sarmyth

That's wrong... it may be true for 49 of the states, but California mandates a different blend which burns cleaner which no other state requires.

Here's a quick link which gives no information but proves the point =): http://www.fuelingcalifornia.org/resources/quick-facts/

Also, at least here in California, Costco has been advertising that it's now "Top Tier" gasoline as it has 5x the federally required amount of detergents. That's only been the case for ~2 months now.

Afrosheen

You can go into the settings somewhere and change it to Premium. I did that with mine but have no idea where the option is buried.

mmlcrx

I currently drive an Avalon which calls for Premium fuel. Been driving this car since 2006 on regular and get 31 MPG on the highway.

Looking to step up to a 2015 GS350 AWD. Does this car REQUIRE 91 octane (premium) or can I use regular fuel.

Thanks

tmxlqm

As long as there is no engine knocking it should be fine. You do lose performance but that's like a diff. of a few hp. I've recently started putting in regular gas and I've had no problems at all for both GS's I've owned.

SW17LS

I ran regular in my 2010 ES that called for Premium also, but I run premium in the GS. The GS is higher performance, direct injected...I paid a premium for the vehicle over a more economically minded purchase like an ES or Avalon...so I give it the fuel it asks for.

GS250

I read the car manual, it says RON95 or higher. also read from carbible.com that higher compression engine need higer RON. there was t table for reference.

moose66

Thanks Afrosheen (your user id cracks me up every time I see it)! Found the setting. It is located in SETUP -> OTHER. All good now. Next thing I want to do is to take my iPad out to the car and see how up to date the prices are with say GasBuddy. Not that it matters. Basically a mobile reference anyway. I just get the best gas I can get wherever I am when I need it. As said here many times by others, if you can't afford the premium fuel, you may need less of a premium car!

Afrosheen

I've found the prices to be pretty consistently accurate day to day, but there are still some phantom gas stations that literally closed months ago that are reporting the old price. The major drawback to this whole thing is that it requires an addon XM subscription.

Once the first year expires, either you get a fat expensive XM package or break it down into 3 or 4 different subscriptions. I just renewed part of mine a few months back and everything but traffic died on it last week. I have no idea what's going on with XM and it's a headache. Wish it would just use my phone and ask Inrix for traffic data and Gasbuddy or some other site for fuel prices. If XM died tomorrow I would not shed a tear. Since I participate in the Lexus advisory board, I should bring up the fact that phone apps are better than the XM-provided apps and have better data, and suggest that we get some of those apps in the dash for the next update.

jtrue28

I just stick with Shell or BP. It really doesn't matter what the price is. If you need gas, you need gas...what other choice do you have?? Let's drive across town, while wasting 2 gallons, just so I can save $0.05/gallon!! Yeah, that sounds like the same thought process that people who are justifying cheap gas went through when they thought they could afford a premium car.

SW17LS

I don't go out of my way to buy cheaper gas, but I do know where several cheap stations are around my daily/weekly routes and when I pass one, I'll get gas whether I'm 1/2 a tank, 1/4 tank whatever. For instance, where I live and where I work are two places I avoid getting gas if I can lets just put it this way...

tknx

Seriously if you buy a luxury car and then need to economize on gas by feeding it regular, then you probably outspent a bit. The engines are designed for premium and that is part of the experience you are paying for (HP-wise, etc.)

That being said, I am not really convinced there is all that much difference between brands of gas.

Nismo

While it is true that different brands of gasoline have different gasoline additive requirements, it is false to think that all auto fuel in every state is equal. State-by-state (and even county-by-county/parish-by-parish) requirements differ across the United States. The statement about about the way fuel is delivered at fuel depots (more commonly known in industry as product terminals) is also somewhat erroneous. Rather than get into all that, I'll just post a few links and a summary:

For tech geeks, here is an EPA link to get you started on the different state requirements--actually not just state-by-state, but county-by-county/parish-by-parish: RVP Standards.

For the car gals & guys out there, here is a link to all you need to know about the different brands of gasoline: Top Tier Gasoline. BMW, GM, Honda, and Toyota started Top Tier, although now, as you'll see when you peruse the site, other automotive companies have jumped on the bandwagon. Please note that as of this writing, October 7, 2014, Costco has only recently begun to meet the Top Tier standard. Meanwhile, the other companies mentioned above, Sam's Club and BJ's, currently do not meet Top Tier standards.

Nismo

One other thing I forgot to mention is that the the octane of the fuel your car's engine requires varies based on the altitude you are at. For example, an engine that needs 91 octane at sea level might only need 89 octane at a higher altitude.

Blackraven

In Singapore, the lowest fuel grade after RON95 is simply RON92

Still, I would suggest that you go all out by choosing higher-end octane fuel like:

1) Shell V Power Nitro Plus
2) Caltex Techron Platinum 98
3) Esso Synergy 8000 (98 RON)
4) Singapore Petroleum Company LEVO 98 RON

MuskyHuntr

In addition to running only recommended octane I also only run premium brand fuel. We have a chain in MN called Holiday that was convenient to my house. I stopped using there's and other lower cost fuels after cleaning the throttle body twice on my TL at a cost of $450 each time.