RX330 Recommended fuel?

I'm going to take delivery of an RX330 soon. I've noticed in the spec sheets that Lexus recommends 91 octane. Any owners out there run with lower octane? I've always been told that 91 octane was flushing money away... thanks for the feedback!

Reply to
JK & KK
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The RX, like most recent vehicles for which premium fuel is recommended, has a knock sensor and circuitry which will back off the timing if knock is detected. This will protect the engine from damage if lower octane fuel is used. There will be a loss of performance if lower than 91 octane is used, and if driven "aggressively," there will be a small decrease in gas mileage. If the vehicle is driven fairly gently most of the time, you could probably use mid-grade and not notice the difference. At least that is the case with my IS300.

JK & KK wrote:

Reply to
kokomoNOSPAMkid

Most 1MZ-FE engines recommend 91 Octane. On my 2002 Camry V6, I only use Premium Unleaded

Reply to
Car Guy

Reply to
Darrell

Reply to
Tom Waugh

Thanks for all the feeback! I think I'll take that approach (start with premium and work it down a grade and check performance...). I'm not a 'hot dog' driver either and do about 75% of my driving on highways.

-Kim :-)

Reply to
JK & KK

Out of curiosity, what does the owner's manual say? My wife has always used

87 octane in her RX300 with no problems. The dealer says anything else is just a waste of money.
Reply to
Alexander Mcleod

RX330- "Select Octane Rating 87.....or higher. For improved vehicle performance, the use of premium unleaded gasoline....is recommended"

Reply to
Darrell

Higher octane gas is a waste on older vehicles that don't recommend it.

91 octane is recommended for newer vehicles if the manual recommends it. The manual states that you can use 87 but 91 is recommended. I've read on some forums that people have had knocking with lower octane fuels. If you must use lower octane fuel I recommend filling with premium (91) every other time you fill the tank.

If you're going to spend around $40K on a new RX330 why be cheap now and fill up with low octane fuel?

Reply to
DirkDiggler

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