It did suck but $4.49-$4.69 compared to $5.80-5.99 in a 36 gallon tank did make a difference.

I read what you said. I just don't get making the tradeoff of "this is fun" to "this sucks" for some gas money when driving an enthusaist vehicle. I've done much longer trips in a car that requires 91 and never once regretted putting 91 in it. I'd rather have the car I bought instead of some half-ass economy version of it. Else, why did I buy it?

 

[COLORAP303]

I honestly don't understand buying an expensive vehicle with high horsepower then leaving the horsepower on the table over a 10%-ish reduction in fuel cost. Is it just for the image of owning the vehicle?

Simple. People value different things and have different situations. I bought the truck for room, comfort (rides better than regular f-150) and ability to get to remote camping. None of these require more than about 250 hp. I would take 5mpg more, for example, and give up 100hp for the privilege. And yes, for some people the raptor, like most luxury items, was a financial stretch. 10% fuel cost is still relevant to the average raptor owner, I would bet. I’ve known guys with lambos that discussed fuel cost, believe it or not. There are very few people rich enough to not consider cost and unless your net worth is north of $10m you better pay attention.

 

[RamseyF]

hmm. I run 93 once in a while when needed, when I know I will be hauling a few extra pounds. I have been running 87 most of the other times. I dont have a tune that requires it though. you should be perfectly fine since its designed to operate with 87 octane, specifically. in the manual. "operates with regular unleaded 87. but for better performance and towing 91 or more is recommended. not a requirement. I cant figure out why if it was designed for higher octane like some claim (not ford) it wouldn't state it on the gas cap or the inside of the fuel door, every other car/truck that requires 93 that my wife or I have had has clearly stated that so not to have confusion. pretty simple give away its designed to run on 87. definitely not optimum for performance.

I am contemplating running 91 more often instead of bouncing back from 87 to 93. I can see it being better for everything in general. and a bit more fun with the slightly added performance. not life changing but enough to notice.

 

[CruiserClass]

Simple. People value different things and have different situations. I bought the truck for room, comfort (rides better than regular f-150) and ability to get to remote camping. None of these require more than about 250 hp. I would take 5mpg more, for example, and give up 100hp for the privilege. And yes, for some people the raptor, like most luxury items, was a financial stretch. 10% fuel cost is still relevant to the average raptor owner, I would bet. I’ve known guys with lambos that discussed fuel cost, believe it or not. There are very few people rich enough to not consider cost and unless your net worth is north of $10m you better pay attention.

Well, a few things. If you're happy with a down powered engine, good on you, but that's not the context here. You aren't missing anything to save money. Reading the OP's first post he obviously was NOT happy with his down powered engine. He traded a bit of gas money for enjoyment of his vehicle. Is that worth it? Not to me. And, again reading the OP's first paragraph, not worth it to him either.

That out of the way, I don't pay attention because I don't need to, and nothing to do with net worth. You can have a high net worth and lousy free cash flow, somebody who's wealth is locked up in real estate as an example, especially if their primary residence is a big chunk of that. So, I'd stick with a sports car, say a C8, and ability to feed it without worry instead of being a financially nervous Lambo guy, keep more cash flow, and not lock up so much of my net worth in a car I have to be concerned if I can afford to drive. A solid example of financial freedom over net worth thinking.

I just understand the difference between being able to afford to buy something and being able to afford to own something. Combine that with the ability to live well within my means in an area with a low cost of living. I realize people talk themselves in to 'stretching' and lose the freedom to not count nickles and dimes because of that, but it's not me and it's not a lifestyle I "get". I know I can die today, I've no time to worry about gas prices at the expense of enjoying what I've bought.

Which is the point: IF you aren't enjoying it, WHY did you buy it?