Do you guys run premium or regular in your tank? I would assume no difference since the tundra is the same engine. I want to save money going to the 120 so this is important to me. TYIA
Premium or Regular? (NA) (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Bizzaror
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
Regular almost all of the time, unless we’re heading up the mountains. I don’t notice any big difference in mileage either, so given that, I’ll always choose the cheaper gas. As you mentioned, regular is called for in the same motor for the tundra and 4runner, so I’d assume it’s within specs. Guess it depends on how the motor is tuned though.
I fill with premium because I am one of those crazy people that follows oem specs
Same, until that fuel door sticker falls off it's premium for me. I've got VVTi though.
I fill with regular because I’m one of those crazy people who follows the owners manual
Regular for me during normal highway use. I put premium in when wheeling just because I don't know if peak performance is improved with premium. I don't notice any difference between them, except the dent in the wallet.
Family ran 93 for the first 12ish years and when I got it I started running 87, 20k miles later and no problems to report.
Creature of habit I guess, I run premium mostly because I have on every car I've ever owned as up until now they've all required it.
Simple answer is, what does the manufacturer recommend and why. Whether you feel it needs this or that is irrelevant. If an economy car such as my daughter's 4cyl Solara is designed to run on 87, then the best fuel to use is 87. Premium in such an engine not only won't make any more power, it will burn more slowly and cooler and could potentially cause carbon build up. If an engine is designed to run on Premium, whether due to a high compression ratio, advanced timing, or some manner of boost, the best fuel to use is obviously Premium. Using 87 in such an engine can and will damage it. Pinging may sound rather benign, but it's actually fuel exploding before the spark and causing an energy wave to collide with the piston while it's on the up stroke which could crack the piston, snap a wrist pin, etc... I used to own a 2008 Kia Sedona that specifically stated in the manual that 87 octane was perfectly acceptable but that the engine would only produce max rated power using Premium, so this is a case where a very clever ECU can utilize knock sensors and timing changes to use whatever you fill it with. My GX manual states that I should use 91 octane minimum, and gives no exceptions regarding slightly lower output using a lesser fuel...so I don't question the engineers who made the engine and programmed the ECU, I'm driving a Toyota product because I believe they're the best automotive engineers in the world as demonstrated by their reputation for longevity. Why I would suddenly start second guessing them to save a couple bucks at the pump is beyond me...
Conversation with a Toyota Service Manager who drove a 2008 Toyota 4Runner with a VVTi v8 went something like this.
Me: Your 4Runner has the same VVTi V8 in it as the GX470, right?
Him: Yep
Me: Does it require premium
Him: Nope
Me: Why do I have to run premium in the GX since it has the same engine
Him: Because it's a Lexus
There was more to the conversation, but in a nut shell, running regular doesn't hurt anything. Running the higher octane will improve performance but running regular isn't bad for it. The engine computer will adjust the timing accordingly and the engine will run just fine. VVTi = variable valve timing. It will figure it out.
That conversation was a few years ago and we have run regular without any concerns ever since. Every once in a while I might put a little premium or mid-grade in it, but for the most part 87 all the way.
A side note to that is recognizing what quality of fuel you have in your area. In many of the western states, Kalifornia particularly, crappy fuel is pretty normal, so running a higher grade can be needed just to get a decent burn. On the east coast and southern states the fuel is usually cleaner so running the common E10 isn't really that bad. We run real gas when we can.
Me: Your 4Runner has the same VVTi V8 in it as the GX470, right?
Him: Yep
Me: Does it require premium
Him: Nope
Me: Why do I have to run premium in the GX since it has the same engine
Him: Because it's a Lexus
There was more to the conversation, but in a nut shell, running regular doesn't hurt anything. Running the higher octane will improve performance but running regular isn't bad for it. The engine computer will adjust the timing accordingly and the engine will run just fine. VVTi = variable valve timing. It will figure it out.
That conversation was a few years ago and we have run regular without any concerns ever since. Every once in a while I might put a little premium or mid-grade in it, but for the most part 87 all the way.
A side note to that is recognizing what quality of fuel you have in your area. In many of the western states, Kalifornia particularly, crappy fuel is pretty normal, so running a higher grade can be needed just to get a decent burn. On the east coast and southern states the fuel is usually cleaner so running the common E10 isn't really that bad. We run real gas when we can.
but the exact same engine in the 4runner doesn't recommend premium. so it seems more a marketing thing than an engineering thing. people buying a lexus expect premium and would likely scoff if they saw regular recommended in the manual
You can take a brand new Mustang GT and give it a Premium tune or even an E85 tune, don't assume because it's a 2UZ-FE that it's "the exact same engine in the 4runner". Another example, my 2009 Nomad 1700 ran regular stock, but after an ECU flash it's Premium only now due to ignition advance. No internal changes, just 100% remapping.
Also, as I mentioned earlier, running Premium in an engine tuned for regular is actually HARMFUL to the engine over the long run, and I don't believe Mama Toyota allows their marketing department to specify Premium fuel in the owner's manual just to impress their rich buyers.
I have yet to hear from a single Lexus or Toyota master tech that the GX470 is tuned to such a degree that it needs premium. If there's any evidence that the GX received tune from the factory that makes it require premium, but the V8 4runner did not receive this tune, I'll eat my words. I think the manual would also indicate that premium is required, not recommended, if that was the case.
Toyota knows how to market just like they know how to make a great car. There's a reason the lexus dealerships are much nicer than the Toyota ones.
ppc
M Go Blue
The recommendation of Regular or Premium is not a marketing issue but more closely tied to how EPA emissions certification was obtained. The EPA does not certify a motor but the many permutations of vehicle configuration. That includes motor, transmission, gearing, tire size, weight of vehicle etc.
To the OP...what year are you buying? I think I read the whole thread and no one comes out and clearly says that there are different recommendations for different t years. My ‘04 manual says 87 and my ‘07 manual says 91. And to the tuning side of things, I’d love to see a 4runner vs gx470 drag race!!! Lol
