What Octane While Towing???

Read some info on several different websites including a Tundra website and basically

Would higher Octane gas help when towing 5k lbs? My truck is set up to handle it but I guess I started over thinking it and the interwebs have not helped

This weekend I have a 200 mile round trip with 3 different passes that start at about 400-500ft and peak out around 2k feet. Not terrible but they're fairly quick up and down passes so the grade is fairly steep. I figure I'll hang with the semi's doing sub 45MPH.

 

Since you have an 06 your owners manual it might say this, the early 2nd gen manuals said that higher octance could be used for better performance. At some point toyota changed the manual to just "use 87" and didn't say anything at all about higher octane. End result is it might, maybe, possible give you a bit better performance but probably not.

 

I have an Auto...and I do still have the original manual so I will take a peek at it. Thx

 

I’ve heard some people mention this but I have yet to hear a valid scientific argument for it.
Higher octane fuel is intended to be for higher compression engines. Adding weight to the truck doesn’t improve cylander pressure... so... not sure why that is a thing to do.

Plus I thought that higher octane = more ethanol, which = less fuel effeciency which = not a good idea in a midsize truck with a 21gal tank haha

 

I run 87 when towing my travel trailer and have no problem going +55mph in the mountains (my house is at 4,500ft and I tow over passes that are between 6,000 and 8,000ft).

 

Perfect! Where I am going isn't that high up but if I head east or South out of Southern Oregon I easily go above 5k ft. Thanks for the info. @PackCon I thought the same thing you were thinking which is why I got so confused.

 

If you are getting knocking or pinging when under a heavy load, then going to a higher octane would help. Otherwise, probably not. I suppose in theory the higher octane would give you slightly more torque as it has a slower burn, but the motor and ECU/ECM needs to be able to accommodate that. Higher octane doesn't mean more power, it just describes the burn rate.

 

Kodiakisland is right, but if your engine isnt knocking with regular, it shouldnt at higher elevation because that means the air is thinner- more space between the air molecules - so your cylinders cant take in the density of air as they can at lower elevations, so there is also lower pressure in your cylinders- so really, you can use lower octane fuel as well at higher elevations without getting knocking.

The reverse of this is true when you super or turbocharge an engine; higher cylinder pressures typically need higher octane fuel.