envestr

can regular (87) grade gas be used in the es330

manual calls for premium???
what is the down side if regular gas is used /

answer is appreciated

thanks

jkayca

You can use 87 but the cost benefit would be minimal. The ES350 is tuned to use premium gas. There will be a loss of hp and efficiency if you switch to regular gas. Yes it will cost less to fill up the tank but you won't go as far.

LexBob2

You might want to post your question over on the ES300 and ES330 forum. You'll probably get more responses over there. Good luck..

jkayca

Ha! I didn't realize the OP was asking about the 330.

RobF350

I think he just made a typo?

I have been running 87 octane in my car for the last 2 years. It runs perfect and on the highway has easily gotten over 30mpg, trip computer usually says at least 24mpg with alot of stop and go driving.

If im missing 5-10hp so be it, I dont really care- car is not a hotrod, its a daily driver for my wife.

LexBob2

Me too. Regular unleaded for over 2 1/2 years.

You're not missing much in the way of hp. The same engine is used in Camry, Avalon, Rav4, Highlander, Sienna and the upcoming Venza with hp ratings of 268-270 using regular unleaded. In the Lexus it's rated at 272 hp on premium.

RobF350

when I first got the car I tried a few tanks of premium, and then some regular

if you can honestly tell me you feel the difference you have some amazing senses.

MD350

Ditto to the above. 35K miles on 87 and the car runs fine. Computer says I average 27 MPG and I get as high as 33 on straight highway.

softcopy

I had an ES300 for 8 years and ran regular and could tell no difference in the HP or milage. However, I had to replace the 02 & MAF sensor. On the ES330 now and it is the same.

RobF350

o2 and MAF are wear items, you would have had to replace them anyhow.

sirCharles

no compromise, premium FTW!

garsarno

Run premium / mid grade and regular. Could not tell the difference but I run premium because I like all the power I can get.

LexPaul

Premium is the only way to go....why cheap out on such a well deserving...wonderful car!!....give the best..pamper it.. ...besides Lexus Engineers optimized (tested/developed) the engine to run premium....sure you can use regular...but over the long run...you'll see the difference in poor performance...

LexBob2

You certainly can't go wrong using premium in the ES350.

Keep in mind tho, that Toyota uses the exact same engine in 6 of their models and recommends regular.

Those models are rated 268-270 hp and the ES on premium is rated at 272 hp.

safford197

When the engine control system is tuned for a certain level of octane then you will shorten the life of parts down stream of the combustion. Just ask a service rep, they deal with pre-maturely worn 02 sensors from time to time and there's a correlation to those and folks who run 87 octane. I guess if you lease the car who cares but if you're keeping it there may be a problem later down the road.

There is more then just HP effected, emissions and gas mileage are effected. On premium I consistently run 33 MPG at 65-70 MPH on I95 here in MD so if someone else is running 87 and gets 30MPG that's a loss of 10%. Around here premium is usually $.20- $.25 a gallon more or about 10% so it's a wash, why risk problems >60-80K miles.

Personally I don't understand the desire to save a dollar or two at the pump when you're driving in a $35-40K car, should have bought a Camry hybrid if that was your major concern.