regular or premium for GEN6 V6?

[silverSEV6]

I know that this question has probably been asked before, and the manual book says to put in regular gas, but i tend to drive hard almost half the time i drive my SE. A lot of my friends have told me that its better to fill my car with premium (not for performance, but to simply keep the engine safe). What should i do? And what do you guys put into your camrys? thanks.

[BuckeyeSE]

Before 'njerald' jumps all over you and tries to be a huge ass I will suggest using the forums 'search' tool. A lot of people around here tend to get their panties in a bunch when questions like these come up after they have already been discussed numerous times. To get you started on your way to message board happiness here is a link to the most recent discussion:
http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/t193428.html

Now, to answer your question - I use regular gasoline in my 2007 SE V6. My car is pretty much brand new. Built 5/17/07, delivered 5/22/07. So far I have 530 miles on the odometer and have only filled the tank once (since it came with a full tank from the dealer). I believe the Lexus ES350 uses the same V6 engine (2GR-FE) and reccomends premium gas, however, it is my opinion that this can partially be attributed to the fact that Lexus is considered a 'premium' brand and it's owners may look down upon the fact that their car runs on 'regular' gas. If you were to put premium gas in your Camry V6 it would probably take 2-3 complete tanks before you notice a difference (if you can notice a difference). It would take a while for the ECM to completely adjust to the higher octane fuel.

[TitaniumSE]

I've heard that the 2GR on the Camry gets 272hp when on premium.

[TRD VVTi]

If you really want to know do this: Beat the living shit outta your car with regular fuel. Then scan the computer to see what the knock counts look like. I'm sure there will be either none or next to none. That means you don't need the higher octane to keep the vehicle out of preignition.

If you don't NEED the higher octane to ward off pinging/preignition then adding octane will only cost you extra money for lower performance. Higher octane fuel takes longer to burn and because of that if it's not needed will leave more deposits in the combustion chamber.

It's pretty much a toss up topic on this board.

Personally, I say don't waste your money. I run regular unleaded in my Camry and throw in a Sea Foam or injector cleaner every once in a while to keep the fuel system nice and clean.

[Epsilon]

Price isn't that much different between premium and regular.

[silverSEV6]

guys, thank you for replies and the link (i'm new to TN, so i dont know how to do lots of things here). TRD VVTi, how often do you add injector cleaner (how many tanks apart)?

[geoff5093]

I used to run premium 93, but after hearing what everyone said in the tread I made (posted above), I decided to go back to regular since I drive a lot.

@silverSEV6, I can't speak for him, but I believe the labels say "for best results use every 3K-5K miles).

[TRD VVTi]

Originally Posted by silverSEV6

guys, thank you for replies and the link (i'm new to TN, so i dont know how to do lots of things here). TRD VVTi, how often do you add injector cleaner (how many tanks apart)?

I really don't keep track. I suppose every 5,000 miles I guess.

I do think that the extra additives the brand name stations add to their premium fuel makes a difference. I recently installed a fuel pressure gauge in the fuel rail of my Pontiac Firebird Formula. With over 240,000 miles the fuel rail had no residue or build up on the inside. I purchased a used fuel rail with less than 100,000 miles on it and it has alot of residue built up inside. I do run cleaners through my Formula too, but not nearly as often.

If you can get premium at a good price I'd say use it if it doesn't put any financial burden on you. I found a BP station where there is only a 14 cent spread for premium. Most places are around 30 cents. I do use premium when I fill up at that particular BP store but get regular unleaded otherwise.

If you do a Google search you can read about regular vs. premium all day long. You will get arguments both ways, but most will say it's a waste if your car doesn't require it.

[Joe B]

I use premium.
I only put around 8K miles a year on the Camry so the cost difference isn't a big deal.

[rsjyss]

Using premium and getting 4 hp is IMO a waste in our cars. If your buttometer can feel 4 hp then you must be missing all your flesh/fatt and it's all nerver endings! Using fuel from a Top Tier dealer is more important IMO.

I bet you put a ES350 with premium on the dyno and a our car with regular and they will dyno the same. Remember there's variance in all engines. Sometimes you get a tight or loose one. Some just make a few more horses than others.

I bet we take 10 Camry V6's on the same dyno, gas, IAT Temps, Coolant Temps etc... and you'll see a variance of 10 horses or so between the best and the worst engine.

Also, GM used/still underrates cars for insurance purposes and also because the Camaro can't have the same power as the Vette. Even though the LS1 based Camaro's put down to the wheels similar power... Gross ratings were 305 - 327 (Camaro) vs. 345 (Vette). Toyota could be doing the same thing.... It would piss off Lexus owners that the Camry had the same power!

Food for thought... save you money on the premium and fill up at Top Tier gas supplier.

[TRD VVTi]

Originally Posted by rsjyss

Food for thought... save you money on the premium and fill up at Top Tier gas supplier.

I agree completely. Fresh quality gas is the most important thing.

[CanadianDad]

I have the SE V6 and I used to put in only premium. The last two fillups I have put in regular. Not quite as peppy as with the premium. Thinking about going back. Probably will for longer trips.

[yeuemhoai]

I add fuel injector cleaner after every oil change and premium adds $2 more every fill-up so for me I just do it as habit (might be bad one under your eye ).

[IPDaily]

i actually tried premium in my 03, and personally it didn't make a lick of difference... it was no peppier than it is with octane 87... it's more important for you to get top tier gasoline IMO than to spend extra money on premium... i always fill up at shell, and incidentally the shell i go to is cheaper than a lot of the other (non top-tier) local gas stations, go figure....

[pillpusher84]

I have run both, an I drive the car hard ... haven't seen a noticable difference .... XLE V6 ... although I only use top tier fuels (BP/Shell)