harryra

We all complain about the cost of energy and fuel. I keep a car at my house in London and it costs around $10-12 a gallon for petrol. In short I pay over $200 for a full tank of gas on that vehicle. Prices here are a bargain to me. Like you I put in the grade of gas that is recommended. Saving a few bucks on a tank is nitpicking even for an affluent person.

georgee01

The manual acknowledges that the car will run on 87, but requires 91 for "optimum engine performance". The quality of the gas is also a factor.

In my area, the difference in price works out to less than $2 per fill up. I run 91 octane, mostly Shell gas. The car seems to like it just fine.

From the manual (2014):

You must only use unleaded gasoline in your vehicle.
Select premium unleaded gasoline with an octane rating of 91 (Research Octane Number 96) or higher required for optimum engine performance. If 91 octane cannot be obtained, you may use unleaded gasoline with an octane rating as low as 87 (research Octane Number 91). Use of unleaded gasoline with an octane rating lower than 91 may result in engine knocking and significantly reduced performance. Persistent knocking can lead to engine damage and should be corrected by refueling wtih higher octane unleaded gasoline.
At minimum, the gasoline you used should meet the specifications of ASTM D4814 in the U.S.A. and CGSB3.5-M93 in Canada.

Gasoline quality
In very few cases, driveability problems may be caused by the brand of gasoline you are using. If driveability problems persist, try changing the brand of gasoline. If this does not correct the problem, consult you Lexus dealer.

moose66

So is it safe to say that owners/drivers outside of the US, who typically do not have a premium grade fuel option suffer with their cars performance? And in reference to the posting georgee01 did, I'd like to see this same section in the owners manual from a non US/Canadian spec GS.

RobertE

If this is strictly about saving a buck or two on a tank consider using Costco premium now that they are rated a Top Tier gas same as Shell, Chevron etc.

wgu8213

My Costco is rarely, if ever, cheaper than the gas prices around town. I still use Costco though since I'm there every 2 weeks.

moose66

This I did not know. But as wgu8213 mentioned, Costco isn't always the cheapest of Top Tiered vendors.

LexFather

This is your best bet, some pics to kind of make it easy.

http://www.cnet.com/news/whats-so-gr...s-of-car-tech/

I'm no engineer but basically Direct Injection or "DI" offers more MPG AND more power.

wgu8213

I just noticed that Costco was $3.91 today and a BP was $3.79. I feel suckered into paying more today. Guess I should have used the Lexus XM gas price tracker...

praetor

Yes we Americans are spoiled. In Cambodia where I'm from, gas us like $7 a gallon and the GS350 is over $120K USD. It's a bargain here in the states.

harryra

I think what annoys me are people that ***** and complain about the costs of ownership when they should have thought about that before making their purchase and opted for a less expensive drive....

moose66

What year/model do you have? My XM gas tracker only displays regular fuel prices. You used to be able to add about $.20-$.30 to the price of regular to get close to the price of premium. But that trick does not work so well these days.

wgu8213

Raise gas prices or the gas tax and see what hell breaks loose in this country... We have cheap gas and broken down roads in America lol.

wgu8213

It's probably the same. I have yet to use it. I just thought of it when I drove past a BP and it was cheaper than Costco. So much for thinking Costco is either cheaper or on par with the rest of the city.

moose66

I guess the real plus to this is to now know Costco's fuel is at a higher quality level as opposed to the other warehouse clubs like Sam's or BJ's.

harryra

Absolutely false. ALL, let me repeat, ALL auto fuel in every state is equal. What differentiates the brands is whether their have their own proprietary additives in their fuel or none at all. When a tanker pulls into a fuel depot the tanks are filled with two octanes....high and low. As the tanker is getting ready to leave and make its rounds to their stations the additives are put into the proper tanker holding tanks. Companies like Costco, Sam's and BJ's typically do not use any additives and therefore their fuel is identical based on the area of the country they are located.