Quick Poll: LC 200-What Octane Do You Use?

[Markuson]

So after talking with my most trusted Toyota service guy...he feels quite certain that the LC 200 does not really benefit from 91 octane or higher.

If he's right...then I've been wasting a ton of money using Super, etc.

So I'm curious... WHAT ARE YOU USING IN YOURS?

If you have any comments after ticking a box, it would be great to hear anything significant you've identified with regard to octane.
Thanks!

 

[planetalaska]

Been using the recommended 87 since my 2011 LC.

Dealer gave me a full tank of 91 on my 2016 last week as a freeby after I have been using 87 for a month, but I see no noticeable difference.

 

[CLHickman]

I wish this were multiple choice but, I selected 87. I use 87 on base, because it is the only thing they have. When I'm in town or travelling and I can grab 91 I will. I'm not caught in the mindset that these MUST have 91 at all times.

 

[T4Runner]

I fully acknowledge that there's negligible, if any, noticeable improvement over 87 octane; however, I like to believe that there's magical cleansers in the premium grade. I've solely used 93 Shell V-Power Nitro+ since new (with the exception of two fill ups on the NJ Tpke.)

 

[linuxgod]

87. The LX supposedly gets +2hp and lb ft torque with 91, which seems meaningless. Given the amount of power the LC has I'd use 80 octane for daily driving if it were available.

 

[Hothonda]

87 in WA State works fine

 

[bjowett]

According to several Tundra owners, 89 octane shows measurable gains in mpg while heavily loaded or towing. With 10.2:1 comp ratio and four knock sensors, there are times when the engine can take advantage of better fuel.

 

[ceb]

This has nothing to do specifically with any of the comments in this thread but it does highlight the brainwashing that we've all received.

All gasoline has a mandated amount of cleaners and detergents. These additives do not change by octane. TopTier gasoline has additional additives but again they are the same across all grades of gas.

If a higher (than regular) octane is "recommended" then you can use a lower grade without enginw damage. The ECU will adjust for that and you may get a bit less peak power and a minuscule fraction of a mpg less mileage. The difference in either is hardly noticeable - however - if a manufacturer recommends regular gas then there is no advantage to using higher octane as the ECU will not adjust for that. You might as well just set your wallet on fire.

Car and Driver did a comparison a few years back and noted that some cars actually got worse mileage when using premium and the manufacturer recommended regular.

It used to be that premium carried a premium ( ) of 25 cents per gallon. Today (at least on the eastern seaboard) that difference is 75 cents - or about 30% more than regular. Accordingly, if your manufacturer "requires" regular, but "recommends" premium, then in order to break even, you'd need a 30% increase in gas mileage, or a huge boost in power. You get neither.

You'll note that I never discussed actual octane numbers because the required octane varies by altitude. If you live on one of the coasts the 91 or 93 is premium and 87 is regular. If you live in Colorado the regular is 85 and premium is 89. The thinner air effectively reduces the compression of an engine requires a lower octane to control pinging.

So, in summary:

Use what the manufacturer requires. If the manufacturer "recommends" a higher octane, then play with a couple of tanks of that to see if YOU see the benefits. Be careful though of your own "tests" as we have a tendency to drive more carefully (i.e. in a more gas saving mode) when we are actively trying to record gas mileage. In my TSX wagon, I get 28mpg in normal driving, but if I set the cluster to show mpg, the it'll go up to 30 or 31. The cluster setting makes no difference but my awareness makes me drive more conservatively.

Use TopTier gas (you can get the list of stations on their website - you'll be surprised about some of the companies on the list) or a busy station. If a station that doesn't look very busy has a significantly cheaper price then you may want to steer clear. Chances are that they haven't gotten a delivery in a while. Avoid getting gas from stations that are just getting a delivery.

Remember that gas stations only have two tanks - the regular and the premium - and that mid-grade is mixed at the pump. If a pump is running really slow then you're pumping from the bottom as the tank is nearly dry. You might want to find a different station.

 

[ceb]

According to several Tundra owners, 89 octane shows measurable gains in mpg while heavily loaded or towing. With 10.2:1 comp ratio and four knock sensors, there are times when the engine can take advantage of better fuel.

"measurable gains" are unlikely unless they drove more carefully with the higher octane (see my post above). As cars pile on the miles, some my slowly require slightly higher octane to compensate for knock, but no ECU will improve performance if you use gas that has more octane than the engine was designed for. In simple terms, the only thing that octane does is control pre-ignition. As compression increases, so does the possibility of pre-ignition - hence the need for higher octane gas.

