Shadow Posted March 16, 2005 Share Posted March 16, 2005 "Premium Gas Only" (1st generation V8's). I believe that the first generation owner's manual states lower octane can be used when premium is not available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bwilliams Posted March 25, 2005 Share Posted March 25, 2005 The engine was built to take at least 91 octane. Putting in lower than the suggested amount is like giving your car a slap in the face for treating you so well. If you can't afford 93 octane and don't care about your car, DONT BUY a Lexus!! You're putting unnecessary strain on your engine, and you're sacrificing performance. I mean seriously, the LS basically does everything for you, all you do is steer and lightly push the gas and it goes fast. REALLY FAST!! :D :D :D :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRK Posted March 25, 2005 Share Posted March 25, 2005 The engine was built to take at least 91 octane. Putting in lower than the suggested amount is like giving your car a slap in the face for treating you so well. If you can't afford 93 octane and don't care about your car, DONT BUY a Lexus!! You're putting unnecessary strain on your engine, and you're sacrificing performance. ← Take a look at that thing in the kitchen that cools your beer. It's a refrigerator - an appliance. Many people also look at their cars as appliances, which after all is what they are. Unless the Soviet Union has returned, people can and will do with their appliances whatever they want. I don't agree with big wings, stupid looking wheels, neons under the rocker panels, or most of the "tuner" ideas about car performance, but they have every right to do that. And if someone wants to put regular gas in a Lexus, they have every right to do it, and technically speaking have nothing to worry about in terms of engine longevity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
90LS400Lexus Posted March 25, 2005 Share Posted March 25, 2005 I always ran 93 in my LS400. I must admit I was disgusted right after I bought my Acura Legend and noticed it was getting low on gasoline. I was not disgusted until I realized that it said "premium unleaded fuel only" under the fuel guage. Fool that I am, I should have known that the Acura Legend also required premium fuel. :D What disgusts me even more, is that I am not getting as many miles per tank of fuel, as I got in my LS400 and I think both had the same gallon tank. <_< Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monarch Posted March 25, 2005 Share Posted March 25, 2005 If you use 87 octane, beware many cheap brands have substandard detergent additive packages http://www.toptiergas.com/deposit_control.html that can lead to reduced performance / drivability / fuel economy / high emissions problems which in turn cause premature failure / wear out of expensive emission control components which in turn can cause reduced engine life if the car owner keeps on driving with the failed / worn emission control components. So the worst of all possibilities is to use a cheap brand of 87 octane and the best of all possibilities is to use a top tier brand of 91 or 93 octane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
e2vincent Posted March 25, 2005 Share Posted March 25, 2005 Anyone got gas from Sam's Club ? I've been using 87 Octane from Sam's for the last 7 yrs on both of my Lexus without any problems. B) V. If you use 87 octane, beware many cheap brands have substandard detergent additive packages http://www.toptiergas.com/deposit_control.html that can lead to reduced performance / drivability / fuel economy / high emissions problems which in turn cause premature failure / wear out of expensive emission control components which in turn can cause reduced engine life if the car owner keeps on driving with the failed / worn emission control components. So the worst of all possibilities is to use a cheap brand of 87 octane and the best of all possibilities is to use a top tier brand of 91 or 93 octane. ← Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadow Posted March 25, 2005 Share Posted March 25, 2005 So the worst of all possibilities is to use a cheap brand of 87 octane and the best of all possibilities is to use a top tier brand of 91 or 93 octane. Octane measures the antiknock properties of the fuel. Octane does not measure how "good" or "bad" the additives are. So trying to equate higher octane level with "better" additive package is incorrect and is exactly what the fuel manufacturers and gas depots want comsumers to think. After all, there is much more profit in selling premium fuels than selling regular fuels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadow Posted March 25, 2005 Share Posted March 25, 2005 The engine was built to take at least 91 octane. Putting in lower than the suggested amount is like giving your car a slap in the face for treating you so well. If you can't afford 93 octane and don't care about your car, DONT BUY a Lexus!! The last I check, it's still a free country! :D I don't doubt that Lexus owners can afford premium fuels and don't doubt that they care about their cars. What matter is whether or not there is permanent harm done to the engine when using certain fuels taking into account that person's driving habits and engine conditions as each car and its driver is unique. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monarch Posted March 26, 2005 Share Posted March 26, 2005 Octane measures the antiknock properties of the fuel. Octane does not measure how "good" or "bad" the additives are. So trying to equate higher octane level with "better" additive package is incorrect and is exactly what the fuel manufacturers and gas depots want comsumers to think. After all, there is much more profit in selling premium fuels than selling regular fuels. ← High detergent Top Tier gasolines are best for engine deposit control and for keeping fuel injectors clean and keeping these components clean contributes to low emmissions and long engine life. High octane gasoline also contributes to long engine life, by burning more smoothly and less violently and eliminating all traces of both audible and inaudible engine knock. Therefore, using a high octane, high detergent, Top Tier brand of gasoline is the best (albiet most expensive choice of all for long, troublefree engine life. This is not just theory. Here some real world proof of what Shell Premium gaoline has done for a popular 4 cylinder Toyota motor for the past 451.000+ miles: http://www.saber.net/~monarch/smog92.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kennyr Posted March 26, 2005 Share Posted March 26, 2005 i'm not asking for oppinions on what you think between 87 and up gas, thats been addressed a 100 times or "its my baby, or its a lexus" and whats the extra money.....yada yada.....no offense but thats also been addressed 100 times. :D and obviously everyone knows what the manual reccomends........ in lue of this thread being a broken record, lets please stop replies of that nature ;) lets keep it to replies of people who use or have used 87 octane gas in your LS, which there were some valid replies ie.....Ron and Shadow, very interesting, thanks for staying on the specific topic..... :D i'm asking who uses 87 octane regularly in there LS.......... anyone else? ← Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lexls Posted March 26, 2005 Share Posted March 26, 2005 I always put in the highest there is....usually it's 91 or 93 around here. I don't mind paying a few bucks more for the higher octane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbrooksbreeden Posted March 26, 2005 Share Posted March 26, 2005 I always put in the highest there is....usually it's 91 or 93 around here. I don't mind paying a few bucks more for the higher octane. ← Around here, it seems that premium is always $0.10 higher than mid-grade which is $0.10 higher than regular. E.g.: $2.10, $2.20 and $2.30 at the Mobile and Shell stations I frequent. Very rarely, it is a $0.05 step. At that rate, premium is less than 10% more than regular. Way back in the dark ages that many of you don't remember (ca. 1973) gas "steps" were more like $0.35, $0.45 and $0.55 per gallon. It may not sound like much, but $0.20 more for premium back then was 57% more than regular. That wa a REAL premium to pay for higher octane. b. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bwilliams Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 Dude, did you just call your car an appliance? I didn't know that there were similarites between automobiles and refrigerators. Yea I like my beers cold, but a car does a lot more than just keep you warm or cold, it takes you places. Somebody needs to take your Lexus keys from you and give em to somebody who would not treat their car like its a refrigerator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRK Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 You obviously didn't read my last post carefully enough, or failed to understand it. Although I treat my cars very well, I have, like everyone else, the right to do with them whatever I want. If I want to deliver manure with my LS, I can. If I want to tow a utility trailer full of garden waste, I can. If I want to enter the hit-to-pass demo derby, I can. If I want to put regular gas in it, I can. Cars are appliances, albeit complicated ones that many people form emotional attachments to. However if you need to get emotional, get a girlfriend. As for you or "somebody" taking my keys.......well you don't want to try that........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
