what gas to use in rx 450h?
#19
Consumer reports says that you should experiment and that virtually all cars will run well on 87. They say you should use a couple of tanks of 87 and see if 1) you get any pinging sounds from the engine, 2) your mileage deteriorates, or 3) you notice a degradation in your power (and it bothers you).
It's usually a ten cent difference between regular and the mid-grade, for a buck and a half I usually go mid-grade. I NEVER use 91/93 since it runs well on the 89.
They go on to say that there are NO long term effects of using the lower grade, only the effects mentioned above.
I had a 99 RX and a 2007 and did it this way and got 150k on the former and 60k on the latter.
Bob
It's usually a ten cent difference between regular and the mid-grade, for a buck and a half I usually go mid-grade. I NEVER use 91/93 since it runs well on the 89.
They go on to say that there are NO long term effects of using the lower grade, only the effects mentioned above.
I had a 99 RX and a 2007 and did it this way and got 150k on the former and 60k on the latter.
Bob
#20
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I am looking to replace my 2008 400h. I ran that car on 89 and 93 octane. About 2 mpg difference. Every sales person, as well as service people, I speak with tells me (for the RX 450h) I can use 87 octane without damaging the car, but I may give up some performance. I was going to replace the car in May, but I am waiting to the summer when the new 2013's come out. I probably stick with 89 - 93 octane; unless the price of gas really goes up!
#21
Worrying about regular vs premium seems like a pretty silly issue to me. Here in the SF bay area we are paying about $4.30 for regular and $4.50 for premium. So about 20 cents a gallon difference. So only about 4% difference in cost or $2 to $3 a fill-up. Since Lexus seems to feel that you will get better fuel economy on premium, how big could the actual financial difference be ... $2, $1, $.50 ... or it could possibly be cheaper if you are getting more than a 4% difference in fuel economy. The reason I use premium is because how the car operates. It is very frequently starting and stopping and anything I can do to make sure that it is absolutely running it's best seems like a logical approach to me.
Last edited by UCSB; 03-10-12 at 09:25 PM.
#22
I would kill for that difference UCSB. Here in Winnipeg reg (87 ) is .1.17/ liter and premium (91) is $1.29 / liter. so it is far more than a 4% increase. The only difference between them is the amount of Ethanol in them. Ethanol lowers the octane.
My 450H runs fine on the Recomended 87 octane so I dont really care but for me to run 91 octane (not 93 as that is rarely available) would be 4.91 per US gallon for 87 octane its$ 4.42 US gallon. That works out to $.49 per gallon or almost $8 per tank or roughly 10% more for not even the highest octane. There is no cost benefit for me to buy it as I dont need any more power and I doubt I will get 10% better milage. When I am in the States I do buy the better gas to run through as different gasses have different additives.
My 450H runs fine on the Recomended 87 octane so I dont really care but for me to run 91 octane (not 93 as that is rarely available) would be 4.91 per US gallon for 87 octane its$ 4.42 US gallon. That works out to $.49 per gallon or almost $8 per tank or roughly 10% more for not even the highest octane. There is no cost benefit for me to buy it as I dont need any more power and I doubt I will get 10% better milage. When I am in the States I do buy the better gas to run through as different gasses have different additives.
Last edited by InRBigness; 03-11-12 at 09:53 AM.
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Worrying about regular vs premium seems like a pretty silly issue to me. Here in the SF bay area we are paying about $4.30 for regular and $4.50 for premium. So about 20 cents a gallon difference. So only about 4% difference in cost or $2 to $3 a fill-up. Since Lexus seems to feel that you will get better fuel economy on premium, how big could the actual financial difference be ... $2, $1, $.50 ... or it could possibly be cheaper if you are getting more than a 4% difference in fuel economy. The reason I use premium is because how the car operates. It is very frequently starting and stopping and anything I can do to make sure that it is absolutely running it's best seems like a logical approach to me.
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Using 89 since new (4/11). Averaging about 23-24 around a very hilly town. 3 trips from upstate NY to FL, 24-26, using 89 and 91 octane. Really didn't see any difference between the two, aside from price, although I do get about 2-3 mpg better in the warmer weather. Not quite what Lexus advertises, but significantly better than my wife's GX 470, which gets about 16-17 mpg. However, when in FL which is flat, I get about 27mpg using 89 octane. MPG drops quickly after 70+mph; I usually drive 75-80 on the trip between NY and FL.
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Hi Comrade
I bought my first 400H last yeatr in September, during winter time i usually got 570 KM for 53 Ltrs. now the weather has became warm and i gets 640 per 53 litrs. a big diffirfence.
Wardak
I bought my first 400H last yeatr in September, during winter time i usually got 570 KM for 53 Ltrs. now the weather has became warm and i gets 640 per 53 litrs. a big diffirfence.
Wardak
#28
When I picked up my 450 back in December, my Lexus SA informed me that it was okay to use regular 87 octane
with no harm but with an estimated loss of between 15-20 percent in performance. I have since stuck with 89-91
octane. With the 89 octane I usually get about 2 mpg less than premium. After my last trip using premium octane
91 I recorded my best mileage yet at 30.7 mpg.
with no harm but with an estimated loss of between 15-20 percent in performance. I have since stuck with 89-91
octane. With the 89 octane I usually get about 2 mpg less than premium. After my last trip using premium octane
91 I recorded my best mileage yet at 30.7 mpg.
#29
After trying 91 Oct a couple of times and then going back to 87, I have seen a noticable difference in engine noise.
I did record the engine noise on my phone once with 87 and then with 91 and there is a slight difference.
I did record the engine noise on my phone once with 87 and then with 91 and there is a slight difference.
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I've been using "regular" for the past two years in my 2008 400H. I live in a rural area with what most would call back roads. I can go about 5 - 8 miles before I hit a stop sign, hilly, windy roads. My driving style is not economy guided, so I only get a little over 22 mpg. I had attributed that to my heavy foot,, but this thread made me realize that it could be the regular gas too. I have not noticed any power loss or other issues. No service problems... 89K on it and ready to upgrade