Should I be using premium gas in my Tacoma?

Gotta love the “if you don’t use what I use you’re an idiot” posts lol.
I typically run 89 octane, and get the shell brand when I can for the cleaning agents in it, so agree Top Tier gas that meets minimum standards is wise.
Most mid grade gas is a blend of the regular and premium, so I like getting the added cleaning agents in the Shell Nitro.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/how-is-your-fuel-millage.642958/page-4#post-22263113
Use the gas you wish, I do my own research and you can too, I promise not to call you an idiot lol.

 

Agreed, fuel quality matters more. I’m all for people spending their money on whatever, but OP asked a legitimate question and there is quite a bit of false information.

 

@LTG4087

Consider. The common energy unit for fuels is the BTU (British Thermal Unit)

Gasoline BTU = 120,286
Ethanol BTU = 76,330
E10 BTU = 0.9*120286+0.1*76330 = 115,890 BTU.
BTU reduction = 4396

% reduction = 100*4396/120286 =3.6%

So, convince me you can sense the "noticeably better performance".

The numbers don't support your premise.

 

Also, this is not a change in performance, it’s a change in fuel consumption. The stock injectors are more than sufficient to provide additional fuel to compensate for the energy loss.

 

I like when threads that could be answered with a pretty simple "no" manage to go on for pages and pages.

 

Or they could be answered Yes, on occasion for grades with additional cleaning agents to help keep your engine clean
Life. There are no simple answers, only simple people giving simple answers. Like the one Im giving now Lol

 

This whole debate could be a good case study of people who become aggressively convinced of false information. You see this behavior all over the place, especially these days in the political realm for lack of a better term.

 

it is pretty easy to explain. 50% of the population is dumber than average. dumb people do dumb shit and believe dumb shit.

 

Only if you have a super or turbo charger and even then only if you are getting knocking or pinging.

 

The compression ratio of the 2gr-fks is 11.8:1. I remember reading somewhere around here (likely in one of the tune threads) that had logged occasional misfires on stock tunes running 87 octane. I believe altitude or O2 concentration also matters.

 

Well as far as higher, the manufacturer could just be covering their ass from any liability being sure never to use anything lower than 87. I didn't notice in my manual it called for 87 or higher...just 87, but then again who spends all their time reading an owners manual.

 

Idk about any misfires on 87. My truck seems to enjoy it.

 

Higher altitude and lower oxygen concentration means the engine can use a lower octane fuel without problems.

 

I bet you really love oil threads then...

 

Ethanol allows the manufacturers to “dilute” the gas for more profit, at the cost of energy density. It is also horrible for any engines fuel system if it’s allowed to sit unused for a few months. That’s more a problem with small motors but can be bad for larger ones too of course. It’s just shady corporate tactics to make more money and sell the customer an inferior product and for that alone I just don’t want to support it. Ethanol free gas can be found for the same price as the blend, and it’s technically more bang for the buck. Literally.

 

It's a total marketing ploy by the Association of Gas Owners (I totally made it up). "Premium" exudes superiority so people tend to think this must be a better gas since it's also more expensive. Back in the day they used to call 89 the "super unleaded". My dad totally bought into it.

I laugh on craigslist when I see ads for cars that clearly take 87 octane "only premium gas used from day 1".

It's covered extensively on YouTube. By amateurs and professional reviews.

 

Some trucks have a miss and ping on 87 on light throttle, low RPM applications. It's well documented here.

I run predominantly 93 due to this myself. If your truck runs fine on 87 then good for you, not all trucks do though. The truck is designed to run on a minimum of 87 octane and should do so, if my truck ran fine on it, I would too. It doesn't, so I don't.

I notice no difference as far as mpg or power between octanes, I burn through a lot of it towing so the cheaper I can fill up, the happier I am. I do notice the engine to be smoother and not ping on an octane higher than 87, so that's what I do.

If I had to guess why, I'd say my truck tends to run lean, and when I changed my plugs at 58k miles, there was 0 evidence that it was rich.

 

11.8:1, but the actual cylinder pressure will vary with intake valve timing.

 

Small motors are built with carbs and cheap hoses. The carburetor has no idea how much fuel to give the engine (ethanol fuels need more) and the hoses tend to dry out. Furthermore, most small engines are 2-stroke and rely on a mixture of gas and oil to lubricate. Ethanol negatively affects the lubrication properties of the oil and the fact that it attracts water does not help. In a large tank, you wouldn't expect ethanol to absorb a ton of water, but in fuel lines and other non-sealed systems (fuel lines, carbs, etc.) it can cause trouble. There are too many variables here when comparing a small engine to a larger, more expensive one that is designed to run exclusively on 10-15% ethanol fuels.

Additionally, ethanol is a way to add resistance to detonation and since we have more corn than we know what to do with, it makes sense. So basically, political, farming, and pollution reasons are why we use it, and ethanol is actually more expensive to produce than gasoline. I doubt the fuel industry cares much, and I don't even think they benefit as our taxes spot the difference in price (someone please correct me if I'm wrong). Essentially, you wouldn't be supporting the farmers, not the oil & gas industry.

Ethanol-free fuel in my area has always been just below $4.00 when 87 has been $1.80 or below. I suppose depending on your area, it may make sense if you can get ethanol-free gas for 3-5% more than e10. In my case, E0 would need to be $1.89 or less. Course, gas is now more expensive so these prices are just an example. But again, it's your choice to put whatever in your truck. Let's just not make assumptions and treat them as facts.

 

Direct injection allows for higher compression, as well.