20 HP / 14 lb-ft torque gain from 91 Octane gas on Tacoma Gas Engine 2.4 i-Force (dyno tested by Sti

Yes dumb people do

 

The added torque and protection against low speed pre-ignition is worth running 91. YMMV.

 

Call me dumb. I have two turbo vehicles, both with aftermarket intakes. I could care less if they make 5hp or 25hp or none at all. I’m after the noise and experience every time I drive and accelerate.

But what you’re failing to realize is that turbo engines are some of the easiest to add power to compared to N/A. Even just changing octane. Wait until you find out what an intake, downpipe and tune can do…

#buzzkill

 

how do i put premium electrons in my iforce maxx? to keep you plebs from catching up to me!

 

I wonder how linear the added octane is for performance. Would a mid-range fuel satisfy the engines octane requirements for full power or would it be half the values shown. Can too much octane have diminishing returns?

 

The engine is rated on 87, so if you're being entirely fair, you'd be getting more than full power.

But, to actually answer your question, it depends entirely on a particular setup. Only way to find out is to do dyno runs. You could pay a shop to dyno your truck on tanks of different octane fuels and find out. It'd be a nontrivial expense, though. And mostly for funsies.

 

man, just ignore them and move on, the same people saying 20hp is insignificant for just filling up the pump will be the same people moaning why it's not "worth it" when you post a dyno sheet showing any increase from an air intake

 

Hard to know; other than spending a bunch of money for dyno testing with different octane ratings you could do some acceleration tests on your own. You should get the largest HP increases during hot weather when forced induction engines are most likely to experience pre-ignition causing the computer pulling timing.

 

If my math is correct, running 91 octane will give a 4% gain in torque.

That's a high dollar for something you'll never feel. I've never floored my truck in 5,400 miles.

 

I decided to try some higher octane gas this week. So far it seems my motor is quieter and a little smoother through the gears. I’m going to run through this tank and a couple more, before I decide if it’s placebo or not.

 

Agreed. Whole point of a Turbo is to create boost - or increase pressure. The whole point of premium 91 octane is to maximize that pressure.
Even my NA 3.5 V-6 gets a little better on 91 too. Just not really enough to justify the cost. Best case it breaks even.

Kinda reads like "This just in, 4 out of 5 scientists agree oxygen is crucial to life."

 

Hmmm…
Spoke to a tanker driver at length one evening as I was thinking about applying for a driving / delivery position. He delivered for ARCO and he did say it’s all the same fuel until it goes into the brands holding tanks then the brands additives are then mixed in. He said ARCO sold their additives to other brands and made additives for other brands.
Yes when premium was .10 to .20 cents more per gallon it was a no brainer. But here in AZ it’s now .60 cents to a dollar more per gallon. I’ve started using octane boosters additives. Also I try to buy fuel from Costco as I understand that they use top quality additives where as Sam’s and Walmart use the bottom of the barrel crap. I don’t know what Exxon, Shell and others use but I have deleted all PVC valves and purchased good quality catch cans. After replacing a seal on an intake and seeing the mess inside the intake. Plus if you think about it re-burning exhaust gases / blow-by can’t be good for performance or fuel economy. I’m not an engineer but just trying to use common sense that I have little of…

 

I hauled fuel for 10 years. We bought from every single supplier you can think of, who ever was the cheapest for each load. BP/Arco, ExxonMobil, Shell, Conoco, Tesoro, Kinder Morgan, Chevron, the list goes on...Believe it or not all the Diesel came out of one load head (hose) and all the gasoline came out of a different load head. The only difference was the additive pack that certain suppliers used. One time after I got done loading, one of the operators came out and said "hey don't leave, your load didn’t get any additives, the pump is down." After I got my paperwork he brought me the "additive". The container was about the size of a 2-stroke mixed gas container. You know, the one for your weeedeater that you mix with 1or 2 gallons of gas. This container was for 11,800 gallons of gas...Ever since then, Chevron with Techron commercials always cracked me up.

I agree with different octanes making a difference. But Chevron with Tchron or Exxon with Synergy is all BS...

 

Well...................................I have the new CAI for my trail-hunter. 1st hurtle is the fit. Tried to install twice and no joy. Working with Stillen on this issue and will try again tomorrow remaining positive . Will report back

 

Does the TH have something under the hood that the rest of the trims don't?

 

I’ve owned a variety of epic turbos, and this one is a proper truck motor that never breaks a sweat. My simple rule of thumb is run premium and tight oil change intervals. Happy turbo, happy life.

I’m actually interested in seeing how much power other people wring out of these, b/c if they can reliably handle the abuse (er…extra tuning), then it bodes well on longevity for the rest of us.

 

If you’re deleting PCV valves, I sure hope you’re running a vacuum pump or other source of suction. crankcase ventilation is really important.

 

I’ve been running 93 octane since first time refill up just because I’m used to running this octane on my other car. I don’t know if it feels better or not since I’m still in the break in period.

 

Premium leaded gas had a whopping 0.16 ounces of tetra ethyl lead added per gallon back in the day BEFORE it was reduced drastically to a mere fraction of that amount [0.03 oz per gallon]. A little bit goes a long way with certain chemicals.

All octane does is slow the burn rate and allow more advance to occur without damaging knock. More advance=more HP, when you go to forced induction, it can have pretty significant results in a modern engine with sophisticated knock sensors.