Gas premium or regular

I tried both 87 and 91 the only thing I gained was less weight in my pocket with the 91. Did my engine "feel" better because of the 91? I don't know it would not tell me. With a 6 spd I get 20 MPG pretty much every tank full with 87. Bottom line there is less heat energy in 91 than 87. Long lasting effects? I have had no engine issues with any thing running 87 with ethanol and I never get rid of any vehicle with lass than 200,000 miles on it.

 

Takes more heat to light high test that's why it does not knock in some engines.

 

Shell V Power 93 octane. Never run anything else.

 

Not exactly true.


http://youtu.be/WTaBngvsPrc



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I don't buy the 93 for more power. I buy it for better engine performance and as a side effect slightly better mileage. Is it worth the extra? Probably not but it certainly doesn't hurt the engine and I personally think it is more refined and better fuel. Better fuel, full synthetic oil... What's not to like? I feel comfortable running it in my truck and it makes me feel better with it in the engine. JMO.

 

When I got my truck, I ran 87. About a month later I switched to 89. To be honest, the increase in price of the 89 washes out the slight increase in fuel economy I get. I track every fill up with the "Road Trip" app and my economy went up by a little less than one mile per gallon when I switched to 89. Obviously, this isn't scientific stuff, but I did read here on TW that the higher octane is better for the higher compression of the V6.

 

Not where I'm from. And I do get better mileage with 93 as opposed to 87. Just my personal findings. You don't have to agree with it and that's cool. But hand calculated figures between the two don't lie. Same pump each time and shut off at first click. 87 was less than 93. Not by much but it was less and no pinging at all as opposed to 87. I'll stick with V Power.

 

A touch of Lucas oil upper cylinder lube in the tank every other fuel up or so and my truck runs great on the cheap stuff. No pinging, all pulling. Just the way I like it.

 

Extremely simple explanation of octane and what it does.


The octane rating of gasoline tells you how much the fuel can be compressed before it spontaneously ignites. When gas ignites by compression rather than because of the spark from the spark plug, it causes knocking in the engine. Knocking can damage an engine, so it is not something you want to have happening. Lower-octane gas (like "regular" 87-octane gasoline) can handle the least amount of compression before igniting.
The compression ratio of your engine determines the octane rating of the gas you must use in the car. One way to increase the horsepower of an engine of a given displacement is to increase its compression ratio. So a "high-performance engine" has a higher compression ratio and requires higher-octane fuel. The advantage of a high compression ratio is that it gives your engine a higher horsepower rating for a given engine weight -- that is what makes the engine "high performance." The disadvantage is that the gasoline for your engine costs more.

 

If you really want more power and better mileage, avoid ethanol "enriched" fuels.

 

Very true. Luckily enough down here it isn't quite as prevalent as it is in corn country. I go to a station that has no ethanol added.

 

I use premium (93) all the time. I guess I'm conditioning myself for spending the extra money once I get a SC.

 

I use premium all the time (cali) ... it's only money!

 

How many fill ups for each type did you do?

 

Started with 87 octane with my 2011 for quite a while. Then switched to 93 with the 2011 and noticed a improvement. Never looked back after that. I've never run anything but 93 Shell V Power in the 13 ever.

 

You will only get noticeably better mileage with premium if it is ethanol-free.
You MIGHT get a bit better mileage and performance from the 4.0, but not from the 2.7.

The 4.0 was actually designed to run premium, and the ECU detunes slightly to prevent engine knock when running regular. In some cases, high load, hot weather, crap fuel, it can not detune enough and you still get a knock.
Regardless of the performance and MPG, I would run premium on the 4.0... but I do not use it on my 2.7 unless I can get ethanol-free.

 

In general, it does not, though some cut-rate stations bump the ethanol levels because it is an effective octane booster... that hurts power and mileage, but a quality fuel, 93 is not going to hurt performance over 87 or 89.

It is a myth that 91/93 burns "slower"... it is harder to preignite, basically the flashpoint is slightly higher... but the spark from the plug, and once ignited, the fuel's flame front, are far higher than the flashpoint.
The higher octane serves the purpose of resisting early ignition during the compression stroke.
It does not increase carbon deposits, it does not provide more power (unless the engine is tuned for it)
Same goes for the morons running 100+ octane racing gas or aviation fuel in their cars. On a stock vehicle? It is simply a waste of money.

Depends on the station.
Take a look at the pump's mechanical "odometer" dials. Do you see two or three dials? If you see only two (or three on a pump that also dispenses Diesel), then the mid-grade is mixed on the fly in the pump and the station does not actually purchase "89" from their supplier.

 

X3
91octane in my area is ethanol free. Better mileage, better performance! Worth every penny of the higher price

 

I run 89. It is not a high compression engine. Unless you modify the engine by adding a turbo or super charger you don't need more. But no, it won't hurt your engine.
Octane is a ignition retardant. It is to keep high compression engines from pre-igniting (pinging). That's all it does. People think it'll give them more power because high output engines require it, but it doesn't. As for milage, you might think it's a little better because you're hoping for it. Even if it did give you slightly better mileage you're paying more for it so it's not helping you in the long run.
Honestly, if it was needed toyota would require it. Save your money.

 

Not exactly 100% true. Go back and watch the video. Power and Mileage is not a huge concern for me but Shell V Power delivers both at 93 octane. Does it equal out in the end? Probably not but it certainly doesn't hurt.