View Poll Results: What gas do you purchase for your car?
Premium Only - I need all the ponies!
215
74.65%
Midgrade Only - Not primo but better than regular
24
8.33%
Regular - It's all the same to me
32
11.11%
Depends - Sometimes I feel like a premium, sometimes I don't
17
5.90%
Voters: 288. You may not vote on this poll
Merged 3GS Fuel Threads - Is it OK to use REGULAR gas Instead of PREMIUM?
10-27-06, 11:39 AM
#46
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It will actually cost you more to use low octane if you get 4 MPG less using low rather than high octane.
Don't believe me? Run the numbers yourself, I tossed this together in about 5 minutes. This does not include the additional time needed at the gas station for the additional 100 gallons of gas per year, or the maintenance costs on your vehicle by using low octane gas....not to mention the fact that Lexus could probably void your warranty given that it says "required" all over the place.
Don't believe me? Run the numbers yourself, I tossed this together in about 5 minutes. This does not include the additional time needed at the gas station for the additional 100 gallons of gas per year, or the maintenance costs on your vehicle by using low octane gas....not to mention the fact that Lexus could probably void your warranty given that it says "required" all over the place.
10-27-06, 02:04 PM
#48
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i believe all lexus "recommend" premium gas, including the RX and the GS350. didn't hear about them making it a MUST for gs350
from my understanding, with the gs350, you can put in regular no problem. the ecu will retard the timing to match the octane level. you will lose some power for sure. and given the extremely high compression ratio on the 350 engine, it's very likely that you will get pinging, especially you are in cali where gas aren't all that good imho.
imho, it's just 20 cents a gallon more between regular and premium....
from my understanding, with the gs350, you can put in regular no problem. the ecu will retard the timing to match the octane level. you will lose some power for sure. and given the extremely high compression ratio on the 350 engine, it's very likely that you will get pinging, especially you are in cali where gas aren't all that good imho.
imho, it's just 20 cents a gallon more between regular and premium....
10-27-06, 02:35 PM
#49
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In many areas around here, the difference in price between regular 87 octane and premium 93 octane fuel varies from 20-50 cents per gallon. So a fillup of 20 gallons can cost anywhere from $4.00 - $10.00 more than 87 octane. Granted that isn't much for one tank fill up, but over the course of a year, can cost $520.00 a year. And that's if you only fill up once a week. But as some folks will say, if you can't afford to use premium fuel, then you bought the wrong vehicle.
Download the Excel doc and see...it really is next to no difference. Keep in mind you never put in 18.8 gallons of gas, more like 18 if you live on the edge
No I'm not an accountant, it's just budget time at work and ohhhhhh how much do I love Excel.
10-27-06, 03:18 PM
#50
Funky - is there some fact behind the mpg between regular and premium, or did you just pull those numbers out of the air? I was just curous...
On a semi off topic, when my gas light comes on and my needle goes down to the last notch, a fill up only is around 15 gallons. I guess it still has 3 gallons spare when the needle reaches "zero".
On a semi off topic, when my gas light comes on and my needle goes down to the last notch, a fill up only is around 15 gallons. I guess it still has 3 gallons spare when the needle reaches "zero".
10-27-06, 03:21 PM
#51
Guest
Posts: n/a
It will actually cost you more to use low octane if you get 4 MPG less using low rather than high octane.
Don't believe me? Run the numbers yourself, I tossed this together in about 5 minutes. This does not include the additional time needed at the gas station for the additional 100 gallons of gas per year, or the maintenance costs on your vehicle by using low octane gas....not to mention the fact that Lexus could probably void your warranty given that it says "required" all over the place.
Don't believe me? Run the numbers yourself, I tossed this together in about 5 minutes. This does not include the additional time needed at the gas station for the additional 100 gallons of gas per year, or the maintenance costs on your vehicle by using low octane gas....not to mention the fact that Lexus could probably void your warranty given that it says "required" all over the place.
1. Worse mileage
2. Worse performance
So in the end, I didn't save a thing.
