What type of gas do you use?

^^^ E85 has an effective rating in the range of 100-106 octane depending on how it’s made.

 

never used anything other than regular in 36 years of driving and never once had an engine issue. maybe I'm missing something but real world experience has been good so far

 

Your not missing anything Sir. Octane rating is like individual tastes in mods, whatever suits your needs is what you ultimately end up with. How many people have we seen in here change rims and tires, or get rid of their RT Tent, or get furious when their Weather Tech rain guards fly off. It's a lot of trial and error and personal preference. There is no bible when it comes to most of this stuff. We read, learn, experiment and sort it all out. The Octane debate will rage on until E cars or whatever society tries to change in the future. 87 is quite fine for everyone out there, and there is not one thing about it that is going to harm your T4R, and the money saved affords a Steak and a Beer at the end of the week for a lot of people. I think the biggest crime that T4R owners commit is most of them never realize how good these trucks are off road. Wheel on people!! Just don't use Diesel he he, unless it's an LC import.

 

To me, that's some pretty cool tech. I've been used to cars that had to be custom tuned in order to advance the timing.

I knew a lot of guys running alcohol-injection at the strip before "E85" ever became a thing. Lol.

And I'd argue to say that anyone who buys a 4Runner isn't worried about MPG either.

 

For the first year of ownership, I stuck to 87 octane ethanol free gas or shell 93 if no ethanol free was available. I figured getting the engine broken in on ethanol free would help in longevity since it has to last me at least 30 years. Now I just run 87 octane regular, no noticeable difference in gas mileage or performance. I average about 18.5 mpg. The tacoma I had was more sensitive and ran better with better mpg on ethanol free gas. Since the runner doesn’t seem to care what I put in it, I just save a few bucks.

 

So here’s what my owners manual says on my 19 TRD PRO. I’m not sure about anyone else but I take this as, user higher grade than 87 because it was tested with 91 from the factory.. so I’ll continue to use 91+

 

@ExJeeper , see the post quoted above yours. I don't know the science behind it, but it sort of explains the meaning behind "research octane number 91"

 

87 regular in my 2020 and I am getting 20-22mpg.
bridgestone H/T street tires inflated to 36psi.
I figure those reasons alone account for my better than average fuel economy.
I am happy happy!

 

Can you please tell how TF you rigged that tent like that?

 

Regular. But I go to gas stations that have cleaning additives like Chevron.

 

Been running 89, I'll try 87 on our next road trip, see if there is any change to performance. I'm pulling a 4000# camper trailer with a rig that's kitted with underarmour, sliders, lifted, 285's, winch, roof rack, ladder, recovery gear .... a 2013 that has 133,000 miles on her. I've had her just for 4000 of those 130,000 miles. Not in the hunt for better mpg's, just want to preserve what I paid (dearly) for.

 

Regular 87, like others have stated you don't "NEED" to run 91 or higher(here in pa its 93). BUT you can...

 

With 285's and towing that big trailer, a regear might be a very good idea. It must be brutal on your fuel economy.

 

Got the regear, averaged 12 mpg coming home from KC. With cruise on and my lead foot I was bucking 3800 -4200 rpm's @ 75 mph, she's always on the hunt for the right gear - gonna back off to 65 mph on the flat, (on interstate) and try S4 when pulling a hill. Need to slow down so I'm not in hammer mode. Been a bit of a learning curve on rpm's and how to pull a trailer with a 6 cylinder, ( got the goods to tow safely- air bags and sway bar) problem is me not the rig, she tows like a champ.

 

What gears did you go with?

With stock gears, you'd want to be in S4 all the time. When I tow, I leave it in S4, and sometimes bump it into S5 going downhill, or in a flat area.

Also, good call slowing down. They recommend 65 maximum.

 

Spec sheet (for resale) is "ECGS 4:56 complete re-gear. This hasn't been verified yet... will confirm next shop visit in the fall when she's in for service.

Clueless talking re-gear, don't want to waste your time. Do understanding slapping a gear or two and slowing down. Thanks for the S4 and S5 tip.

 

^^thats one of the disadvantages of 4.56 on 285s. I was thinking about regear when I first put my 285s on(I had 4.88s in my tacoma) but after I got on the highway and at 80mph its at a great rpm, I decided to hold off until I get larger tire or they come out with 430 gears.

 

Yeah, with 285's it's fine. But, if you're going to tow a travel trailer, it's probably a whole different story.

I run 295/70/17's in the summer, and even that is OK on stock gears. But, if I towed regularly, a regear would be much more appealing.

 

I'm impressed, an octane thread has covered oil change intervals and oversized tires. A real hat trick.

 

High test. Installing a new gas station a few miles away. I only like specific stations in particular. But prob just go up the street for convenience.

 

And towing! All of the best threads go off topic.

 

I hit up Costco for 87 between a quarter and half tank left

 

I started running regular.

 

Well we run on Gramma Brown's Beans here in Utah....

 

Exactly!!!! That guy has no idea what he's talking about.

 

Using a higher octane gasoline than recommended is a waste of money and here is why. Octane rating refers to the amount of compression needed to ignite the gasoline. Cars needing higher octaine have high compression ignition ratings. The 4 Runner has a low compression ignition rating so adding a higher octane will cause premature ignition with potential engine damage over a long period of time. Watch Scotty Kilmer on YouTube. He has one episode talking about this subject. He is a well respected mechanic over decades and knows what he is saying.

 

The Dual VVT-I 1GR has 10.4:1 compression.

Actually, running too low of octane will cause detonation. But, the knock sensor and the ECU adjust the timing to fix this.

Scotty is a YouTube personality. I've seen enough YouTube videos to know better than to trust everyone who has a channel.

 

Scotty has over 5 million subscribers and one of the most viewed channels on Youtube. I've been following him for years and have never found any information to be false. I trust him. I will stick to what I know as using a higher octane gasoline than recommened is a waste without any improvments in engine performance.

 

I generally agree, but some folks claim to experience a slight improvement with mid-grade. I would expect that to be heavily dependent on environmental factors and driving style.

If Scotty is saying that higher octane will cause detonation, he is wrong. And, having a lot of subscribers only proves that he is entertaining, not that he is knowledgeable.

 

No.