What grade gas do you run

[angelo]

You guys are all wasting your money. Higher octane will not give you better performance or better gas mileage. Octane is used to measure 1 thing and 1 thing only, the fuel ability to resist pre-ignition. This means higher octane fuel is actually harder to burn than lower octane. All the rest of the stuff is in your head. Next time have your friend buy gas for you and not tell you which grade, do this for 3-5 tanks. I bet you won't be able to tell which grade it was.

not true. I can always tell if my wife filled up or not (she's always buying regular and I always buy premium). The difference in the response is quite noticeble.
According to Toyota 3.3l V6 makes 8 more hp and 18 more lb ft torque on premium. And these are just the peak numbers...

[newroc]

i used 87 and only get 300 miles on a full tank and average 22.3 mpg which SUX and i have a 4 cyl 06' with 2500 miles on the car now, i feel like i should b getting more or am i wrong

you think 22.3 mpg sux? i drive in queens and i dont get above 18 mpg. i've used 87, 89, 93 and always end up filling the tank after only 220 miles.

In a sad kind of way, I'm glad to see I'm not the only one that's not even getting 18mpg. I burn half a tank every time I drive down to the city. But now with the freezing air, nature's free supercharger, mpg is up a bit, but still, that's sad...

[kingkakyle]

ok sorry for this im just trying to get a good idea of whats going on
from what ive read an increase in octane level WILL increase MPG and power, etc.....
i also would like to know if its all the same for v6 and i4
and does the price you pay more for higher octane make it worth paying more for more MPG? or does it end up still costing more?
thanks

[Mandarinsolara]

you lose money with higher octane

I alternate between premium and regular just because i have seen way too many cars and trucks with horrible valve tap. yes, these are the babied vehicles our parents are driving that never see over 2500rpm.

what do you guys say to that?

[manduboyi]

here is something from the FTC
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/autos/octane.htm

[FLUXEMAG]

If my engine had valve tap because I wanted to save three bucks per fill I'd be real pissed. Fortunately, while gas prices have risen 2x or more, the delta between grades is still 10 cents and 20 cents making it reasonable to use. Our cars don't have to run premium, but it is suggested. I trust the engineers at Toyota to make that suggestion because I didn't design and test these motors. Too bad they got rid of 92 in AZ, only 91.

But then again, I'm weird about little noises, so it's worth the $150/yr to me even if gas milage isn't improved.

[JspecSC3]

I use 91 octane from 76. It last longer than most fuels and it make your car happy.

[Turbosolara]

your user manual suggest use premium fuel for best performance, so that means our car was tuned for the better octane. high octane doesnt not burn cleaner and in fact it is harder to burn. why is it good than? because you are less likely to have detonation and your timing will be able to set more advance while you driving and that will give you more power and longer life span.

and premium fuel and lowest grade fuel are only like 20 cent different. 15 gallon so comes down $3 different per tank. Can you not even afford $3 of spending when you getting fuel, if so, you should sell your solara and get a 2000 accord v6 which was tuned for 87 octane.

[PXLpainter]

people....READ

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question90.htm

Wow! Very informative! Thanks for the link!

I also spent over an hour reading other items linked on that site - awesome!



Jeff

[Blacker]

I run 93 octane. The car has 10.8:1 compression and that deserves premium. My Trans Am only has 10.1:1 and 91 is required as well. I ran 87 in the Solara once and you can tell a difference.

[solaraluv]

I find that using 93 my car runs much smoother and it does has a better response but as far as gas mileage goes im not quite sure but there is a difference, that i can feel at least. Vut where can you get 100oct from?

[PXLpainter]

As taken from the above link - "Facts for Consumers - the Low-Down on High Octane Gasoline", this is the general statement:

"Are you tempted to buy a high octane gasoline for your car because you want to improve its performance? If so, take note: the recommended gasoline for most cars is regular octane. In fact, in most cases, using a higher octane gasoline than your owner's manual recommends offers absolutely no benefit. It won't make your car perform better, go faster, get better mileage or run cleaner. Your best bet: listen to your owner's manual.

The only time you might need to switch to a higher octane level is if your car engine knocks when you use the recommended fuel. This happens to a small percentage of cars."

So... how is it that we're getting reports of cars running better, etc... on 93?

And why would the dealership suggest upgrading to 93 when the car isn't knocking/pinging using 87? Are they advancing the timing with the ECU Flash here?

Some have reported that 87 is running just fine after the ECU Flash... so how do we separate fact from fiction here?

I guess if you believe you're getting better performance and don't mind spending the extra $$ on 93 - it isn't hurting your car - only your wallet.

JF

[FLUXEMAG]

If you read closely it says in your link to use the recommended octane. For the V6 3.3 the recommended fuel rating is premium (optional).

[FLUXEMAG]

Let's add a 91 and 92 rating to the poll, or change it to regular mid grade and premium, since states differ in their requirements for those labels.

In AZ you get 100+ octane on the indian reservation. I'm not sure why you'd do that to a Solara.

[PXLpainter]

If you read closely it says in your link to use the recommended octane. For the V6 3.3 the recommended fuel rating is premium (optional).

I believe the key word here is (optional) - plus in every other car I've owned if anything higher than regular was required, there was a sticker on the gas cap or the flap door.

I'll bite and put 93 in my next fill-up and take the test for myself as well.

JF