Dudes. I drove 18 hrs yesterday to get o Denver. Now my truck is DOG slow

^^ Highest octane we have out here is 91. I have looked for 93 for years and have never found it.

Race tracks (or the gas stations near them) sometimes have higher octane fuel for sale. If they don't, the airport definitely does but you normally need a pilots license to buy fuel there.
 
Try and find some "Ethanol Free" gas. I'd use it in my 4Runner if I could. Stuff is awesome!! I run it in my tundra and wife's chevy, it's colored like green antifreeze and in one tank you will notice a difference.

Besides that it's the elevation...my first experience was driving a honda accord from denver to sand diego. Thing felt like a rocket ship by the ocean.
 
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And octane. Yup. Lots of octane.
 
And octane. Yup. Lots of octane.

Forced induction (like your Supercharger) is a different scenario. Cylinder pressures are higher, and pre-ignition (knock) is far more likely. In that case, a higher Octane rating gasoline would be advisable.
 
Forced induction (like your Supercharger) is a different scenario. Cylinder pressures are higher, and pre-ignition (knock) is far more likely. In that case, a higher Octane rating gasoline would be advisable.

I'm well aware. I wasn't implying that in this situation a higher octane gasoline would be the solution. I was just summarizing this thread up to the point that I made my last post....

Dog shit and octane. Are you with me now?
 


This was crossing the Beartooth Pass from Montana into Wyoming back in 2011. I was driving my 1987 VW Westfalia. 2.2 litres of sheer power!!! 105 ponies back there!!!

Third gear at 55-60 mph. "I think I can... I think I can."

Lots of snow up there that spring.
 
The higher you go in elevation, the less Octane the engine needs. The Octane rating refers solely to the AKI (anti-knock index) of a particular gasoline.

That's why Regular (which is what a stock 3rd gen is designed to run on) is 87 r+m/2 Octane at lower elevations. While at high elevation, Regular is 85 r+m/2 Octane.

Less air pressure at high altitude, means less cylinder pressure in the combustion chamber. With less cylinder pressure, there is less chance of pre-ignition (knock).

If the engine isn't experiencing knock on Regular gasoline, Ie: the computer isn't sensing knock, and retarding the ignition timing in response to knock, using a gasoline with a higher Octane rating will do nothing for the engine. You will just be wasting your money on higher octane gas.

That's why I always laugh at people who insist on running premium on engines designed to run on regular. Just pissing away money.
 
This was crossing the Beartooth Pass from Montana into Wyoming back in 2011. I was driving my 1987 VW Westfalia. 2.2 litres of sheer power!!! 105 ponies back there!!!
That sounds like a rocket ship compared to my '84 with the 1.9L. At least it's a tin top 7 passenger, the "scuderia" model.
 
It's just the altitude - less O2, less power. Nothing to reset in ECU, it adjusts itself. Higher octane won't help. Just a fact of life (or physics).
 
Race tracks (or the gas stations near them) sometimes have higher octane fuel for sale. If they don't, the airport definitely does but you normally need a pilots license to buy fuel there.

It's also a Federal offense to put avgas in road-use vehicle, as you are skipping paying the gas tax. Race cars are ok.
 
when I drove to Moab, UT from CA and I was at 8,500 feet my truck felt like 1/3 of the HP had disappeared. It really felt as if the engine was running in a degraded mode.
 
I think the key is to relax and take in the awesomeness of Colorado and enjoy the slower pace of mountain life :)
 
Im from WY, and bought my 4runner in CO.

I make the trip back to WY about once a year, and I absolutely dread it once I get mid way into Nebraska! Speed limit is 75, wind is typically blowing across the Nebraska plains at 8000 mph, and you start going up and up in elevation. Over 6200 ft as you go into Cheyenne, WY. When you combine 1) a lifted SUV with 2) oversized tires 3) the aerodynamics of a box 4) high winds 5) 75mph speed limit 6) 184 hp (at sea level) on a 6000lb vehicle loaded with stuff 7) increasing elevation, and 8) severe diarrhea from a gas station hamburger . . . it makes for an explosive situation.

A few years ago I was towing a small trailer with two dirtbikes up some smaller mountains (8500ft) back in WY and my truck was working so hard the radiator cap blew off! The little 3.4 certainly does struggle. Im sure steezeman gets good use out of his turbo
 
Just north of you here at 7,200 feet, Laramie. I know there's obviously a significant reduction because of the lack of oxygen at these altitudes, but you should still be able to hang on the freeway. Normal in the way that you lost power, not normal how much power was lost.
 
Just north of you here at 7,200 feet, Laramie. I know there's obviously a significant reduction because of the lack of oxygen at these altitudes, but you should still be able to hang on the freeway. Normal in the way that you lost power, not normal how much power was lost.

I was driving on happy jack road between Cheyenne and Laramie that day my rad cap blew off. Near the tie city trails in Vedawoo, just before the little Lincoln monument/rest stop at the pass
 


This was crossing the Beartooth Pass from Montana into Wyoming back in 2011. I was driving my 1987 VW Westfalia. 2.2 litres of sheer power!!! 105 ponies back there!!!

Third gear at 55-60 mph. "I think I can... I think I can."

Lots of snow up there that spring.

Dude, I live by that pass, love it up there. Thanks for the shot of home...

I think the key is to relax and take in the awesomeness of Colorado and enjoy the slower pace of mountain life :)
Definitely agree dude!

Im from WY, and bought my 4runner in CO.

I make the trip back to WY about once a year, and I absolutely dread it once I get mid way into Nebraska! Speed limit is 75, wind is typically blowing across the Nebraska plains at 8000 mph, and you start going up and up in elevation. Over 6200 ft as you go into Cheyenne, WY. When you combine 1) a lifted SUV with 2) oversized tires 3) the aerodynamics of a box 4) high winds 5) 75mph speed limit 6) 184 hp (at sea level) on a 6000lb vehicle loaded with stuff 7) increasing elevation, and 8) severe diarrhea from a gas station hamburger . . . it makes for an explosive situation.

A few years ago I was towing a small trailer with two dirtbikes up some smaller mountains (8500ft) back in WY and my truck was working so hard the radiator cap blew off! The little 3.4 certainly does struggle. Im sure steezeman gets good use out of his turbo

I don't understand why everyone is complaining about this... If you don't already stomp on your gas pedal, then it shouldn't be something you notice? I baby my rig trying to get good MPGs, and the last mountain I cross when driving XC from IN to WY or MT is a 10,000 foot mountain. My truck drives just fine up there, yes, I lose a little power going up, but that's mostly because the road is infamously steep, just about any vehicle is gonna struggle anyway?
 
People forget it's a 13-18 year old vehicle and that until just a few years ago, manufacturer's started putting much more power into their vehicles (except for the 4runner lol)
 

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