Car runs better on regular - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

FrankXT86 · 02-08-2004, 11:31 PM

Alright...so i've been using 93 octane on my 99 I4 camry. Thought I was getting mildly better performance but i thought wrong. I put regular in for the first time in a while and it seemed to idle smoother and felt more peppy. It just felt and sounded better. Just wondering if there are any advantages to getting premium over regular on my camry. TIA

DrtySthV6SE · 02-08-2004, 11:34 PM

been talked about a bunch on here and really there is no need for it unless your car specifically calls for it, otherwise i guess your just wasting money.

Number Eight · 02-08-2004, 11:34 PM

There shouldn't be... doesn't it recommend regular in the manual?

***Your Uncle Moe*** · 02-09-2004, 01:21 AM

I put the medium shit now.

Rapeacivic · 02-09-2004, 01:25 AM

I use 93 octane my car seems to run better on it

Aussie Ed · 02-09-2004, 02:24 AM

i've always run my car on 95RON or higher. and i have not experienced any problems with running it on higher or octane fuel.

Nico · 02-09-2004, 04:55 AM

I use 98 octane. I have the impression it burns less gas with it (although I am not 100% sure)

dan99solara · 02-09-2004, 08:41 AM

you are wasting money if you do not have some kind of forced induction or advanced timing.

***Tony the Tiger*** · 02-10-2004, 04:06 AM

Running higher octane fuel on a motor that is meant for regular is both a waste of money and will result in a loss of power.

Higher octane causes the fuel to burn slower. It is more lenient to temperature spikes and much more stable before it combusts.
If you run higher octane fuel without taking advantage of it -- such as increasing the ignition timing or increasing the boost (it avail), then the fuel will burn slower and nets you a colder combustion --> which equals less power.

If you felt your car running better with higher octane, most likely it is from the fact that your combustion chamber has carbon deposits. Carbon deposits raises your static compression, so in turn, the higher octane prevents pinging/knocking and also increases the power because of the higher CR.

eecc · 02-10-2004, 10:02 AM

how do u get rid of the carbon deposits?

dan99solara · 02-10-2004, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by eecc
how do u get rid of the carbon deposits?

top out your car and that should take care of it.

luisitol · 02-10-2004, 11:31 AM

damn so i guess i should stop using 93 and 94 octane for now till i get forced induction. damn but 89 gas has a smell to it i jsut dont' like

csaxon · 02-10-2004, 12:13 PM

Octane rating in gasoline is a measure of its resistance to preignition or detonation. Specifically, when the piston is coming up to the top of the cylinder, it compresses the gasoline/air mixture to around 10 percent of its original volume. As it's compressed, it gets hotter. At the correct time, this hot, turbulent mixture is supposed to be ignited by the spark plug. A lower-octane fuel has a greater potential for igniting prematurely, which makes a distinctive pinging sound. This can damage engines, and certainly has a poor effect on economy. Higher-octane gas is more likely to ignite only when it's supposed to. How high an octane your engine requires depends on many things, like compression ratio, camshaft profiles, combustion-chamber design, the state of your fuel injectors and barometric pressure.

Using a higher-octane fuel than is necessary is expensive. And there is actually more energy in lower-octane fuel, meaning there is potentially more power and economy available at the less expensive pump.

Most modern cars can adjust themselves for the amount of ping by using a mechanical sensor bolted to the engine to listen for the characteristic sounds of engine ping and to change the ignition timing. This keeps the engine from hammering holes in the tops of the pistons–but it still means you're wasting gas by running the engine at less than optimum. Check your owner's manual for the carmaker's recommendation and then use the lowest octane fuel you can. If your car has a knock sensor, use the fuel grade that gives the best fuel efficiency.

nort0188 · 02-10-2004, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by luisitol
damn so i guess i should stop using 93 and 94 octane for now till i get forced induction. damn but 89 gas has a smell to it i jsut dont' like

nobrainer · 02-10-2004, 06:35 PM

yeah the higher octane stuff doesnt add any power... that's the biggest performance myth ever... stick with regular and you'll be happy with your life...