If you use a gas that has a lower octane than the car is designed for, knock sensors will retard timing to reduce the pre-ignition, but if there is no pre-ignition then there is nothing that an ECU can do to "take advantage" of the extra octane.

 

[T4Runner]

I'd bet all top tier fuels sold in the U.S. are more than adequate (first world problems by far). Without having researched all of their propaganda, I'd surmise they all kinda say they same thing...

That said, for whatever it's worth Shell V-Power Nitro+ claims to have 7x more cleaning agents than federal requirements. They also claim their premium cleans faster than regular. Aside from claiming less "gunk," corrosion and wear when using their fuel, they also state that 80% of their premium customers falsely believe that all premiums are the same (whatever that means)...

I also use AMSOIL in my engine which claims to be good on a 25k interval but still replace it earlier than Toyota's 10k recommended interval. Quality fuel and lubricants seem cheap insurance to me even on well engineered vehicles like these...

At present, gas is relatively inexpensive (compared to a few years ago), so that combined with $.20/gal off V-Power premium promo days and my typical frequent flyer discount of $.03 to $.10/gal off doesn't hurt. If and when gas prices take off again or should my circumstances change I won't hesitate to reduce grade of gas or extend intervals on oil changes etc, but if my being overly zealous up front helps extend the life and reliability of my rig (especially on an unexpected "rainy day" in the future) then it was worth it.

 

[ceb]

I'd bet all top tier fuels sold in the U.S. are more than adequate (first world problems by far). Without having researched all of their propaganda, I'd surmise they all kinda say they same thing...

That said, for whatever it's worth Shell V-Power Nitro+ claims to have 7x more cleaning agents than federal requirements. They also claim their premium cleans faster than regular. Aside from claiming less "gunk," corrosion and wear when using their fuel, they also state that 80% of their premium customers falsely believe that all premiums are the same (whatever that means)...

I also use AMSOIL in my engine which claims to be good on a 25k interval but still replace it earlier than Toyota's 10k recommended interval. Quality fuel and lubricants seem cheap insurance to me even on well engineered vehicles like these...

At present, gas is relatively inexpensive (compared to a few years ago), so that combined with $.20/gal off V-Power premium promo days and my typical frequent flyer discount of $.03 to $.10/gal off doesn't hurt. If and when gas prices take off again or should my circumstances change I won't hesitate to reduce grade of gas or extend intervals on oil changes etc, but if my being overly zealous up front helps extend the life and reliability of my rig (especially on an unexpected "rainy day" in the future) then it was worth it.

Mmmmmm, KoolAid.

Shell Nitro+ is a Top Tier gasoline; just like BP, Exxon, Valero and Costco.

Gasoline is supplied to stations from regional terminals that take the base product and add the specified additives for each vendor and while some vendors add additional additives, there is really no evidence (other than marketing) that one Top Tier gas is better than another. BY Top Tier requirements, all grades of gasoline must have the mandated amount of additives.

Should we have a discussion about amSOIL - the oil that claims it is better than anything else but doesn't bother to get tested to show that it meets any specs?

 

[Hothonda]

The oil companies are honest aren't they?

 

[Markuson]

The oil companies are honest aren't they?

Wow. Devastatingly-effective video there. Worth watching.

 

[ceb]

The oil companies are honest aren't they?

BINGO. Long video but worth watching.

 

[Markuson]

Wow. Devastatingly-effective video there. Worth watching.

Toyota (and others) spend a PILE of money trying to meet EPA MPG requirements.

You've gotta believe that if using premium fuel would help them meet those requirements EVEN A LITTLE... they'd be specifying premium in EVERY vehicle.

But they don't.

OK. No more premium for me!

 

[T4Runner]

But that exposé is in metric...

 

[bjowett]

Ceb, your input on this is appreciated. I won't dispute that some of the time the higher octane may be wasted. However, taking a Chevy Cruze using 6 hp to maintain 31 mph on a chassis dyno, and comparing it to a loaded down 200 Series pushing a wall of air at 70 mph just isn't the same. Our engines can take advantage of higher octane... But we'll only come out ahead at the pump in some situations.

 

[Sinister]

I've always used 89 in mine.

 

[jdlc1406]

I'm surprised by the results here. I use 87, because I think my owners manual said to use 87. I'll have to double check.

 

[LCHardriver_02]

On the LX, 91 is recommended. This is stated in both the owner's manual and printed at the gas receptacle on the vehicle.

Why? Is this considered a high performance vehicle? If so, why is the LC different?

I have been running 91 since it is recommended by Lexus and under warranty, but will be switching to 87 and pocketing the difference.