Macklin

Well, I should qualify that by saying I drive mostly interstate to and from work. By there is a good bit of city driving mixed in. I am very happy with 26 though.....especially given it's got 72 more HP than my '98 ES that averaged 25.

Macklin

OK, question for you. Bought my first tank of gas this morning. They only had 93 octane, which I chose over the 89. Is this something to avoid in the future.....and go with 91.

Ingram4868

Using 93 octane does not give you better performance (more HP) than 91 octane. Using 87/89 will result in less HP. The computer controlled knock sensors are so fast in the Toyota Avalon and Lexus ES350 engine management systems that I feel we can safely say that using 87 or 89 octane will not harm these engines. With the 2005 Avalon a number of us found no difference in MPG using either 87 or 91 octane. We will have to see If this holds true for the ES350. It will take me a few more months of testing before I pronounce a finding. I'm currently using the Costco gasoline, 87 octane and the car is operating just fine. No discernable difference in throttle responsiveness or transmission shift points. I'm sure there is a loss of max HP but it is not missed.

cleblanc

I have over 1600 miles on my car with about 70/30 highway driving also and I am averaging 27-28 mpg.

robertgmar

I am really enjoying this thread. It is hilarious. $200.00 a year hmmmm?? Let me see that is .55 cents a day. You can't buy a soda or a pack of gum for that. What gives??? See the irony here??? Now you see why I am chuckling.. By the way I think we all agree the 350 is a fabulous car.. Enjoy

Ingram4868

I like my math better. $200.00 divided by $3.70 equals 54 extra Starbucks Frappuccinos with whip cream, thank you

amf1932

Atta boy.......you keep driving up my Starbucks stock by buying your Frappuccinos with whip cream.......I'll keep going to 'Dunkin Donuts, and with the money I saved, I can afford to buy Premium fuel. hehe

Redefined

We're still running on the 1st tank of gas that comes with the car. How many of you stick with the recommended Premium gas?

Kaius88

i think the extra $0.20 per gallon is worth it. I mean you already spent so much on the car, why not give it the best gas possible? Assume you fillup is 15 gallons, which means you pay $3 more per fillup. Four times a month means an extra $12 a month to keep the engine happy. I think it's a wise choice to use premium.

Redefined

[QUOTE=Kaius88]I mean you already spent so much on the car, why not give it the best gas possible? QUOTE]

Paying Premium gas is not a problem to us. Just wanted to hear what everybody is saying. I found a thread of full debates on this subject after I posted mine.

PaJaHa1

Premium here in the East can be as much as 50 cents more. I would rotate grades in my old IS, and honestly never noticed a performance difference. Not to sound cheap, but I don't believe Premium is necessary unless you get that ping sound. I'd be interested to hear feedback on this with the 350 also.

Also, I think the quality of the gas can vary depending on where you are buying from. Some of the private stations (though they seem to have all but disappeared) have a history of diluting their gas to max profits.

As long as I'm not feeling any major performance issues, I'll put whatever is available in my car. I'll be done with it in 3 years so any long-term engine issues caused by poor gas are not my problem. Ahhh, the leasing mentality. God Bless America...

Ingram4868

We have discussed this at length. For our car we tested and found no difference in MPG so we have continued to use the 87 octane and it runs like a champ.

PaJaHa1

Oil hit $78.50 today for August delivery!! Fill it up with regular please

jeffofla

I'd really like to continue beating a dead horse. Who uses the search function anyway. :

<VENOM>

I've tried 87 but I always drop down to 18mpg, when Im running 93 I average 24-26mpg, maybe it's cause I drive with a heavy foot