low octane gas in 1994 ES 300?

Feb 02, 2006 2 Replies

I overheard a conversation at the shop the other day. The owner of the



1994 ES 300 says he usually put non-expensive 87Octane gas in his car and it runs fine. Is he lying or is it that this model year car has a computer smart enough to compensate for the lower octane by timing the spark appropriately? Anyone here tried it?

I do it every day in my 94 ES.

The owner's manual specifically states that "you can use 87 octane fuel without damaging the engine".

I have a 95 ES300 and I ALWAYS put 91octane or higher in it to run at it's peak ,there is a big difference in lag I have noticed when driven with 87 octane fuel, higher octane fuels make for better fuel economy, cleaner running engine, and longer life for the engine. all in all pay the extra couple of cents and get the premium.

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