I can tell you the engineers have plenty of evidence after a tear down the running premium over lifetime of car maters. Also your knock value will show u first hand the immediate reason you should run premium fuel.
@jasonstaub3045 first Jason, this isn't 1971 when I am having to retard the timing on my 440 Magnum because I can't get Av Gas. The computer on or Lexus will adjust the timing and has done that just fine for hundreds of thousands of miles. For the most part, not always, but for the most part the public has been told two big lies. You have to run premium fuel, and you need to change your oil every 3 to 5 thousands miles. By running regular in just one of my GX460'S I have saved about 15,000.00. I have plugs, two coil packs, a radiator, pads and rotors. It has never been back to Lexus. Now you can day that is an anomaly but I have done the exact same thing with a 2008 425HP Challenger, a 2002 F350 with a 7.3, a 97 F350 with a 7.3, a 2015 Lexus GX460, A 2010 Lexus GX 460, a 2000 4Runner, a 1999 4Runner, a 2008 F350 with a 5.4, a 72 FJ40 with a small block and a 98 Civic. With the exception of the 02 F350 none of those have ever been in the shop and none of the gas engines have ever had the oil changed sooner than 15,000. The Powerstrokes get it at 8000 but we pull with those. What we do is almost always allow several minutes warm up and several minutes cool down and we don't accelerate hard. Pretty simple.
@thepitpatrol - That's great to know because I just purchased a 2016 GX 460 (with 77,000 miles on it). The dealer (of course) said I must use premium, but I'm hearing different stories from different people. I just want to take good care of my new ride! I don't want to get this wrong!
My 2023 Gx460 Luxury runs and the throttle response better with premium gas. The same goes for my 2019 Acura RDX A-Spec. The acceleration is more responsive. I’ll stick with premium gas since it has better cleaning additives. If I can afford a $70K+ vehicle why cheap out on gas.
Thats true of most modern engines. They all can adjust timing to take advantage of higher octane fuels. That does not mean that you need to run premium though.
I have a 2011 Lexus RX 350 with a 6 cylinder engine that Lexus says requires 91 octane or higher unleaded gasoline. I bought it used with a little over 90,000 miles on it and the guy I bought it from said he always put 87 octane regular in it and never had an issue. In my area, the gasoline choices just about everywhere are 87, 89 and 93 octane, and it's typically $.40/gallon more for the 89 octane versus the 87, and another $.40 a gallon for the 93. So for a 15 gallon fillup it's an extra $12/tank. I was prepared to pay for it but didn't want to throw away money for no benefit. