No 87 Available?

https://imgur.com/a/ez8UuT0

Driving through Utah, and none of the gas stations I've stopped at have the normal, average, everyday, regular 87 unleaded that I've been pumping into my vehicles for the past 20-something years. Instead, there's 85, 88, and 91 (all with up to 15% 10% ethanol?), and blue 88 (no ethanol?). I pumped the blue 88 into my last tank and gas cans (figuring it'a the best option), but is the regular 88 (or the 85) good to go in our trucks? From my minimal Googling, 88 is rebranded E15...

edit: Gas had "up to 10% ethanol, not 15%."

 

85 octane is perfectly fine and what everyone uses in the high altitude western states.

 

Got it. Thanks!

 

You probably got better fuel mileage using ethanol free gasoline.

 

Will it work? Yes. Will it reduce life of components? No way to know for sure. Do what you want but I don't gamble with my Tacoma's lifespan just to save a few pennies.

Here's what it says in the user manual. 85 octane is no bueno. More than 10% ethanol is no bueno. @essjay made the right choice in selecting the 88 octane with no ethanol out of the available options.

 

85 octane is standard at higher altitude and does not in anyway cause damage or problems. People have been using it in all vehicles that call for 87 octane for decades and there are no problems with doing so.

 

And I've been binge drinking my whole life without any problems that anyone can see but someday it might kill my liver. I know I'm ingesting poison but it can be kinda fun. Probably won't live as long because of it. Even as dumb as I am, I know I'm not as smart as Toyota's engineers.

It's not as much about the 85 octane at elevation, that's fine. It's about the 15% ethanol. Couple tanks probably won't hurt but long run I'd stick with the non ethanol.

 

"The US Environmental Protection Agency April 29 issued an emergency fuel waiver to allow summertime sales of a gasoline blend containing 15% ethanol, making good on President Joe Biden's promise to ensure nationwide access to the fuel as part of efforts to ease pain at the pump".

"The waiver covers a 20-day period, the maximum statutory limit, but the EPA said it would issue new waivers as long as "the extreme and unusual fuel supply circumstances" created by Russia's invasion of Ukraine persist".

Who ya gonna blame?

 

I have a nine-year-old 4Runner I was putting 85 octane in for almost 7 years.

The Mountain West is really weird with gasoline grades based on elevation.

 

Got 87 again in Grand Junction, so no worries. Had I not been going 80 most of the way from Lehi to here, I suspect the mileage on that other gas would've by far been the best I've gotten since regearing. Normally I hit 125-130 at the mid-tank mark, assuming I'm trying to optimize mileage, but I actually hit 155 miles on that stuff.

 

He stated that they are all Up To 15% Ethanol which is against the OEM Specification except for the 88 ethanol Free gasoline which he used.

85 Octane with 15% Ethanol is not good for the engine and fuel system components and could void any warranties. You can however use whatever you want in your truck.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/mone...gasoline-low-octane-too-much-ethanol/2369579/

Low-octane fuel — rated 85 or 86 as opposed to the 87 for regular gasoline — is common in the Rocky Mountain states, said General Motors fuel specialist Bill Studzinski.

The practice goes back to the days of carbureted engines, when lower octane helped vehicles run smoothly at altitude. The electronic engine controls that have replaced carburetors make the lower octane unnecessary and potentially harmful.

and

The other potential problem — higher alcohol mixtures — is less geographically widespread for now. But unlike 85-octane gas, which seems to be waning, higher alcohol mixtures are likely to become more common to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and boost use of renewable fuels.

Virtually all gasoline sold in the U.S. has 10% ethanol. Vehicles are engineered to run easily on it. But a new 15% blend, called E15, could be problematic. Only a handful of service stations sell E15 now, including some in Illinois and Wisconsin.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency says E15 works fine with the emissions systems of vehicles dating to the 2001 model year, but automakers disagree. They didn't certify other systems for it that long ago.

GM, for instance, approves E15 only for 2012 and later model years. The mixed signals from EPA and automakers' recommendations create room for user error.

"A recent AAA survey finds a strong likelihood of customer confusion, and the potential for voided warranties due to E15," said Nancy Cain, spokeswoman for AAA Michigan. "We want more education so customers know what they're buying and what their vehicles need."

 

Blame? I'm not blaming anyone. This post is about what octane & ethanol combinations are best for our truck. Since 88 octane no ethanol is available in the original photo that is the best choice if following Toyota's guidelines in the manual.

 

Toyota quietly changed fuel caps from E10 to E15 without changing engine software, FWIW.

 

The old 85 octane was made primarily for older engines with carburators.... No longer needed for modern engines.

 

I saw this when I replaced my fuel cap, now when I get gas I'm more aware of what I put into the truck.

 

Funny they didn't change it on my truck...

It would be a way for then to void the warranty on an older vehicle and we all know they would do it.

 

They did it on the 4Runners BEFORE they did the reprogram.

 

Funny you should mention the fuel filler cap - that's how I learned about this. Bought my Taco used and it had the wrong cap installed by the previous owner (said E15). Bought a new one from an online parts.toyota.com dealer and they sent me another wrong one saying E85. Bought another new cap that is now the correct E10 only version. At least I have extras now in case I ever get a CEL code.

I suspect this is how I ended up with the wrong cap if my previous owner had dealer service and it got switched (or accidentally switched with wrong parts).

 

I see now OP edited the details to confrm the choices were in fact "up to 10% ethanol". So in that case the 85 octane 10% ethanol, even though it doesn't conform to the manual, would have likely worked and been OK at altitude but possibly suffered if you drop down to lower levels. Either of the 88 octane choices are better for the user manual guidelines but at elevation not 100% necessary due to how air/fuel things work. I still wouldn't but that's me.

Personally if given the choice I'd take that 88 octane no ethanol all day every day. I'm not sure you'd get the extra $5 in cost back in fuel mileage but it's possible. On a road trip out west about 5 years ago in a tiny little Ford Focus I was getting about 2-3 mpg better with non ethanol than 10%. Assuming you can fit 17 gallons in an empty Tacoma tank if you got 1 mpg extra it might cover that cost.

 

I changed my cap because I was getting a lot of dirt buildup in the filler neck area. I thought maybe the cap was venting too much but I never had a check engine light. Replaced the cap and the area has been clean for more than a month.
Bought my cap from the local dealer and it was the "E10" cap.