Wisconsin Tacomas and bad financial advice

Ran 87 in my 1st gen until it got inti higher miles and started running 91.
Never stopped when I grabbed my 3rd gen.
My 3rd gen doesn't get 19-21mpg using 87

 

Gotta find a cleaner station, mate. Higher octane doesn't benefit low compression engines.

What does benefit them is keeping your throttle body clean and using a real fuel injector cleaner (like

$25 BG 44K Fuel System Cleaner Power Enhancer 11oz.

BG 44K). None of that gas station crap which is mostly white gas in an overpriced bottle.

 

I'll give 87 another go.
It won't be from R.C Co-Op though. lol

side note. I did try 87 this summer for shits and giggles and my mileage sucked. I'll try a different station.

 

One thing to remember about high octane gas is its age. Because fewer people use it, the gas station tanks don't get refilled with fresh gas as often as 87 octane.

 

I've really only been paying attention and playing around since joining this

That would make sense with that gas station. Not very busy, period.

Before T.W. I didn't pay much attention to anything and just drove.
Life was much simpler then....
5 mo ago. lol

 

IDK if these guys are actually doing the taco yet. I looked into doing in 2018/2019 when i 1st heard of them bringing to market. and they never followed through. Lot of marketing but never executed.
SO went MITS . Now switched to Bowen out of colorado.

Just for everyone who wants 1 of the imported beds. Over there they have GVWR re done or inspected. Also they have DIESEL. The redundancy built in the tray and canopy combined is a lot of weight. Also they aren't made specific to the North American Taco and use a bunch of spacers. It never seemed to be a proper fit . If you are doing this...Air Bag and /or full leaf pack. Also maybe regear.

 

The 2GR has 11.8:1 compression, which is plenty high to run mid-grade or premium. The ECU is programmed to run on lower octane (regular/87), though .

Some people have claimed to get better fuel economy with higher octane. I think it's possible in the right environment, and if the ECU is given time to adjust to the higher octane fuel. This seems to take a few tanks, which would also explain why you ( @bkhlrTaco's )would get crummy fuel economy on a tank of 87.

You also need to decide if the gain in fuel economy (if any) is worth the added cost of the fuel. In some places, premium isn't much more expensive than regular. But, in Wisconsin, it's generally a pretty significant price difference.

 

I've also heard that you should buy gas in between resupplies. Right before, there's a good chance of increased sediment. Also right after, the sediment has been stirred up. Maybe that's an old father's tale. And I didn't know about our engines being tuned for 87-ish.

 

As for clean gas, I fuel up where the Amazon vans gas up every day. I'm sure that gas is always fresh since they got through so much of it.
Also, they have 88 octane with up to 15% ethanol (which I dislike very much), my truck seems to run a bit smoother with that slight octane bump and that gas is 5-10% lower cost than the 87 octane.

 

I know mine runs better on Fleet Farm mid-grade, which is alcohol free, especially since the tune.

 

I wish I could get that here!

 

For the 1GR you may want to rethink running the 88 with 15%. Chances are it won’t do any harm, but all the manuals strictly call for max 10% ethanol. Usually it’s because the various seals are designed for that amount and using increased ethanol content can wear things out prematurely.

Edit: Ignore this, they changed the manual and 15% ethanol is OK.

 

Never tried FF gas. I can get behind that. Going to stop there for a come along and a tow strap.
I don't need "the best" and the only 1 that FF carries, I assume, works just fine or they wouldn't sell it?

 

I run E15 most of the time, as well. It's weird how some places have it just a few cents less than 87, but sometimes I find it for $0.20- $0.30 cheaper.

What year manual are you looking at? My 2015 recommended up to 15%, as does the 4Runner.

 

IIRC, some tunes are designed to benefit more from higher octane. I think the performance gains are more significant with higher octane as well. But, as you said, you have to decide whether it's worth the extra cost.

Were there different versions of the tune available for running different octane?

 

Well slap my balls and call me Susie, I just checked the latest manual from the Toyota site and you are correct. I swear whatever version manual I had saved from before specifically called for 10% max, and I only remember that because I had to buy a new gas cap which had the same info. Heck I’m happy to be wrong because now if I need to use 88 in a pinch I know it won’t be a problem!

 

FWIW, I generally run E15, and haven't noticed any difference in performance/fuel economy between that and 87. Kwik Trip sometimes has a pretty good discount on 88 over 87, so it can save you a few bucks while traveling.

 

That's just it. I generally drive 10 miles/day. Tanks last in my truck.

Kwik Trip is where I usually gas up.