Should I be using premium gas in my Tacoma?

this is an extensive post that generates many opinions / points o view

the lab that does extensive testing for many manufactureres & racers is right downtown...............................

a guy that works there owns / rides a BMW as i do

came to the club & gave an extensive lecture as most ALL moto engines are strung

quite a bit higher than auto engines

my conclusion & by many ......................

read up on ‘ TOP TIER ‘ gasolines as i travel much on moto & with taco

on the interstate is nxt to impossible to KNOW whats out o nozzle into tank

years ago there was much surprise the brand name gasolines that were NOT Top Tier

if ‘ Loading ‘ an engine highly by speed .......terrain........weight

for that tank full or so................couldnt hurt

if trolling the wayward girls compound hoping 1 will jump the fence

U r wasting $$$$$$

 

I've raced my xc bikes on a 100ll a/v gas, it has a different flame front than your standard pump gas, and must be setup/jetted to run on it. A factory stock engine will run like chit otherwise. I don't even think these trucks can run very well on it without major tuning.

 

Both my Tacomas regular costco or sams club gas.

 

the avgas is brewed to NOT throw Any curves in the performance at altitude

most 4-6 cylinder aircraft are dual plugs................. helps immensely on that flame front

no less they only turn between 2k & 3k rpm

narrow range to weed out the spikes & the UNexpected

we raced 100lo lead at nelson ledges at the 24hour for that very reason

an engine running full tilt has a far different heat soak that can lead to pre detonation

burnt valves................holes in the top o pistons ...........collapsed ring lands


VP sells better racing fuel that can give an edge to an engine

still jetting + adjustments are necessary for gains

 

It doesn't.

Toyota specifies to use fuel with an octane rating of 87 OR HIGHER. That does not mean that 87 octane is the optimal fuel to use, it means it's the absolute lowest grade that can be used. Anyone with half a brain can read this as under perfect conditions 87 octane barely meets the minimum requirements.

Many read and ignore OR HIGHER like it isn't even printed on the page and will have long arguments based on their inability to comprehend English. Some get on their soap box demanding that anyone using the recommended fuel (*OR HIGHER) is somehow trying to extract extra horsepower from the engine.

I'm more than 5 years into owning the 2GR-FKS and have ran a lot of 87/89/91. A stop watch would say there is no difference if you floor it from a stop and measure 1/4 mile time. But driving it normally there is a difference in the hesitation/throttle response/shifting. Is it night and day? No, but it is better/smoother/less hesitant.

It's worth a few measly extra bucks per fill up. The naysayer's heads will explode over such a blatant waste of money...as they spend $3,000 for a re-gear, $800 for a tune, $1000 for exhaust and intake mods, etc

 

ALL Brands All grades are NOT formulated the Same !!!

in these parts almost impossible to find alcohol free gas.................sometimes there is more /less in the ground

other additives yay or nay will effect performance

just stickin the nozzle in the tank Does NOT Level the playin field for Comparison

 

You should see our slum trucks purring on 85 here in UT

 

"Green and white, good for flight" is a saying in the aviation community for a reason

*but has nothing to do with fuel

 

I also ran phillips B32 race gas in my bikes, but that to needed engines built to have the compression, and carb jetting to run it.

 

I just run regular unleaded and throw in a bottle of Techron fuel additive a few times between oil changes and call it good.

 

I know that in your mind that sounds like you made a compelling argument, when in fact you didn't really say anything.

No shit, 87 octane from Shell and 87 Octane from Costco are both 87 octane, you can't (shouldn't) use the same piece of logic to argue on both sides of a position [i.e. All you need is 87 octane anything else is a waste....but wait!!!! this 87 octane is waaaaaaay better than that 87 octane. But 91 isn't better than 87, no way]

 

Based on my experience with monitoring, Tacoma pings on Premium as much as on 87 and I did not see any gains in performance using Premium fuel
Here is an example from one of my old logs that I did a while ago running 92 octane. This sample is me driving 60-70, 5th and 6th gear


Here is a sample of cleaned up timing tables, running 92.