Is premium gas worth it?

[gomotomoto]

We have a 2003 Toyota Sequoia and trying to figure out if premium gas is worth it while towing. What do you think?

[dznf0g]

Any VERY slight mileage gain produced by some timing advance, is not offset by the cost difference. Use what the owner manual states and save your money.

[AnnArborBob]

It's not likely that the owners manual for this particular vehicle recommends premium gasoline which means that you will get absolutely no benefit from using it. However, if the manual does mention the use of premium fuel, then you might get a very small performance boost but you are not likely to notice it without some sophisticated instrumentation and the increased cost would basically be wasted.

[PKI]

Considering the poor octane that is accepted as standard for fuel these days it would seem like a bit of an upgrade would help. So, try a tank and see how much of a difference it makes for you. While it's not supposed to help, your experience could vary as several brands of premium are not spiked with Ethanol. Good luck with your investigation. Just don't go for the premium that is about $0.60 more than regular. Wait until you get in an area where premium is only marked up about $0.20. Pat

[Bill M.]

If it keeps it from knocking or retarding the timing as much as the regular while pulling it would be a good thing. I would be very inclined to try it.

[CRH]

Read the owner's manual and go from there. Using it when unneeded is a waste of money. If your engine does not call for premium and you have pinging, you other have a timing issue or excessive carbon build up in the combustion chambers...I have a car with a high compression engine. It has at least two labels that say "Premium Fuel Only"...The inflated cost of premium over 87 ticks me off at every fill up.

[ROBERT CROSS]

It depends on what benefits your looking for....I use it 'cuz 91 E-free is available at the local outlet I go to.
It's a must have for the boat which needs the octane and the purity, system won't tolerate the corn.
I also use it for our 53 Victoria for the same reason, it also requires a lead substitute and a couple oz of MMO at every fill-up.
91 goes in the Burb for the little bit of mpg gained, I use a FlashPac tuner to program the PCM for toeing & mpg when not.

Bob

[dkottum]

It's only useful if the engine was designed to allow the timing to advance slightly higher without preignition. Which will give a little more power possibly noticeable when pulling a heavy load, climbing grades or strong headwind. Our 2012 Ram does this and we may occasionally fill with premium for more a little power in the western mountains. Otherwise it's a waste of money.

[white laker]

I burn premium because I have an engine with high enough compression ratio that it NEEDS it. I could try to sneek by with mid grade and save a few cents a mile but again I refuse to dwell on the little things in life. Look at the cost of premuim gas as compared to depreciation, tire wear, oil and filter changes and on and on and guess what the cost jump to premium is NOTHING! Look at the big picture, read the owners manual and drive on. Be more concerned with 2 wheel drive vs 4 wheel drive, half ton vs 3/4 ton or Hensley vs Pro pride,... and enjoy.
Merry Christmas and we will see you down the road, or at Canopener!
Pete

[nrgtrakr]

I enjoyed this ...
http://m.caranddriver.com/features/regular-or-premium

[dwightdi]

If the engine knocks or has ping on the hills, it is a sign you need to increase the octane of the gas used. That is what octane is all about. That is how they measure it. A pinging engine is on its way to a $2,500 rebuild job. The valves are likely to burn and so is the piston. If it actually knocks, that will blow the wrist pin bearings and maybe the rod bearings. If there is no ping under any operating conditions, you are using the proper octane rated fuel.

[rucos]

This past summer my friend and mechanic told me he always uses premium mid grade instead of regular when towing his trailer (he has a chev pu).
I decided to try it on a trip in sept with my 4rnr towing the AS. I figured that I recovered at least 1/2 the cost increase on improved mileage and I really felt that I had slightly better performance especially on the hills.
Toyota has no problem with using higher octane and I believe (not100%sure) that they use higher octane in their performance testing.
I sold the RnR a few months ago and purchased a 2010 toyota tundra limited 5.7.
I used premium mid grade all the way from Canada to AZ (3400km) in november and am convinced it's worth the extra costs while towing. I switch back to regular when not towing.
Everything seems to indicate that with the Toyota at least it's worth it .

