View Poll Results: Which Gas do you use?
Regular
157
49.53%
Plus
51
16.09%
Premium
109
34.38%
Voters: 317. You may not vote on this poll
Poll: Which Gas
11-06-06, 10:26 PM
#91
Driver School Candidate
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Philippines
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I use premium 93 octane. It runs smoother. After every 3 premium reload I put midgrade 90 octane. It sorta balances octane levels in between. Been doing this on all my cars for the past 10 years or so. So far no problems.
My logic here is that the car will get used to or learn regular octane fluctuations such that it will not encounter a sudden surge or drop in octane levels when you buy from different gas dealers/stations. (Depends on where you need to put on gas). They do have inconsistencies in octane ratings from where I come from.
On another note, using high octane premium gas will burn muffler holes sooner than midgrade.
_____________________________
2002 MB A160
2003 MB ML450
2001 Honda HRV
1998 Lexus RX300
My logic here is that the car will get used to or learn regular octane fluctuations such that it will not encounter a sudden surge or drop in octane levels when you buy from different gas dealers/stations. (Depends on where you need to put on gas). They do have inconsistencies in octane ratings from where I come from.
On another note, using high octane premium gas will burn muffler holes sooner than midgrade.
_____________________________
2002 MB A160
2003 MB ML450
2001 Honda HRV
1998 Lexus RX300
Last edited by Lexusprime; 11-06-06 at 11:52 PM. Reason: addition
12-05-06, 06:01 AM
#93
Super Moderator
We now have a situation in the Mexico City metro area where all gasoline stations as of December 1st have been certified to have UBA (Ulta Baja Azufre) or Ultra Low Sulfur which is from what I now understand is roughly 30 ppm (not the variation to 80 ppm) unlike 220 ppm earlier in this metro area.
At 92 Octane, I am going to see how this works out over time, as they have been experimenting with it since October 1st.
At 92 Octane, I am going to see how this works out over time, as they have been experimenting with it since October 1st.
12-05-06, 07:10 AM
#94
We now have a situation in the Mexico City metro area where all gasoline stations as of December 1st have been certified to have UBA (Ulta Baja Azufre) or Ultra Low Sulfur which is from what I now understand is roughly 30 ppm (not the variation to 80 ppm) unlike 220 ppm earlier in this metro area.
At 92 Octane, I am going to see how this works out over time, as they have been experimenting with it since October 1st.
At 92 Octane, I am going to see how this works out over time, as they have been experimenting with it since October 1st.
One thing I notice every time I visit Mexico is the sulpher smell of auto exhaust. I'm happy to see this change as I doubt the current condition is really very healthy.
Of course Mexico City is in a league of it's own with air polution
but the rest of the country needs this change too.What ever happened to that plan in Mexico City to use huge fans to create a large vortex to push the polluted air higher into the atmosphere?
I just returned from Puerto Vallarta two weeks ago. The area is bursting with construction and the traffic is growing exponentially. Sadly, one of my favorite quaint, romantic cities is quickly changing itself into another Acapulco.
12-05-06, 08:21 AM
#95
Super Moderator
Slightly off-topic.
One thing I notice every time I visit Mexico is the sulpher smell of auto exhaust. I'm happy to see this change as I doubt the current condition is really very healthy.
Of course Mexico City is in a league of it's own with air polution but the rest of the country needs this change too.
What ever happened to that plan in Mexico City to use huge fans to create a large vortex to push the polluted air higher into the atmosphere?
I just returned from Puerto Vallarta two weeks ago. The area is bursting with construction and the traffic is growing exponentially. Sadly, one of my favorite quaint, romantic cities is quickly changing itself into another Acapulco.
One thing I notice every time I visit Mexico is the sulpher smell of auto exhaust. I'm happy to see this change as I doubt the current condition is really very healthy.
Of course Mexico City is in a league of it's own with air polution
but the rest of the country needs this change too.What ever happened to that plan in Mexico City to use huge fans to create a large vortex to push the polluted air higher into the atmosphere?
I just returned from Puerto Vallarta two weeks ago. The area is bursting with construction and the traffic is growing exponentially. Sadly, one of my favorite quaint, romantic cities is quickly changing itself into another Acapulco.
I remember hearing about that plan to use the fans a long time ago, but I think that thermal inversions and cooler weather would have had little effect. I did hear about them testing air ionizers on top of buildings, but have heard nothing more.
Puerto Vallarta used to be a really nice place. I personally hate Acapulco. Very touristy and they insist on speaking to me in English, which is then when I break out in German (which I speak OK) and then they get the point that I may not be American. I also love it when they say something like how are you Americans doing, and we say something like us Canadians or English are doing just fine. Hilarious.
Want a nice city to visit, try Veracruz. I like to call it the Mexican Miami. Really nice.
Several American friends have actually left Mexico City after only a few months (often before getting their work permits) simply because they could not tolerate it. While I live on the slopes of the western mountains (where this picture was taken, downtown where I work is horrible with smog).
04-09-07, 06:01 PM
#96
Driver School Candidate
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: CA
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Gas octane is based on load and engine design. The RX is designed for 87 Octane. If however, you carry a lot of load, full car towing, up hills etc the vehicle has an automatic spark advance to avoid knock and ping. If you drive in any conditions and hear knock and ping consider a higher octane. If you want to test this find a hill and give it some pedal, if it rattles and pings but stops when you back off the gas you may want to consider a mid grade at 89 octane. If you pull a boat in Colorado you may want to consider 91 octane.
