Older Lexus Owners, what octane do you use?

Toyota Division and International Models Forums Lexus
22

AlexToyotaEnthusiast said:
87 in my LS400. It’s a shitbox but I tested a tank of 87 vs 91 back to back and didn’t see much change in MPG nor power.

That’s very real, I only ever used 87 in my junkers lol.

23

93 in my GS430.

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I have an '02 IS300 with the same engine and I always use 91-93.

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93 in a 2000 Lexus GS300.

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Premium as recommended.

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I’m running 89 and haven’t had any issues.

Also I have a GS300 and was wondering about SC430 wheels on it so thanks for doing the legwork.

28

Tim said:
I’m running 89 and haven’t had any issues.

Also I have a GS300 and was wondering about SC430 wheels on it so thanks for doing the legwork.

Lol, you’re welcome, I’m much happier with them than I thought I would be. Initially only planned to have them for an interim period but now I’m considering getting them refinished down the line and just sticking with them. They’re plug and play no modifications to install and if I’m being honest they ride much better than the stocks, albeit with the downside of a little bit more road feel.

29

Tim said:
I’m running 89 and haven’t had any issues.

Also I have a GS300 and was wondering about SC430 wheels on it so thanks for doing the legwork.

89 is half regular, half premium.

30

My LS430 recommends 91 but that’s not readily available near me. The options are 87, 89, and 93. I was using 89 for a while but now I split the tank fill-up with 89 and 93. Currently monitoring MPG differences, but power seems to have improved.

31

@Vero
Interesting.

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TundraTroopers1 said:
@Vero
Interesting.

What I find interesting in this thread:

  1. Most people say ‘premium’ rather than the recommended octane for their vehicle.
  2. The octane availability in different places.
33

@Vero
Agreed! Although I will say on my door it just says premium with no octane rating.

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TundraTroopers1 said:
@Vero
Agreed! Although I will say on my door it just says premium with no octane rating.

I think that’s kind of an issue since ‘premium’ will be different octanes depending on where you are.

I’d guess the manual will specify the actual octane the engine is tuned for though. They are smart enough to adjust as needed.

35

@Vero
Yeah definitely, and it does have 22 years of history; who knows if the sticker is the same one. It’s definitely cleaner than the rest of the finer details on the car.

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@Vero
89 is a blend of 87 and 93. So you were using some premium with 89.

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91 octane in everything. Only cars I used 87 were ES300’s, ES350, and RX350.

38

Cleo said:
91 octane in everything. Only cars I used 87 were ES300’s, ES350, and RX350.

Yep 87 here.

39

So much bad information in here. It seems that some people think it’s a matter of quality. It has nothing to do with quality. It has everything to do with lowering the flash point so it doesn’t pre-ignite on you. Pinging. Which is damaging to any engine.

If it’s required to use premium, use 91/93. That means it’s tuned for more timing. If you lower the octane while the tune in the engine expects a certain OAR, you risk the chance of detonation and losing a cylinder, especially under heavy load.

If it’s just recommended, you can use 87 with some little loss of performance and not damage the engine.

40

@Larkin
Yeah, most of the time, premium is only recommended, not required. So, like you said, 87 is fine.

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Manufacturer recommends 87 in my 2011 ES 350, so that’s what I use.

I filled it with 93 once and didn’t notice improvements in MPG or performance.