Skizz Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 Hi all, I know the car says premium fuel only. I was wondering if you can get away with mid grade or even regular. Is this a performance issue? Or will it actually do harm to the car? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krazykorean35 Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 you can run lower grades, but the car itself is tuned for 91, and a lot of lexus owners have had problems with poor idle, acceleration and all around performance when running lower grade gas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomj8 Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 you can run lower grades, but the car itself is tuned for 91, and a lot of lexus owners have had problems with poor idle, acceleration and all around performance when running lower grade gas. It'll run on mid-grade and even regular but you'll notice a performance and a fuel mileage drop off. Don't know about you, but I would only do it in an emergency because I wouldn't want the performance deficit (hey, thats what these cars are all about!) and I certainly wouldn't want to run the risk of damage a steady diet of regular (for example) might pose to my car. If you're looking to save money, its most likely a very dubious investment to make. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveMcKenz Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 The way I understand this, your high compression car will protect itself from pinging when run on lower grades by retarding the spark when it detects knocking. If your knock sensors are not working, your car may not have this protection. That could cause damage to rings, pistons, rods, etc. I could be wrong but I don't want to take that chance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skizz Posted December 20, 2008 Author Share Posted December 20, 2008 Thanks all, for the info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eatingupblacktop Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 Hi all,I know the car says premium fuel only. I was wondering if you can get away with mid grade or even regular. Is this a performance issue? Or will it actually do harm to the car? Thanks! Your choice of words are in conflict with your choice of cars. In choosing a Lexus, you should not be thinking of "getting away" with anything. These are beautifully designed and engineered cars. There are many owners who mod their cars. That usually means an increase in performance in some regard, not a decrease as you are suggesting. My advice is, unless you plan to mod your car, stay with the oem specs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clyde 1 Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 When fuel was up around $4 a gallon I tried "cheapin out" , not a good idea, engine started being fussy, missing, funky idle, poor acceleration. Ended up costing more in the long run, because I had to spend for a bottle of octane boost. Stick with premium fuel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dick0149 Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 When fuel was up around $4 a gallon I tried "cheapin out" , not a good idea, engine started being fussy, missing, funky idle, poor acceleration. Ended up costing more in the long run, because I had to spend for a bottle of octane boost.Stick with premium fuel yeah i didi the same except i didn't have any probs. i would fill up with reg then use some octane booster save bout $15 on fill up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clyde 1 Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 When fuel was up around $4 a gallon I tried "cheapin out" , not a good idea, engine started being fussy, missing, funky idle, poor acceleration. Ended up costing more in the long run, because I had to spend for a bottle of octane boost.Stick with premium fuel yeah i didi the same except i didn't have any probs. i would fill up with reg then use some octane booster save bout $15 on fill up Dunno about your area, but here there was only a .20 cent difference between regular and premium, even at bone dry it amounts to only about $4.00 per fill up, (give or take a few pennies) about the same price as adding a quality octane booster. A "six of one half dozen of the other" kinda situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sport coupe king Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Hi all,I know the car says premium fuel only. I was wondering if you can get away with mid grade or even regular. Is this a performance issue? Or will it actually do harm to the car? Thanks! No harm will occur if you run mid-grade but pay attention to the engine pinging or a lack of performance/power (accel on hills, etc.) and gas mileage. Also do not drop from premium to regular. Go from premium to mid-grade and if you want then step down to regular. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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