Nope.....not crazy. What (higher) octane does is allow higher compression ratios and more spark advance without detonation......THAT produces more horsepower, IF the engine was designed for use with the higher octane. Otherwise, the higher octane is wasted.

All that being said, we have knock sensors and an ECU which can adjust timing advance so rapidly that we should never hear the slightest trace of knock, even at WOT. What we also won't have is full power from the engine but that's the whole point of having more computer power runnning our engines than took man to the moon in 1969. A little less power available is a better thing than grenading a motor. (We also as a result get engines with higher specific output than almost anything from the muscle car days, without lumpy idles or surges, and that are so low in emissions output that they can be used as air purifiers in some cities.)

But bitkahuna's point is the most pertinent. If $100/year is a real concern for the owner of ANY Lexus, then they own the wrong car.

But haven't we done this octane/cost thing to death??

 

 

for those that think not using premium is ok, do you also think gas station coffee is as good as StarBucks?

 

can someone explain the pinging and knocking. I had to put 87 today b/c they ran out of premium. i couldnt go find another gas station cuz i was already running dry.

 

Read this link guys http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question90.htm/printable.

I don't think the guy who wrote the article know any thing about octane.

 

NO way, not EVER, never will again I put 87 in my baby (Sooo sorry Blue)

During the Pre-Iraq War, in Philly, Premium gas went up to nearly $2.00/gal, so I got a "brite idea" to put 87 in my GS, it was just a temporary thing to do until the gas price drop. Boy, was I sorry for putting that crap in my car. After running it off 1/2 tank, I couldn't stand the nocking, pinning coming from the engineen bay, couldn't stand the lost of accelaration, and fear of destroy everything I've been trying to care for my car. I stopped @ the nearest gas station and fill up my baby with 93, and a bottle of fuel-injection cleaner.

Bitkahuna: LMFAO, "gas station coffee and StarBucks!" Remember we drink Wawa coffee here in Philly (Wawa is an equil. of 7/11)

Jtanoyo1: Here we engineers call it GIGO = "Garbage In, Garbage Out" , damn computer bugs

 

Oh yeah, I remember Wawa - doesn't matter which convenience store or gas station, coffee in those places is some NAAAASTY stuff. Probably good for cleaning brakes though.

 

alright, reading it confused me even more. what should i be expected or hearing. from the car?

 

My grandmom used to say (may she rests in peace!) :

"If it goes inside your body, doesn't matter how much it costs" (speaking of foods when someone complains about how expensive the cheese/cold-cut is @ the supermarket)

You want your car running smoothly, no knocking, no pinning, no roughness then put that Premium stuff in the tank, anything else WILL give you the exact opposit of all the "NO's" above.

 

The article makes sense to me Why is his explanation not right? What am I missing?

 

I respectfully beg to differ. That article is a fairly good, simple, and concise explanation of octane, though he doesn't go into MON or RON numbers.

 

bad analogy, starbucks is just as terrible as 7-11

 

I'm not saying Starbucks is the best coffee out there, but I completely disagree with your comment.

Somehow Starbucks is still opening 80 locations a month.

 

And I have watched 4 7-11's around here close.

 

Sorry for the misunderstanding. I re-read my post, and boy I was wrong. I was refering to Clark Howard; who wrote the article which stated that "Premium cars don't need premium gas"; as the person who not knowing what he was talking about. I was not refering to the article I provided with the hyperlink. It was my mistake in expressing my view in English, as you might have already aware from my writing.

Hung