05-11-07, 12:08 PM
#97
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: TX
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What affect does altitude have on octane requirements? I ask because in Albuquerque, where I live, the altitude is over 5000 feet and all the regular gas is only at 86 octane. I thought it had something to do with the altitude. In any case, my car runs fine on that.
05-11-07, 02:29 PM
#98
Super Moderator
My altitude in Mexico city is 7,000 to 8,000 feet (my home is at the latter). We have 87 and 92 octane.
Unfortunately, the 87 octane in Mexico is #$*@ full of sulfur which can cause harm to catalytic converters in high ppm. The premium here is much better and improved, but I still think it has a way to go, but still it is much safer for me to use 92 (I already busted on precat taking the 87 octane once out in the boonies).
As you go up in altitude, your vehicle does not need the same octane rating that you would need at sea level. This is a result of less combustion/compression pressure in thinner (less oxygen) air. In Mexico City, we have 25% less oxygen than at sea level (and bad air at that).
05-13-07, 06:41 PM
#99
I do the 50-50, 87 Oct 1/2 a tank and then 93 Oct the rest of the tank...so I end up with 90 Oct. I usually get gas from a warehouse club and they do not sell mid-grade.
05-14-07, 05:54 AM
#100
Lexus Test Driver
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Wisconsin
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WOW, that seems like a lot of time to fill up. What do u think u save per year doing that compared to just using 93 octane 100% of the time? If its a $2 per fill savings & u fill once a week you only save $104 per year. Spend it for the higher octane & your vehicle will be better off, hay, its a Lexus u can afford a extra $102 per year??
05-15-07, 05:02 PM
#101
Super Moderator
If the 87 octane were clean here, I would give it a try given the altitude, you can end up spending I think the last time I checked about $10 USD more to fill up with Premium 92 octane than regular 87 octane in Mexico.
05-16-07, 12:41 PM
#103
Super Moderator
It used to be less than $10 USD, but they recently raised the price of gas to help pay for UBA (Ultra Baja Azufre) or Ultra Low Sulfur that is now in the Premium gas. It still isn't quite U.S., but it is an improvement.
05-23-08, 06:42 AM
#104
Lexus Champion
Actually, it will mess up your car.
My husband traded cars with me (an Altima for a Lexus, I obviously got the better end of the deal). He told me that I had to put at least midgrade gas in or it would not work. I didn't believe him. I put regular gas in. The first time, it worked. The second time it did not. I was pulling out of the gas station and the car turned off. I cranked it up and it went a few more feet and stalled again. I had to gun the gas to get it to go. I was terrified that something was very wrong with it. I immediately put midgrade gas in it and it worked fine. Another time I got some "bad" fuel. It was from a kind of shady gas station and once again, the car stalled and I had to put better gas in it. There's nothing wrong with the car, though. I called the dealer and they said that that is what happens if you put the wrong gas in it. It really ruins your day when your car won't go for no reason, and I'm not really sure what the long-term effects are, but it definitely WILL mess up your car if you do it long enough (or at least it did to mine).
As far as premium gas goes, I conducted a little experiment for myself. My RX300 has a digital gauge that tells you how much gas mileage your car is getting. It was stuck at 19.4 mpg when I used mid-grade, so I started using premium for a couple of months and it has shot up to 21 mpg, so it definitely does help. If you do the math it's really only about $1.50 more expensive to get premium. Therefore, for every dollar you spend using premium gas your car will go roughly 9.72 miles. For every dollar spent using midgrade gas it will go 9.70 miles. So premium is a LITTLE bit better. Very small bit. But that's enough math for today. And someone might want to check me on that, because math wasn't my best subject. That's figuring with a 15 gal tank, which isn't EXACTLY what an RX300 has, but it's pretty close.
My husband traded cars with me (an Altima for a Lexus, I obviously got the better end of the deal). He told me that I had to put at least midgrade gas in or it would not work. I didn't believe him. I put regular gas in. The first time, it worked. The second time it did not. I was pulling out of the gas station and the car turned off. I cranked it up and it went a few more feet and stalled again. I had to gun the gas to get it to go. I was terrified that something was very wrong with it. I immediately put midgrade gas in it and it worked fine. Another time I got some "bad" fuel. It was from a kind of shady gas station and once again, the car stalled and I had to put better gas in it. There's nothing wrong with the car, though. I called the dealer and they said that that is what happens if you put the wrong gas in it. It really ruins your day when your car won't go for no reason, and I'm not really sure what the long-term effects are, but it definitely WILL mess up your car if you do it long enough (or at least it did to mine).
As far as premium gas goes, I conducted a little experiment for myself. My RX300 has a digital gauge that tells you how much gas mileage your car is getting. It was stuck at 19.4 mpg when I used mid-grade, so I started using premium for a couple of months and it has shot up to 21 mpg, so it definitely does help. If you do the math it's really only about $1.50 more expensive to get premium. Therefore, for every dollar you spend using premium gas your car will go roughly 9.72 miles. For every dollar spent using midgrade gas it will go 9.70 miles. So premium is a LITTLE bit better. Very small bit. But that's enough math for today. And someone might want to check me on that, because math wasn't my best subject. That's figuring with a 15 gal tank, which isn't EXACTLY what an RX300 has, but it's pretty close.
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