Anybody have any MPG and octane observations

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Joined
Dec 14, 2002
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1,228
Location
NW side of chicago
I was wondering whether anybody has seen any relationship between their LC MPG and the different octanes of gas. Thanks for sharing the info.
 
BTW, I have a 62 with a 3fe but am still intrested in other 80's engines or LC's in general.
 
I have heard from the people I trust most to only run 87 octane in my Cruiser!
 
anecdotal evidence and various readings made me develop the impression that by going from 87 to 91 I might get 1 mpg better, but this is purely conjectural
E
 
fzj said:
I have heard from the people I trust most to only run 87 octane in my Cruiser!


why? any reason other than price? I have used 93 in just about every car I have owned it is easier on the pistons and bearings
 
I can't remember all of the technical stuff they told me, but I do remember something to the effect that the engine was designed to run on 87, so anything higher may not burn completley, causing carben buildup along with other problems, once again this is just what I have been told by Cruiser heads which know far more than me!
 
well, the 93+ are all recommended at 93, i have noticed up to 4 mpg highway, but usually 1 or so. on highway trips it would be almost worth it, but you need to start the tank be fore the trip, for some reason, not when u leave.
Rod
 
I have fueled my 80 EXACTLY 492 times with a variety of grades. I have seen no observable difference in fuel economy except for one instance when I was towing, shortly after I installed the supercharger. In the case of that tank I had detonation issues and the vehicle ran hot. I purchased premium but I suspect that the storage tank had the cheap shiat in it. Since the installation of the blower I have not purchased fuel that was not identified as "premium".

"Premium" fuel WILL NOT increase fuel economy. It WILL allow more spark lead or forced induction which MAY increase fuel economy.
 
87 all the way baby. Have you seen the price of premium gas in California. I don't buy it or even look at the price, 87 octane is bad enough($2.47) but I think around here it's about $2.6 somthing. Yikes.
Russ
 
Russ in California said:
87 octane is bad enough $2.47
Russ


ouch, get 93 for 1.99 here and I thought that was high, what is that taxes?
 
RavenTai said:
ouch, get 93 for 1.99 here and I thought that was high, what is that taxes?

it's the PRK, waddaya think? :mad:

E
 
Up here in the land of the socialists, I pay about $3.25US for a US gallon volume. Cry me a river. Going for a road trip to the States just about pays for all your food and accomodation in gas savings alone.
Cheers,
Sean
 
cruiserdan said:
I have fueled my 80 EXACTLY 492 times with a variety of grades.

Wow, 492 fill-ups at approximately $42/fill up...

$20,664 in fuel.
 
We can't even buy 93 octane at our pumps here. Highest we get is 91/92 depending upon the station. I run 87 or 89 depending upon the station. I've tried the expensive stuff a few times and I don't get better mpgs. It may be better for the engine, I don't know for sure. But at this point in my Cruisers' lives the damage has been done. Never had any issues running the cheap stuff, oops it isn't that cheap anymore $1.96 for 87.

$42/fill up wouldn't be acurate as back in 93 and 94 gas was quite a bit cheaper.
 
gater75 said:
well, the 93+ are all recommended at 93


my 96 says 87 or higher, I took that to mean use what you want as logn as it is 87 or above ?

Fuel type
Your vehicle must use only unleaded gasoline.
To help prevent gas station mix–ups, your Lexus has a
smaller fuel tank opening. The special nozzle on pumps with
unleaded fuel will fit it, but the larger nozzle on pumps with
leaded gas will not.


NOTICE
Do not use leaded gasoline. Use of leaded gasoline
will cause the three–way catalytic converter to lose
its effectiveness and the emission control system to
function improperly. Also, this can increase
maintenance costs.


Octane number
Select Research Octane Number 91 (Octane Rating 87)
or higher.

Use of unleaded fuel with an octane number or rating lower
than stated above will cause persistent heavy knocking. If
severe, this will lead to engine damage.
If your engine knocks...
If you detect heavy knocking even when using the
recommended fuel, or if you hear steady knocking while
holding a steady speed on level roads, consult your Lexus
dealer.However, now and then, you may notice light knocking for a
short time while accelerating or driving up hills. This is no
cause for concern.


Gasolines containing detergent additives
Lexus recommends use of gasolines that contain
detergent additives to avoid build–up of engine
deposits.
For further details, ask your Lexus dealer or a local gasoline
retailer.



Gasolines containing MTBE
Gasolines that contain MTBE (Methyl Tertiary–Butyl
Ether) are available in the market. If you use a gasoline
mixed with MTBE, make certain that it does not contain
more than 15% of MTBE.
If the use of gasolines containing MTBE causes poor
driveability and/or poor fuel economy, you should stop using
them.

Gasolines containing alcohol
Gasohol is a mixture of gasoline and ethanol. If you use
gasohol in your Lexus, be sure that it is unleaded, has
an octane rating no lower than 87 and does not contain
more than 10% ethanol. Lexus does not recommend the
use of gasolines containing methanol.
If you use gasoline containing methanol, use only gasoline
meeting the requirements above and also containing less
than 5% methanol with cosolvents and corrosion inhibitors
for methanol.



NOTICE
 Do not use gasohol other than stated above. It will
cause fuel system damage or vehicle performance
problems.
 If driveability problems are encountered (poor hot
starting, vaporizing, engine knock, etc.),
discontinue its use.
 Take care not to spill gasohol during refueling.
Gasohol may cause paint damage.
Fuel tank capacity
95 L (25.1 gal., 20.9 Imp. gal.)
 
Nada - I will, however on occasion, use higher octane when towing. Do I notice a difference - no. Note to self - stop paying for higher octane when towing. :flipoff2: Even if it is deductible for tax purposes.
 
Alway ran 87 in my 86 60 (12 around town, 14-15 hwy at 240k) and 95 80 (14 town, 15-17 hwy at 150k). No issues, figured any gain in mpg wasn't enough to counter higher price.
 
"my 96 says 87 or higher, I took that to mean use what you want as logn as it is 87 or above ?"

Yes it's alright to use octane higher than 87 as long as it's coming out of the gas station pump.

Once you start using aircraft fuel, octane boosters, and my personal favorite TOULENE......forget get about it. As the robot in Lost in Space would say "Danger, Will Robertson!" :bounce:

Minus the SC guys, just drop 87 in it.
 
Last edited:
lurker said:
"my 96 says 87 or higher, I took that to mean use what you want as logn as it is 87 or above ?"

Yes it's alright to use octane higher than 87 as long as it's coming out of the gas station pump.

Once you start using aircraft fuel, octane boosters, and my personal favorite TOULENE......forget get about it. As the robot in Lost in Space would say "Danger, Will Robertson!" :bounce:

Minus the SC guys, just drop 87 in it.

There seems to be alot of misconceptions about octane ratings around here. Pretty much use the lowest grade octane you can where your motor doesn't knock is a good rule of thumb. Higher octane just means your fuel is less susceptible to pre-ignition, that is your fuel will not ignite before it should.

Here is a quick link I just found:

http://theserviceadvisor.com/octane.htm

Aircraft fuel wouldn't be bad for your cruiser other than the fact it is leaded. Also octane booster, xylene, or tourlene will just increase your octane which isn't needed unless you have pre-ignition issues. All the extra octane will probably decrease fuel economy since there is a good chance you will get a lot of unburnt gas going out the exhaust.

:cheers:
 
I filled up the TURD at $1.99 p/gal. It took $80 to top it off :(
I was thinking of adding a second tank to the 80 but it would hurt toooo HARD to fill both tanks at once.
 

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