ToyotaLexus

Am I damaging my GS430 by using 91-octane premium gas in California?
I took a long roadtrip with my buddy and we just arrived in California. Seems
like all the stations only have 91-octane.(Mobil, 76, Cheveron)

Back home on the East Coast, all the gas stations in the area have 93-octane
premium gas. In fact, the mid-grade gas is 90-octane at some stations.

I do realize the difference between 91 and 93 is only 2, but still..........

Should I go to an auto-parts store and get one of those octane booster while
I'm driving in California for the next week or two?

Thanks!

ShadyJC

iTrader: (2)

Those of us who live in California are cursed with this 91 octane swill year-round so I think getting an octane booster is un-necessary.

PhantomZX

Using lower octane shouldn't damage any modern car. The computer will change ignition timing to adapt to the lower octane when it detects knock.

Dx3

iTrader: (13)

Doesn't the manual say 91 or higher?

Jonny

ToyotaLexus

but my GS430 feel really sluggish running on the 91-octane stuff... I found a Lexus dealer
and the service advisor said there's nothing wrong with my car... the sluggish response
was probably because of the fact that my GS430 has always had 93 octane gas back home
in the East....

Why is there no 93 octane gas in California anyway?

Thanks!

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

I think it's something to do with the state requirements for gas formulations and the refiners can't make it 93 and still comply.

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

You'll be fine with 91 octane. If 91 octane is bad for the engine, 34523563x10^2 of the luxury cars here would have died already

chuckb

as long as you don't hear it pinging, you're fine.

merlin70

Yes it does. You will be fine with 91, in CA that is all you can get. Been that way since mid to late 90's I think? Can't remember when they switched, but I lived there at the time.

It won't hurt your Lexus, remember Lexus USA is based in CA (Torrance) so they are fully aware of the 91 octane deal, as are every other carmaker.

Now if you are really cheap, when you get out of CA mix 89 and 93 and still meet the min octane requirement of 91 while saving a few cents. Not worth the hassle to me but I have seen people do it!

AgentWD-40

Up in the really high elevations (5000 ft+) the premium fuel I saw was 89 octane. I forget the exact reason, but I think it has to do with the less oxygen at the higher altitudes not being able to take advantage of the higher octane.

I'm not srue where in Cali you are, but if it is hotter here than it was back east you will notice your car running slower too. When the temp drops into the 70's I notice my car really come alive, especially compared to 90+.

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

That's probably it. 91 octane is weaker than 89 octane, in the sense that it takes more to ignite the 91 octane. So if there isn't enough oxygen, the 91 octane wouldn't ignite as well.

Jayhawker

You will have no issues unless you have modified your computer for the higher octane. As goofy as it may sound, I have been told by a few tuners that running higher octane (100) on a car that's set up burn 91 can harm your motor because it takes longer to burn.

GSquicksilver

up until a few years ago, we used to have 92 octane in california. i believe they switched it to 91 about 4 to 5 years ago. sucks...it was right at the time i bought my GS too.

chuckb

I don't know about harming motor(maybe cats), but it's true, the higher the octane, the slower it burns. you can actually hurt your car's performance by using higher octane than it needs.

Ice350

iTrader: (1)

I'm not an expert but I believe any car would run better with cooler air being fed into the engine. Hot air is thicker, cool air thinner.