Octane Required for Toyota Tundra and Tacoma??

I think that the minimum octane rating for them is 87 octane (regular). You can check the owners manual to be sure.

My 2005 Tacoma with the same V6 as the '07 "runs fine" on regular, but is cheaper per mile, by a (WHOLE PENNY! ) to drive on the "recommended" by the manual premium. I don't notice a performance difference between 87 or 92 octane.

I have MPG data on every fill-up, back to March, 2005. My truck gets a tad better MPG on 92, more than overcoming the ~ 30 cent / gallon difference.

My 2002 Corolla suggests regular octane but I do notice that the middle grade tends to run better and give me slightly better MPG than regular octane. Also, if it makes the car run better and I get better mileage, it seems worth it. Perhaps it's doing nothing but hitting my pocket book harder but it's also possible it's leaving less carbon deposits since it burns hotter... who knows. For now though, it seems to be working well for me and I see no reason to change that.

I've read where others have used a lesser octane than what the manual says. I believe most Toyota's will have the ECU adjust for this although as always, it's probably better to run the octane that the manual suggests and nothing less although I have seen plenty run a lesser octane and so far, aren't seeing any issues.

Up to you I suppose. :)

It's not *just* the miles per gallon; you need to calculate it out to the cents per mile for fuel cost.

A higher octane fuel may give you better mileage, but not enough to offset the price difference.

Further, you may see a difference in mpg simply by moving to a different brand of fuel. But again, what's the cost difference? Always calculate cents per mile for fuel cost. Never leave it at "I get better mileage".

Shell 87 will probably give you better mileage than grocery store gas

87, but that's not an absolute.

And depending on the gas you use and the conditions under which you drive, a car's octane requirements may vary as it ages.

Keeping things clean inside, either with regular use of Techron or by using a Top Tier gas, will help things out in this regard. But an older engine with cruddy deposits on the valves, in the injectors, and in the combustion chamber may require a higher octane fuel just to keep from pinging.

A point lost on many people.

What makes you think it burns hotter? All a high octane rating means is that the gasoline is less likely to have premature detenation. A higher octane does not mean that there is more energy in the gasoline.

Almost all cars made today have an ECU to adjust for different factors, like the temperature, gasoline, and air density (which changes with things like the altitude).

Jeff

If you go to Toyota's FAQ site,

and searchfor "octane" you can find this question: "What is the minimum octanerating gasoline that I should use in my vehicle?"For the current year Toyota Tacoma (4 cylinder and V6) and Tundra,that's 87 octane.

(Of course, that's for US residents, using the (R+M)/2 method.)

If you weren't sure, you could've also looked in your owner's manual for the proper octane ratings.

If your car is experiencing engine knock, then you should go up a grade in octane.

Octane is a measure of the fuel's ability to resist pre-detonation (or engine knock).

Higher octane gasoline doesn't mean that it is necessarily cleaner or better. "Premium" is a mis-nomer. All gasoline sold in the US must meet certain federal EPA clean-burning guidelines. However, some individual brands _may_ decide to only put the extra cleaners in their higher-octane fuel (as I've heard of some brands advertising low- sulfur gasoline as only in their Premium line).

A higher octane gasoline actually has lower BTUs (energy content) than a lower octane gasoline, so the only way that you'd see better fuel economy by going up in octane is if you were previously using lower than recommended octane in your car...

If your car's owner's manual says that you need to use a higher than regular octane, you should follow that. (Pre-detonition over time can cause harm to the engine.) However, every once and a while you could use lower than the premium fuel, and get away with it...

Anyhow, I highly recommend:

- US FederalTrade Commission's Facts for Consumers - "The Low-Down on High OctaneGasoline"

History Channel's "Modern Marvels" episode titled "Gasoline"

The only thing I have that really needs "high test" is a riding lawnmower on hot days when I'm cutting heavy weeds and grass, it has a Honda engine and it does knock like hell. All my vehicles do fine with regular grade of gasoline. I usually get top tier gasoline if the price is within a couple of cents of the independents. This is worth reading if you haven't seen it,

don't worry that much about miles per gallon, it's the total cost of going a mile down the road, tires, insurance, windshields, repairs (major and minor, maintenance like cam belts, water pumps, batteries, wiper blades, depreciation etc. I'd guess my 98 Camry is about as good at starting, stopping and going a mile down the road as any other vehicle in it's class. An excellent total over cost, reasonable comfort and safety good resale also if they are kept in good condition. As far as mpg, I know my car will go at least 300 miles on 10 gallons of gas, over 400 with a full tank. One of the things that bothered me with Toyota is the 85 I had and needed only the rubber diaphragm in the cruse control, it was a non servicable dealer only item and the whole unit had to be bought, cost over 450 bucks. Things like that will buy a lot of gasoline.

I think lots of the confusion specifically around the V6 Tacoma is based on the manual's statement of 87 octane as a minimum, but 91 is "recommended".

I think all these comments are very interesting. I did check out the Toyota tundra site and they recommended a minimal of 87 octane without elaboration. I do not have a manual or yet own one of these trucks, but am strongly considering ownership. Dealer said he has no idea where I can find an owners manual. I use the techron in my ancient corolla and it is a wonderful product. Thanks so much for the words of wisdom!

gary

Toyota can't be any more specific because they have no control over the quality of the gas you buy. About the only thing they could add to their guidelines would be to close the windows and shut off the radio regularly, so you can hear any new sounds the car might be making, including engine knock.

eBay tends to have owner manuals for sale on the cheap. I see them for my Corolla all the time.

Stupid question perhaps but, how do you tell if you have knocking? I've listened to my vehicle when it's quiet outside and inside and have never heard anything but I don't know what I would listen for anyway.

For what it's worth, at idle sometimes the car is so quiet I wonder if it's died on me. It idles that quietly. And on that note, I have never heard anything short of the injectors making their normal sounds.

Maybe there is a YouTube video showing what knocking looks/sounds like?

Based on my experience, it's most noticeable when accelerating. Sounds like ticking.

More:

That's right, I imagine my valves hitting the pistons or whatever that makes a repeated ticking sound when I step on the pedal. What exactly is that sound coming from?

Read those links in my last message. It's explained nicely.

The dealer doesn't know where to find an owner's manual? Is this a Toyota dealer or a used car dealer ? If it's a Toyota dealer, he might go so far as to look in one of his cars' glove compartment, don't you think? And failing everything else, how about going to a Toyota dealer and asking him the octane requirement?

Sounds like several glass marbles being moderately shaken in a small coffee can. A rapid fire rattle that gets louder the harder you stomp on the Loud Pedal.

On well soundproofed cars you will have to roll down the windows to hear it, but then it should be audible.

Any injector or valve ticking will vary with RPM, but not with throttle application.

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