ThumperPup

i have put 160k on my 2007 Since i purchased it in 2013 using regular unleaded 85 and 87 depending on what area of the country i am in due to altitude and fuel grades differences.
and i have had no issues what so ever.
every 5K i put a bottle of techron chevron in the fuel tank
and im getting like 28-29 mpg on highway road trips and 22 to 23 inthe city

igzy

I've had my ES for over 60K miles now. I did my own 91 vs 87 octanes study for thousands of miles, and while 91 gave me better mpg and throttle response, the price difference % didn't offset the mpg improvement (about 10%). I did like the improved throttle response with 91 octane, but the $ savings weren't worth the premium price tag of 20% over regular...

Htony

Would you elaborate why?

igzy

These engines won't ping as the ECM will retard the timing when it senses difference from default detonation angle due to lower octane fuel...

jagtoes

With the vast power of the internet you should be able to get a very detailed explanation.

quan

lgb0250

12jimmyjam

christcorp

Pretty self explanatory. The es350 says it wants 91 octane. But contrary to what the “system” wants to bull$h*t us, we all know ethanol is not better. But, running pure non-ethanol gas at a lower octane is probably not that good either.

So, the choices are: continue with 10% ethanol and 91 octane, go with non-ethanol at 87 octane, or go with the 87 non-ethanol and add an octane booster. But I haven’t checked what’s in octane booster, so it may be alcohol. Thus defeating the purpose.

Thoughts?

Clutchless

Just use the 87 octane. Less ethanol is always better. They only started using the stuff during the gas crisis years ago to help reduce oil imports and help farmers. Your car will run better without it. You do not need an octane booster. You will probably not notice any difference in the 5 horsepower difference between 87 and 91 octane gas. The engine knock sensors will take care of the difference.
My late father's 2010 ES350 now driven by his granddaughter has always been run on 87 octane with no issues after 10 years.

christcorp

I appreciate the feedback. I’ve seen similar threads, but they mention ethanol vs non-ethanol but with similar octane ratings. Wasn’t sure what the big difference would be. I understand octane, but it’s interesting how the 07 es350 says 91 octane and my 08 rav4 says 87. I know they are different engines, but other than displacement, most engines are built the same. Especially if from the same manufacturer.

Non-ethanol is only about $0.20 a gallon more where I live. that’s only about $3 more per tank. I drive the car a lot, so I’m not worried about water being attracted. But curious how the car will perform.

Clutchless

Toyota is always evolving their engines and you cannot generalize and state that their inline 4 cylinder is the same as the V6. Totally different designs with maybe some common Toyota features. Anyway, just try a tank of 87 and I bet you won't notice any or much difference in power, although you may be at a higher altitude in Wyoming and that may make a difference in power.

They offer non-ethanol gas in certain regions with lots of boats, or farm/ranch equipment or old cars that don't like ethanol. Wyoming fits two of those categories, farm or ranch and old cars. I recall seeing it in New Mexico. I go to the seashore in Delaware a lot and see non-ethanol at some gas stations there for the boat motors.

RXGS

iTrader: (2)

I run non-ethanol 90 octane in my 560SEL and Z3, 30 and 20 years old respectively, and I notice improved performance over 10% ethanol and 91 octane, but my primary reason for non-ethanol is because these two cars sit a lot, I put maybe 400 miles a year on the MB.

However, on our GS, GX, and ES, I see no significant difference between the two, except that MPG seems slightly better with the ethanol free gas in each case. In my case, the octane level is pretty similar, but I run ethanol free 90 when I can, even though the octane rating is slightly below “premium”.

christcorp

Thanks again for the info. I run ethanol free in my motorcycle all the time because I don’t ride it as often. Plus it’s a 1983 Honda custom 1000 with carbs and it likes the non ethanol. I also put 1 oz of 2 stroke oil for 5 gallons of gas in it to keep parts lubed. Better and cheaper that lucus or similar additives. I also run ethanol free in my lawnmower. My snowblower doesn’t care because it has 50:1 2 stroke oil in it anyway. But I was thinking it’s probably better for the Lexus too.

Clutchless

I see we have another follower of the TCW3 oil in your gas tribe. I have been doing that for several years. You can buy gallons of it for cheap at Wally World and I think it helps the car runs smoother and provides upper cylinder protection.
Did you read about it on the huge Sarge's forum thread?