OTT Which fuel type is best?

Just goty 22' Taco 3.5L tuned with OTT today..
Will continuing to run 87 be harmful?
Should I run 90 or high octane premium?
I searched and searched but couldn't find any answers. Please help

 

Plenty of info here
https://www.tacomaworld.com/forums/performance-and-tuning.8/

 

Welcome to TW. I don't have a tune so I can't help you with your question. Sorry

 

I’m using 87 works great!

 

You might ask your tuner. I’m surprised he/she didn’t inform you better.
More than likely, nothing at all will happen.
More octane will allow more timing, which equals more power (in most cases, and simplified).
Less octane, and the truck will pull timing on its own. (Less power)

Basically, you won’t get the full benefits of the tune using 87.
But it shouldn’t hurt anything.

87 or 91 the tune will still function much better over stock.
So pick what ever fuel you like. OTT did an amazing job with the tune.
You picked a good tune going with them.

Anyways, we could ask the developers themselves.

@JustDSM

 

Not sure I could have said it any better myself. Thank you for the time to help this gentleman out. We owe ya one!

OP - While everything @TnShooter stated above is 100% correct, please reach out to your installer for questions/concerns regarding your calibration.

Alternatively, should questions arise, you’re welcome to contact us directly - info@overlandtailor.com

 

Was your tune designed for 91 (or 93 where available) octane? I highly doubt it. If your tune was precisely calibrated for 91/93 octane, you should use that. Talk to your tuner. Otherwise, run 87 and save yourself some $$$.

In a general sense, octane rating for your naturally aspirated 3.5L V6 is not super critical.

Nowhere near as critical as say for a supercharged or turbocharged, larger engine like a 5.0L Coyote Mustang engine where fuel and timing are tantamount to success. In these kinds of instances, the difference between 87 and 91/93 and especially E85 can be enormous. Forced induction 5.0 Coyotes that are properly dyno-tuned and that can be fed a steady diet of E85 can make an extra 50 HP and more. That's a tuning and fuel difference that matters!

Not like the 3-5 single digit HP we are talking about here with zero chance of detonation.

 

I paid for an OTT tune several months ago, and my truck has done much better with acceleration and shifting. I run 87 all the time, and never planned to do different. I sure hope the OTT crowd is not suggesting I run better than 87. My experience is that it has not been necessary as my truck is running better than stock (I feel it every time I drive it). I see this ‘selling point’ as not something I would have signed up for if a necessity for spending $500 for better drive required better than 87. I see gas at the pump as an estimated target octane rating anyways. Maybe I’m getting 86, 87, 88. Maybe those 91 guys are getting 89, 90, 91, 92. A bad tank of gas trashes everything. A good tank should work out the kinks and make a difference. Octane?

 

You're perfectly fine to run 87 octane fuel in your truck. It will perform (slightly) better on 91 but whether or not you deem it a tangible gain for the cost is probably is best left up to the end user.

 

Gasoline quality is an interesting topic. In a general sense, if you buy your gas at a major branded station such as Shell, you will get exactly what you pay for in terms of octane and additives.

I was a petroleum engineer for 30+ years for a Big Oil company and we did not screw around with our gasolines. It was a corporate reputational issue. Nothing could be worse than a scandal or even a local news article that our gasoline was "bad" and not as advertised.

See also the litany of published scientific articles that show which gasolines are best.
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In case you didn't know, gasoline comes from ordinary refineries everywhere. In other words, not all Chevron gas comes from Chevron refineries. Ditto Shell. BP. Exxon. Mobil. It doesn't work like that. If you go overseas, the same is true for Repsol and Petronas and others....
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It is the blending off additives and testing of octane as it leaves the refinery (or distributor) that makes Shell "Shell" and Repsol "Repsol" gasolines.

(IT IS WAY EASIER AND FAR MORE COST EFFECTIVE TO BLEND ADDITIVES IN VERY SMALL RELATIVE QUANTITIES THAN BUILD A REFINERY IN EVERY MARKET LOCALE.)

Our company used to put varying chemical markers in our additives that we would constantly test for on outgoing tanker loads to ensure the additives were there. I'm talking parts per billion and nobody could or would ever defeat it. Also, octane testing is very easy. You see it on the pump --> R+M / 2 method. We CONSTANTLY tested our gasolines.

Don't overlook the underground storage tank and interconnected piping designs and more. Double-walled, cathodically protected, internally coated storage tanks and pressure-tested piping were bare minimum requirements to sell our gasoline.
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You buy your gas at a 7-11? Or Circle K? Or Boudreaux's Pump & Bump Stop down the bayou? You may or may not get what is advertised. You might get 3% water.

 

I started out running 87 with my tune. I was seeing some slight hiccups here and there but nothing consistent, mainly when moderate throttle was applied. Started running 93 and I haven't noticed any hiccups at all now.

Not thrilled about the .80 cent increase per gallon though.

 

Premium is the way to go if you want the most efficiency and power.