What octane of gas do you use?

[Snickel Fritz]

I've driven over 7,000 miles in the last 6 weeks. Started in CT, am now in TX, with lots of back and forth through WV, OH, and IN.
For the majority of my trip, I have been using 87. While in Oklahoma, I swung by a station to get some Native-owned 88, with no ethanol... for giggles.
I did try out some 93 to test out the theory that higher octane performs better somehow in our engines... I saw only a decrease in mileage, and maybe even less power going uphill. So, I'm sticking to 87 from here on out.

 

[explore.runner]

85 Octane in Colorado

Does anyone who lives in Colorado use 85 octane in their 5th Gen? I've read that it is basically the same as 87 at lower elevations and I asked the service department at Toyota and they said 85 is perfectly ok in Colorado. What do you all think??

 

[Presumptive4Runner]

I never saw the original user manual for my 2005 Sport, but I did look this up online some years ago & I vaguely remember reading that it required 91 or 93 at a minimum? So I used 93 for the first few years until I lost my job and needed cheaper gas, but I never went below 89 (mid). Now that I have a job again, I'm going back up and was surprised to find that WaWa offers 4 different fuels at 87, 89, 91 & 93 (I've never seen 91 around here before until today). So to save .10 a gallon I figure the 91 will suffice.

 

[Bayou_Pro]

this! so much this. somehow it has been beat into people that more octane means more power, but by itself that's just not true. technically it could be less power, all else being equal.

Finally someone that understands octane. The higher the octane rating the slower the fuel will burn, basically it's a colder fuel. This is why boosted and higher compression engines require high octane fuel. An engine that is tuned and designed to run 87 octane fuel WILL lose power when running higher octane fuel. The fuel burns slower (colder) and does not have an much energy as lower octane fuel. Now this power loss will be very small and nothing you can detect in you buttometer. If you do feel a difference it most likely a placebo effect. You will however feel the effect in your wallet.

TOP TEIR gas stations: Here is some inside information from someone that is in the industry. Your so called top tier gas station, ( ie, Shell, Cheveron, ect) are only required to purchase a certain amount of that name brand fuel each month. After they meet this quota they can purchase from their supplier of choice. Check out the name on the trucks refilling you local stations when you pass by, and if you have nothing better to do follow him to his next stop.

 

[El Dusty]

Does anyone who lives in Colorado use 85 octane in their 5th Gen? I've read that it is basically the same as 87 at lower elevations and I asked the service department at Toyota and they said 85 is perfectly ok in Colorado. What do you all think??

Hi Denver Friend,
I use 85/87 regularly and they are safe to use at our elevation. This is due to the lower oxygen density reducing the risk of pre-ignition.

There is an interesting read in this article that shows higher octane fuels can reduce engine power as Bayou_Pro mentioned. The argument here is that burning lower octane increases the burn rate which yields better power efficiency in some engines. :crazy:

Octane vs. Horsepower – Separating fact from myth in the debate over which fuel makes more power | NASA Speed News Magazine

 

[chevyjlewis]

Whatever is cheapest

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[4thGen4RunnerNoob]

87 here

 

[jmansfield]

I've posted about this for years on other forums, might as well post it here as well.

You want to run the LOWEST octane (either recommended or without pinging) possible in your vehicle.

The octane (or, the slightly different rating value found for RON) are values for the ability for the gas to resist ignition.

The higher the number, the more difficult it is to burn the fuel.

This is why in high performance engines (turbocharged, supercharged, high compression ratio, crazy advanced timing, etc) there are needs for higher octane. Those performance engines have a higher temperature in the combustion chamber, and lower octane gasses will pre-ignite (also known as knock). This is the principle in which diesel engines work - pre-ignition - which is a chaotic ignition event. Gas engines use a spark plug for a controlled ignition - meaning, the time when the gas is to ignite is specifically when the spark plug tells it to. Anything else is pre-ignition.

So then you might think "well, running higher octane is good then, I won't ever knock/pre-ignite, and I'm protecting my engine" - that may not also be true.

That isn't necessarily the case either, though. When you remember the number of ignition, and fuel spray, events that happen each minute - and you consider the fuels ability to "resist" ignition as you increase octane (I didn't mention this, but it also slows the flamefront of the gas burning) you could be causing unintentional damage. Unburned fuel could build up on valves or on O2s/cats, a slow flamefront could cause issues in the exhaust, etc.


As a side note - it doesn't surprise me that with towing there is a suggestion to increase octane - that is because the engine is being pushed harder and is under load more - which increases internal combustion temperatures and increases the risk for pre-ignition.

Nice. I’ll stick with 87

 

[hsl11]

93 or 91 depending where I am.

 

[Gecko]

Everyone,

I was curious what Toyota would say about this, so I emailed their customer service. Below is my question and their response.

============================================

Subject
Optimum Octane for 2018 4Runner

Discussion Thread
Response Via Email (Daniell T.) 01/23/2018 01:34 PM
Dear Mr. Txxx,

Thank you for taking time to contact Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. and congratulations on the purchase of your 2018 Toyota 4Runner!

We appreciate the opportunity to address your inquiry regarding the fuel for the vehicle.

The "Research Octane Number 91" quote refers to the research done by the government. When testing the vehicle, 91 grade octane was used in order to determine the miles per gallon (MPG) ratings for the vehicle. The higher grade the octane level, the better mpg the vehicle will get.

For more information on fuel economy we encourage you to visit: Fuel Economy.

Your email has been documented at our National Headquarters. If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact us.

Sincerely,

Daniell T.
Toyota Customer Experience Center

Customer By Web Form (Tyler Txxx) 01/18/2018 07:02 AM
Sir/Ma’am,

The 2018 4Runner owner’s manual states the following: “Select octane rating 87 (Research Octane Number 91) or higher. Use of unleaded gasoline with an octane rating lower than 87 may result in engine knocking. Persistent knocking can lead to engine damage.”

The minimum octane requirement is clear, but what is the optimum octane content for engine performance?

What does “Research Octane Number 91” mean?

===============================================

Hope this helps clarify what the manual says.

- Tyler

Knowing that Toyota just downrated the MPG on the 2020 4Runner, I would be interested to see if the owner's manual still has the note about "Research Octane Number 91." They might have just published the (true) ratings using 87, thus the downgrade.

 

[alexatmedia]

couponcodesup

thanks for sharing this information with us i hope that my website give the the high benefits as you did follow the link below
coupon codes up - كوبون كودز أب :hippie:

 

[ctrporsche]

Always 93 Oct for me.

 

[Itsme71190]

89, doesnt need anything else

 

[Hammer0313]

Running 87 in my new rig with no issues, haven’t tried any higher octane to compare yet. I had a old 1999 Dodge truck that really hated 87; at about 160k on the OD if I put 87 in it would sound like marbles rolling around under the valve covers. I tried a tank of 93 and it purred like a kitten. My 2013 Ram was modded and tuned so I obviously needed to run 93 for the bump in performance. My 2018 Ram seemed to run better on 89 and 93 over the 87. That’s my only experience with gas.

 

[brillo_76]

87 only

Sent from my SM-J337V using Tapatalk

 

[Powder_Hound]

Why is there no option for 85? That’s what I run in my 4th gen V8, and what I ran in my 87, and my 95. ����

 

[Trail4me]

85 because of altitude.

 

[Sir.T.Grant]

South Carolina

$2.20 p/g in SC

 

[Burt]

85 here in CO.

 

[jinta]

87! All my previous cars required premium using 87 is nice