PUT PREMIUM GAS IN YOUR LEXUS!
10-27-06, 04:14 PM
#52
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I don't even have to look at the spreadsheet and I believe it. I tried a lower octane fuel for a few weeks in my G35x and after a couple of fill-ups could easily tell I was going to the pump more often than I did before, and my driving habits/routes were the same (work and back... work and back., etc.)
It's premium for me.
It's premium for me.
10-27-06, 07:29 PM
#53
Lexus Connoisseur
I'm also in the pro-premium group. The compression ratio running on the GS350's 2GR-FSE is running at a high 11.8:1. The GS350's motor benefits from the higher octanes. Saving a couple bucks per tank and blown knock sensors down the road using a lower octane will be pricey in the long run. 
10-27-06, 08:26 PM
#54
In many areas around here, the difference in price between regular 87 octane and premium 93 octane fuel varies from 20-50 cents per gallon. So a fillup of 20 gallons can cost anywhere from $4.00 - $10.00 more than 87 octane. Granted that isn't much for one tank fill up, but over the course of a year, can cost $520.00 a year. And that's if you only fill up once a week. But as some folks will say, if you can't afford to use premium fuel, then you bought the wrong vehicle.
10-29-06, 12:54 PM
#55
Lexus Fanatic
iTrader: (20)
Premium for da Lexus! Just do it.
10-29-06, 03:45 PM
#56
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I read it about 4-5 years ago in one of the car magazines. They did a comparison and the average MPG difference on Premium based cars when using Low octane was between 3-7 MPG. Average was like 4.3 or something, but I don't remember the exact number, but it was 4.something. I looked for the article, but couldn't find it online.
10-29-06, 08:51 PM
#57
Funky is exactly right. At the ride & drive for the LS460 that I went to 2 weeks ago, the Lexus rep made the exact point that Funky just made: that you will definitely make up for the premium price difference in your better mileage with the premium.
05-13-08, 02:41 PM
#58
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Premium Fuel: To Use or Not to Use..That is the question
Hey Guys,
I just read an article today on CNN called "6 gas-saving myths". One of the myths from that article is that using premium fuel will increase fuel economy. Furthermore they state that cars which have a recommendation for "premium" fuel won't suffer if we use regular fuel. (Lexus doesn't "recommend", right? On my gas take it says "Premium ONLY") They do admit that using regular fuel may cause a slight decrease in the hp but it's pretty negligable. With this in mind...have any of you guys recently switched to the regular stuff now that gas prices are over $4/gallon?
Except below:
"#3. Use premium fuel
With prices already over $4.00 a gallon, premium gasoline is a hard sell these days. But a lot of drivers think because their owners' manual recommends premium, they'll get better fuel economy if they stick with it. Really, they're paying more money for nothing.
Even cars for which premium is recommended won't suffer with regular fuel. Modern engine technology comes to the rescue again. When sensors detect regular instead of premium fuel, the system automatically adjusts spark plug timing. The result is a slight reduction in peak horsepower - really, you'll never notice - but no reduction in fuel economy."
I just read an article today on CNN called "6 gas-saving myths". One of the myths from that article is that using premium fuel will increase fuel economy. Furthermore they state that cars which have a recommendation for "premium" fuel won't suffer if we use regular fuel. (Lexus doesn't "recommend", right? On my gas take it says "Premium ONLY") They do admit that using regular fuel may cause a slight decrease in the hp but it's pretty negligable. With this in mind...have any of you guys recently switched to the regular stuff now that gas prices are over $4/gallon?
Except below:
"#3. Use premium fuel
With prices already over $4.00 a gallon, premium gasoline is a hard sell these days. But a lot of drivers think because their owners' manual recommends premium, they'll get better fuel economy if they stick with it. Really, they're paying more money for nothing.
Even cars for which premium is recommended won't suffer with regular fuel. Modern engine technology comes to the rescue again. When sensors detect regular instead of premium fuel, the system automatically adjusts spark plug timing. The result is a slight reduction in peak horsepower - really, you'll never notice - but no reduction in fuel economy."
