How Important Is It To Use 93 Octane In My 2006 Rx330?

[pammycbb]

Hello All!!

I'm new to this form, so be nice!!! LOL!!

Anyway, just wanted to know, the price of gas being what it is, how important is it to use 93 octane in my RX330? Can I get away w/ using 89? I'm not working now, so I would only use the vehice for local trips. <_<

I'm getting a little sick of paying close to $50.00 to fill my tank..................... :cries:

[grouch]

I use the mid grade gas with no trouble. The computer's knock sensor is supposed to !Removed! the timing with lower grade gas. IMO

[smooth1]

For the 3 ish dollars your gonna save per tank I would stick with the higher grade. I got sick of high fuel bills as well, so I just bought a used Nissan Sentra GXE to "battlebot" back and fourth to work. It has a 10 gallon tank and gets 34 miles to the gallon. I just cut my fuel bill in half. At 30 bucks a week, times 52 weeks, the car will pay for itself in less than a year.

[vj3]

I use regular gasoline with my rx330/06, I use only Chevron cu'z it has Techron. But once a month I try to full tank it

with supreme . I don't drive aggresively , side street & freeway driving give me 18 MPG for regular gas. So far no

pinging.

[mccldwll]

I use regular gasoline with my rx330/06, I use only Chevron cu'z it has Techron. But once a month I try to full tank it

with supreme . I don't drive aggresively , side street & freeway driving give me 18 MPG for regular gas. So far no

pinging.

I doubt that Chevron will make any difference, since you never know what the gas is in the underground tanks (distributors in any given area deliver same gas to everyone). I haven't read the fine print on the Chevron pumps, but I don't remember them saying how much Techron is in there. If BP gas gets delivered, dumping a 12 oz. bottle into a several thousand gallon tank may be legal compliance. But adding a bottle of Techron every 5000 miles not a bad idea.

As noted by others, anti-knock sensors theoretically should allow you to use as low as 87 without pinging. However, I saw a post on here about sensors going bad, and the expensive replacement. I have to speculate that if such sensors are working overtime to correct for octane, they might wear out sooner. Couple that with claims by some that under many conditions they get a couple of mpg better with 93. If true, that's 10% better mileage. With gas at $3-3.50/gal, paying an extra $0.35 is a wash. And a big win if low octane does adversely impact the sensors. I think it would be worth determining exactly how mpg will vary, if at all, under identical driving conditions, with different grades. If mpg increases by 5-10%, it's probably worth using the 93.

[Grumpa72]

All of my last three vehicles called for premium fuel. Each owner's manual said, however, that regular fuel with a minimum octane of XX was acceptable but that the vehicle would suffer a small loss of power. So, if I have 250+ horsepower and this is my wife's car, who drives it like a granny, why do I need the extra power? My first car, an Acura Legend has run well over 100000 miles on regular fuel with no difficulties. My '05 330 doesn't skip a beat on regular either. My newest car is a 2007 BMW 328xi that calls for premium but the manual says that I can safely use 87 (I think that is the number) octane without any issue. Had I bought the 335i, it specifically states something along the lines of "use only 91 octane or engine damage may occur".

Our cars have a knock sensor that tells the engine when it is knocking, or pinging, and then adjusts the timing to avoid that. If your car has serious and continuous knocking then you need to upgrade your fuel to a higher octane level. Oth, most of us never use, or even come close, to the need for the full horsepower potential of our engines. I drive my car in the western PA hills (some call them mountains ;) ) and never experience knocking or any other detrimental indications. I seriously doubt that any sensors are damaged by running lower octance fuels. After all, these sensors only sense conditions in the engine and only indirectly affect engine operation. I would have no issues with using lower octane fuels at all. Just remember that octane ratings are a measure of a fuels anti-knock capabilities.

Before you listen to advice (such as mine ;) make sure that what you read is not an old wives tale that is passed along without any factual basis. It is very easy to make a statement that you believe to be true yet you have personally never done any investigation into its factual content. It is also easy to ask questions on this board and get advice that is more opinion than fact. sorry, off my soap box.

Gary

[grouch]

The car on the left (avatar) has 10.5 compression, aluminum heads, conventional electronic ignition, carb and no computer. I must run the highest rated gas to prevent damage. The Lexus has 10.8 CR, aluminum heads and computer controlled FI and Ign. that can compensate for lower quality gas.

Gas stations only have two tanks. One for premium and one for regular. The in between grade is a mix of the two. If I can't find premium, then I have to find and add octane booster just to get home. I could !Removed! my timing enough to use reg. gas, but it would run like a Yugo.

In the Lexus and other newer cars the computer will adjust. Just how much is lost, I don't know. Fill up one week with the highest rated gas and then the next with a mid rated gas. Use the old pencil and paper to record the mileage, brand and price to see if it's worth it. You could carry it one step further and try different brands, as like anything else standards vary and not always the biggest brand name is the best deal.

[Lex-RX]

Hello All!!

I'm new to this form, so be nice!!! LOL!!

Anyway, just wanted to know, the price of gas being what it is, how important is it to use 93 octane in my RX330? Can I get away w/ using 89? I'm not working now, so I would only use the vehice for local trips. <_<

I'm getting a little sick of paying close to $50.00 to fill my tank.....................:cries:

I too have notice a pinging noise when idling, wonder if gas octane will make a difference or if a trip to the dealership is needed. Anyone else having this problem?

[gonz444]

Hello All!!

I'm new to this form, so be nice!!! LOL!!

Anyway, just wanted to know, the price of gas being what it is, how important is it to use 93 octane in my RX330? Can I get away w/ using 89? I'm not working now, so I would only use the vehice for local trips. <_<

I'm getting a little sick of paying close to $50.00 to fill my tank.....................:cries:

I too have notice a pinging noise when idling, wonder if gas octane will make a difference or if a trip to the dealership is needed. Anyone else having this problem?

I filled up my rx330 for the 1st time, and right after I noticed a noise...Used 89 octane...???

[KBRX330]

Does anyone know how to replace the tail lights on a 2004 RX330? I saw the threads re: replacing tail lights on the RX300, but they don't apply to the RX330 because of the different body styles. I know that they should be easy to replace. It's all in knowing how to access them. Thanks.

If you're nearby Redmond I have a complete set of Lexus shop/repair manuals you can borrow.

I have been using 87 octane Shell regular in my wifes RX330 for the past 130,000 miles. Still have the factory spark plugs in there and just had the throttle body cleaned at 130k for the first time. I do clean the fuel system with techron every 30,000 miles. But no issues ever. Driving style is 50-50 city/highway.