Here we go again - Octane level

Somewhat unrelated to the topic of this thread which is "Octane Level."

With gasoline at $3+ a gallon why would the incremental cost delta of a few cents between regular and premium be of such concern to someone who can afford a Lexus? There are a great many less expensive autos out there that don't require premuim. Many of these are also made by Toyota.

But Lexus autos don't require premium, so that's a moot point.

No, the point that has been repeatedly made in this thread is that you generally SAVE money by using premium in most Lexi. Premium is not "required" but it is "recommended." And unlike many manufacturer/dealer recommendations, following this one will save most people money. Not a lot of money, it is true, but these days, every little bit counts.

Even for a person wealthy enough to afford a Lexus! How do you think we got this way? :-)

This should be the final word on this issue. When I got my RX330 I read the manual. It recommends premium, but says it will run on regular, warning about a commensurate drop in performance and fuel efficiency. Being somewhat of a pessimistic redneck, I done my own testing. I ran about six tanks of premium and then six tanks of premium, monitoring my MPG. Guess what; I did do better with premium, to the tune of about 1.25 mpg. Most of this driving was back and forth to work, combination city streets and highway driving, with no conscious effort to drive any different than I normally do. Price wise it was a wash. The increase in MPG roughly made up for the increased cost of the premium. (Don't really know about performance. As a retired cop, I quit chasing cars and driving crazy about ten years ago when I retired.)

Here is the salient issue. Back when I done my testing gas was selling in Missouri for about $1.79 for regular, $1.99 for premium., 20 cents more. IF YOUR MANUAL RECOMMENDS PREMIUM, BUY IT! Now that gas is selling for about $2.79 for regular and $2.99 for premium, the savings are even more. I dread the day when the oil companies and/or retailers figure out they could probably get by with percentage increases in the cost of premium. I don't know why they have not. (Maybe they are in some parts of the country.)

We are probably never going to see gas under $2.00 a gallon again, and if you noticed, the recent surge over $3.00 a gallon on the coasts is not as big a deal this time as it was last year. I think it's a psychological conditioning process. We will all wind up paying well over $3.00 a gallon this summer, then it will drop back in the Fall, and we will be relieved to only be paying $2.99. A couple of cycles like that and we will be paying close to European prices for gas.

"Jay Somerset >" > > There are a great many less expensive autos

What's ironic here (and counterintuitive, too) is that premium becomes more economical as the price of gas goes up. Even though the price of gas went up from $2 to $3 a gallon, the difference between gas grades (from 87 to 89 and from 89 to 93) remains about $0.10 each. Therefore, the percentage cost difference between gas grades decreases as the price of gas goes up. OTOH, the mileage improvement of going from regular to premium, as a percentage, remains the same.

It always amazes me how many people think they know more about automotive technology than the folks who design and make cars. Many people have gotten results very similar to Capt (ret) MacMahon's when comparing premium to regular fuel, yet there are those who perpetuate the urban myth.