Do you use premium gas?

yes,in my new mx-5 Miata, you asked

 

Haha! Meanwhile, everybody also argues a Tacoma will run 300K with minimal care and maintenance because it's a Tacoma.

 

I make my own gas.
I have 2 - 50 gallon drums of oil from my previous oil changes sitting out in the AZ sun. By Feb 2025 the sun will have naturally refined that oil into 87 octane fuel that i will run in my truck.
I also like to inspect every slice of cheese at the grocery store to make sure i am getting the highest quality and best tasting cheese they have but i'm not as anally retentive as you guys.

 

FWIW, I use regular E10 (87) or E15 (88) depending on availability. A lot of gas stations don't have E15 around here. I've never noticed a difference in fuel economy between the two. What's weird is that E15 is usually about a nickel cheaper in the city. But, away from the city, it's sometimes $0.20 - $0.30 cheaper.

 

You’ll have to let us know how much extra power and economy you get using that fancy, farm-to-table, organic, free-range, artisanal gas you’ve got there!

 

I find fascinating that the engineers that designed this engine maybe it pretty darn clear that the octane rating should be 87 or better, the ethanol should be under 15 percent, and that the fuel should contain detergents.

Pretty simple criteria that don't have room for debate. Going outside of those boundaries is for your imagination and detriment to your vehicle and its warranty. If "E85" didn't hurt the engine, then they would have cleared it as an accepted fuel source, but they didn't.

Octane85 should go the way if the dodo and Toyota made it clear this is below spec without any exception.

So the only legit headspace in the debate is whether you personally feel tradeoffs in cost vs. performance are there for using a higher research octane over R91 (87 octane). And that answer won't be objective because the tradeoff of dollars, miles, power, and torque are different for each of us and can even vary depending on task at hand for the same person.

 

Everything I own gets premium E0! Even the lawnmower and snowblower!

 

Can't hide money.

 

Especially the small engines. No corn for me.

 

I wonder, if we’re entertained by watching our dogs chase their own tails….do you think they’d be equally entertained by watching us debate octane and oil change intervals?

Seems like the same exercise.

 

I wish Maryland had E0 easily available, but the number of stations carrying it are extremely rare here unless you live near a marina. My other vehicle took a 3mpg drop when they force-switched to E10 blends from E0. Bang on 20.5mpg became 17.8mpg average over a decade of fill-ups.

 

Only E0 near me is 91 octane and it is $4.10 per gallon. E10 87 is $3.10.

 

There should be a poll for this - listing 87, 89, 93, and ethanol free -

I suppose different areas have different octanes available, example in Georgia we have 93 for premium and the non ethanol is 90 and other areas will have 91 octane for premium.

I think the poll would be interesting though.

Maybe list them all?

We could probably leave out the 85 octane e15 and e85 since its been made pretty clear the truck isnt deigned for those.

Is there a way to add a poll to this thread?

 

This is from my 2024 Tacoma TRD Pro. I do need to verify out of the manual but I'll be running E15.

 

That's fair. Add E15 too!

Is there some advantage to E15?

 

Well that question is up for debate, especially on this sub as thats the premise of the whole post! lol.
Depends how deep you go down the rabbit hole for an ethanol based question but on the surface, its usually cheaper than 87 and burns a little cleaner. There is an argument for more horsepower as well as a function of the combustion process. In my area of South Pennsylvania, E15 is usually .20 cents a gallon or cheaper per gallon than 87.

As far as the rabbit hole, just google ethanol advantages and you'll get a whole list to go over!

 

The increase in power is due to higher octane level compared to 87 octane fuel. I would like to see a comparison between E15 and non- ethanol with 91 or higher octane.

 

Have to admit though, they are fantastic for sizing up people's technical competence.

 

Every year it's the same damn thing, coworkers bitching about their gummed up such and such, buying new carbs annually, blah blah blah. And yet, I am the moron for spending an extra $15-20 per season (if that) on good gas that doesn't gum everything up. It really sucks having a small arsenal of first-pull start engines, I don't know what to do with my spare time.

 

.20 a gallon on a 15 gallon purchase saves $3 whole dollars!

And more ethanol= less power right?

What a trade off!

For an extra $3 off you too could have even less power than the bottom tier 87!

I'm no fan of the ethanol- find some other way to save the world and I will find another way to save $3