Hi,
I bought a 2007 Corolla CE this week. Many opinions on gas grade. Which one I should use? medium or premium. My friend said that using premium for corolla may create problem for engine as it is designed for 87 octane level.
can anyone help me?
2007-02-06 07:14:21 · 5 answers · asked by Maya 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Car Makes ➔ Toyota
use the lowest octane without going below manufacturers recommendation. Toyota says 87 octane, stick with it.
octane is the rating of a fuel's resistance to igniting.
2007-02-06 07:20:07 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
This is a really, really loaded question and you are probably going to get lots of answers. Unfortunately there is no all encompassing answer - there are a lot of circumstances involved.
The best guideline is that you should use the octane rating specifcied by the manufacturer of the vehicle. When designing the engine, the on-board computer systems are programmed to operate most efficiently at a certain octane rating. The octane rating is also chosen specifically to reducing pinging in the engine and maintain a consistant balance between performance and fuel economy.
Today's vehicles have an on-board computer which will adjust the engine to operate with different octane ratings automatically. So putting in a tank of higher octane will not hurt the engine at all - the engine will adjust for it. However a challenge may come to play if you use an octane rating LOWER than what the manufactuer specified. While the engine will adjust, it may having a pinging noise - signifiying it needs the higher octane. This is often true for high performance engines with turbo chargers.
Probably the best octane decision maker for a Corolla owner is to use overall cost of use. Drive 4 tanks on regular fuel and track your miles used per tank. Then drive the next 4 tanks on mid-grade or premium. Did your fuel mileage increase to the point it offsets the higher fuel cost? Let your wallet be the judge. For example, years ago I owned as Saturn. On 94 octane super premium I would get an extra 100 kms per tank on the highway - very visible results. But for city driving it made no difference. Also in my Tacoma, I see no difference at all.
There is also the more subjective "seat of the pants" feel. Some people swear their car has more power. And for some cars it's true and people have dyno power tests to prove it. But in the end, that's a rating that is up to you and whether the extra cost of premium is worth it.
Hope that helps!
Pete
2007-02-06 15:34:37 · answer #2 · answered by mountainpete 2 · 0⤊ 3⤋
Maya, Here's a small problem I encountered with my 04 Camry. The knock sensor went bad on my car. It's a device that purposely keeps the spark retarded if the sensor picks up spark knock or pre-ignition as you drive up hills or pass in traffic. When the spark is automatically retarded no damage will come to your engine. However it'll cost you horsepower. Look at the spec. sheet for the 07 Camry V6 two horsepower's are listed from Toyota. One using 87 octane and the other 93. the higher octane gas is worth 10 more horsepower. When ever you can pick up free hp. the engine efficiency goes up. That alone increases mileage. You'll need to do the math to find if the extra price of the higher octane fuel pays for the higher octane gas. Spark knock or pre-ignition creates much higher uncontrolled combustion temperatures also. this is may lead to warped exhaust valves piston rings loosing tension and over heated pistons.
2007-02-07 01:02:55 · answer #3 · answered by Country Boy 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Im not sure about what your friend said is true, but i know from mechanics telling me and from experience, the higher the octane you burn in your engine the better. It actually will clean out your engine a little, give you better gas milage and more power. All cars that use regular 87 gas can take medium and premiun, However some dont work but i have yet to see one.
2007-02-06 16:21:18 · answer #4 · answered by Transporter 1 · 0⤊ 3⤋
the only thing you need to know - if you car doesnt say you need primiem gas than it will do NOTHING to help your car. if you can is rated for 87 octane (which yours is) using a higher grade WILL NOT save gas or keep your fuel system clean. the only thing that you will accomplish will be WASTING money. this is not opinion this is proven fact - check out consumer reports or howstuffworks.com
2007-02-06 17:09:09 · answer #5 · answered by noah 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