[tjdonahoe]

Try a few tanks, my chevy caprice used to get better mileage when we used premium...just try it and see....

[alantbird]

I have an 03 seq. and run mid grade in it and its very happy under all conditions and with fuel so cheap right now why not? Premium is better for the motor under heavy loads!

[dtshasty]

Not necessary if regular is recommended by your owners manual. The different grades are primarily for engine timing. Being that the vehicle is 13 years old going up to midgrade may help some but very little. You would be better buying a better branded gasoline that has the manufacturers additives to clean and decarb than to increase octane level

[Rich W]

Toyotas typically were built to run on regular. You can put a higher octane in it but it won't run any better. Someone may perceive that they are getting better performance but without technical measurement it's probably just a placebo effect. If your engine is pinging you should take it in for service. If it's not pinging then you're good to run regular

Your owner's manual is your best source of information, follow its recommendations.

[dznf0g]

Use the grade your owner manual says to use and make sure the brand/producer is top tier spec'ed...for several reasons.

[MelGoddard]

Originally Posted by gomotomoto

We have a 2003 Toyota Sequoia and trying to figure out if premium gas is worth it while towing. What do you think?

NOPE!

My previous TV was a Toyota 4-Runner 6 cyl. that I checked milage on trips by filling the tank completely, and after the trip, refilling the tank at the same pump, and recording the 'klikage'.
(I live in Canada). This, while towing a 23' Hi-Lo, [gross wt. 6000#. Avg. tow wt. 5300#.)
Then I ran two tanks of Premium fuel to allow the Computer to relearn the new octane rating; then did the identical trips using the premium.
No change.

The use of Octane is to prevent detonation [or "knock"] during the combustion process.
Octane will only give you more power, or better gas milage by other means; such as higher combustion ratio, supercharging, advanced ignition and so forth.
If your car is happy using regular while towing, don't waste your money on premium; and don't listen to so-called expert gas jockeys who want to take your extra money.

F.Y.I: I am a retired Canadian A.M.E., what you in the 'States would call an A&P-A.I. aircraft mechanic; who has been driving (and inc'l. rallying) for over 55 years.

[MelGoddard]

Originally Posted by dznf0g

Any VERY slight mileage gain produced by some timing advance, is not offset by the cost difference. Use what the owner manual states and save your money.

In the early 70s, I had a VW.412 Stn.wgn. that used regular gas. i think that it had a compression ratio of about 7:5, but not sure. It was gutless.
So I advanced the ign. 12 degrees, and used Sunoco 91 Octane, (R&M) which was 5 cents a gallon,[pre-metric] more. the power increase was impressive; the car was now more competitive on the highway; but more important was that the gas milage increased to the point of working out a 1/2 cent cheaper per gallon in use.

Later on, a 2001 Subaru Outback, rather gutless on the highway; starting using premium fuel. I could not advance the ignition, but the computer did it for me anyway. the car became rather more 'snappy', and the fuel 'milage' (Canadian Klikage?) increased to the point of ALMOST being equal to the greater cost [10 cents/litre] of the Sunoco/Petro-Canada premium.

Later Subarus, and my Toyota 4-Runner did not benefit from Premium, so I just use regular now. My new Ford-F150 EcoBoost calls for regular also.
Seems to work ok.

[CRH]

Originally Posted by dznf0g

and make sure the brand/producer is top tier spec'ed...for several reasons.

That is arguable...I have lived next to a non-top tier station for 22 years. I use their gas nearly all the time and whatever el cheapo I stumble on the rest of the time. My four wheeled vehicles are a '77, 87,89,90, and 94, with a '77 and '00 motorcycle thrown in. I have a mix of carbs, electro mechanical FI and electronic FI. I have never had a fuel related issue.