Should I be using premium gas in my Tacoma?

Ha ha ha haahahahahhahahhahahahHH

 

YMMV, but anytime I go on long roads trips on the interstate consistently going 85 @ 2k-RPM, I get better fuel economy with premium versus regular unleaded. Normal MPG being 20-21, and Premium being 22-23 MPG

 

My troll BS meter just went off.

 

i pump 91 on long trip... normal everyday driving i just put regular

 

You’re wasting your money, but it’s still a free country ... for now.

 

Welcome to TacomaWorld. As a new owner know that Toyota recommends Top Tier gasoline. Check toptier.com for a list of stations.

 

You can use premium, and you may notice a slight gain in the butt dyno and maybe some better mileage. The question is if that difference in feel is worth the exorbitant additional cost of premium, which is considerable. If your mileage improves, it won't do so enough to offset the cost, I think.

he is an interesting article on testing the differences.

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

There are as many pro higher octane explanations as there are anti high octane.

The lexus rc350 puts out 311bhp and requires 91 octane vs Toyota's 87. It also has a higher max redline. The combination of 4 octane points and a few hundred rpm's, may be some of the difference in the performance. I don't know if the ecu map is different or not, my guess would be that it is, since it is a sports type car.

 

I recently found a gas station about 20 minutes away that has 89 Oct ethanol free and after 2 tanks driving around and experimenting, I notice drastic increase in fuel economy (from 18 city to 19.5 estimated) and luckily it isn't that much more expensive. I used to only use it for my small engines but lately I've also been filling up my truck too

 

I use diesel because it has a higher energy capacity

 

When the kids were at university (as far away as they could get) I made a number of cross country trips. The trips were in a different vehicle than my present Taco, but it was interesting to observe that "on the road", high test returned fuel efficiency (mpg) greater than the cost differential over regular, with greater miles covered between refills. Around town, high test was a waste of money.

I'm thinking this next year I'll be doing similar comparisons with the taco. Damn kids choose to live out in those same places!

 

Regular till i got 10,000 miles on truck then premium ever since now my truck has over 123,000 miles

 

Why would someone use the higher octane on a "long trip" out of curiosity?

 

Increased range, with a very modest reduction of overall cost per mile.

Some people like to stop. Myself, I don't like rest stops or filling stations.

 

Running premium will allow you to fit 35s with no lift or rub.

 

Premium makes me feel fancy.

 

No.

I have owned several vehicles well over 200K miles. All ran just fine when I sold or traded them in. They all ran exclusively on regular fuel.

Any slight improvement in fuel economy still won't be enough to cover the increased cost.

 

this is specifically why i never look at prices while filling up. i fill up when the gas is under a quarter and i think of it...

growing up, back before gasbuddy and similar, my mom was one of those people that would drive around 3-4 towns in every direction in search of the 'cheapest' gas. and without fail, every time she found the cheapest place and filled up, the very next day a store much closer to home would have gas for 1-2 cents cheaper, and she'd get all frustrated that she should've waited and filled up there instead.

don't worry, i remind her of this all the time, and she's slowly learning.

 

I’m a smog tech (2013 - Present)
I’ve had to study emissions (Update required for license every 2 years).

pass/ fail cars on a regular basis.
*you put the fuel the manufacturer tells you: the cars runs cleaner and usually passes emissions portion

*you put any other octane than suggested your vehicle will run Richer= More fuel dumped/some unburned fuel. Most likely will fail.

though that is irrelevant.

Put the gas the manufacturer suggests. (The engineers who made that motor obviously know what their are doing) Any thing else. That motor wasn’t built for that combustion capacity and exhaust output (Catalytic converter damage may arise quicker than normal as well P0420). It’s definitely not work it. If you want to put 91 in a truck than go buy a high octane burning Raptor or performance wise.

your wasting money and damaging that engine and its internal components in the long run. I’m sure your body and interior feeling of the truck will be the same, nothing changes. Not like you can open up the engine and see how it is from the inside?? Oh and yeah I put 91 in my 87 because it makes me feel like I’m driving a Maserati. Go ahead and keep putting 91 in an 87 and you’ll be buying your self a new catalytic converter for a cost you could’ve avoided entirely for a mental feeling of ignorance is bliss.

I went from 3 sports cars all took 91/ sold em got tired of lowered cars I’m 6’3 and hate the gas prices for 91.

I bought my 2.7 to save gas and due more (which I most definitely can).

hence 87.

idiot to put anything else. No offense.

 

The cheapest 87 octane is the only thing going in my tank. Happens to be at the BP station right up the street. Anything else is a total waste of money in my mind.

 

YES. Just try it. I tried it recently and I don’t want to go back to 87 octane ever. Yes, it’s true you won’t gain more power and yes, it’s true it will cost you more. It might be a matter of a case by case type of situation but in my case, my truck drives so much better that when I went to the dealer the other day, I told my service adviser that I have found the solution for all of my complaints about the way my truck drives and shifts. He asked what was it that solved it and when I told him premium gas he was not surprised at all. The owner’s manual also very clearly states that 87 octane or higher is recommended along with top tier gas. So, I know I’m following Toyota’s recommendation.