914lps Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 You obviously didn't read my last post carefully enough, or failed to understand it.Although I treat my cars very well, I have, like everyone else, the right to do with them whatever I want. If I want to deliver manure with my LS, I can. If I want to tow a utility trailer full of garden waste, I can. If I want to enter the hit-to-pass demo derby, I can. If I want to put regular gas in it, I can. Cars are appliances, albeit complicated ones that many people form emotional attachments to. However if you need to get emotional, get a girlfriend. As for you or "somebody" taking my keys.......well you don't want to try that........ ← I see your piont and agree you pay for it you can do what ever with it. But I wuld call a car a tool more then an appliance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelly'sLS400 Posted March 28, 2005 Share Posted March 28, 2005 We tried 87 octane once and it was terrible. The engine pinged so bad and I went to the auto parts store and added a bottle of booster. That was the end of the pinging and the last time for 87. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadow Posted March 29, 2005 Share Posted March 29, 2005 We tried 87 octane once and it was terrible. The engine pinged so bad and I went to the auto parts store and added a bottle of booster. That was the end of the pinging and the last time for 87. ← Your signature stated you have and 90 and sound like you have a problematic ECU (check out the TSB for your year). Do NOT use lower octane. Even 91 octane will eventually knock in those models. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blake918 Posted May 30, 2005 Share Posted May 30, 2005 I used a tank of 87 for the first and last time a week ago. The car ran 100% normal-no pinging/other noises, but the fuel economy sucked. 22 on the highway is just not acceptable to me. Next tank was Exxon 93 on the hwy run, and the econ went back up to a perfectly acceptable 26.6 mpg. So, the car runs perfectly fine on 87, but you have to pick between saving a few dollars at the pump or making it up(plus more) in the long run with better fuel mileage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marconi Posted May 30, 2005 Share Posted May 30, 2005 Mid-grade seems to work just great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kennyr Posted May 30, 2005 Share Posted May 30, 2005 I have never put anything other than 87 octane in my 91 LS400 in the last 65,000 miles. No problems. The knock sensors do their job well. Auto makers have various reasons for what they write in their manuals. Volvo had a 5k oil change interval one year and then with the exact same engine, no mods to it said 7,500 the next year. Then 10k the next year. Lots of politics are involved here. If it doesn't knock and you want to save a couple bucks 87 will get er done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indiasfinest Posted May 30, 2005 Share Posted May 30, 2005 Dude, did you just call your car an appliance? I didn't know that there were similarites between automobiles and refrigerators. Yea I like my beers cold, but a car does a lot more than just keep you warm or cold, it takes you places. Somebody needs to take your Lexus keys from you and give em to somebody who would not treat their car like its a refrigerator. ← HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA omg that was funny! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blake918 Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 If it doesn't knock and you want to save a couple bucks 87 will get er done. ← In my case I lost money by using 87. Ex. 400 mile trip at 22mpg will require 18.18 gallons of gas. 87 is $2/gallon which comes to roughly $36.36 for 400 miles. On the other hand, 400 miles at 26.6 miles per gallon will take 15.03 gallons of premium @ $2.30/gallon comming to $34.59. $36.36 -$34.59 $1.77 In the end, I gained nothing by using 87. Paying up for premium actually saved me $$ in the long run, and it's always fun to see gas mileage numbers like that! No more 87 for me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SawyerC Posted June 6, 2005 Share Posted June 6, 2005 I recall seeing a study done, either on this forum, or others devoted to Lexus which tracked the mileage with 91, 89, 87 octane. Since I didn't do the study , I can't vouch for the results, but the mileage lost as lower octane was used more than offset the cost savings in the gasolene. No one disputes that the car's computer can deal with the lower octane - the question is are you really saving money??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
90LS400Lexus Posted June 6, 2005 Share Posted June 6, 2005 Wow. I did not even know that Sams Club sold fuel. I learned something new. Our local Sams does not sell it, but they are building a brand new Sam's between one of our local Super Wal-Marts and Lowe's, so perhaps they will have a fuel center. I hope and I hope it is at gppd prices. My Suburban has a 42 gallon tank and it is not cheap to fill up these days. <_< :) Anyone got gas from Sam's Club ? I've been using 87 Octane from Sam's for the last 7 yrs on both of my Lexus without any problems. B) V. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blake918 Posted June 6, 2005 Share Posted June 6, 2005 but the mileage lost as lower octane was used more than offset the cost savings in the gasolene. No one disputes that the car's computer can deal with the lower octane - the question is are you really saving money??? ← Not as far as my '95 was concerned. Thinking that I was saving $$ with 87 was a mistake. I agree about the computer! My Suburban has a 42 gallon tank and it is not cheap to fill up these days. <_< :) Haha, so true, but it's nice how long the tank lasts too! I spent a lot of time in our '99 last week, and I felt like the luckiest guy in the world to get back in my LS today! B) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.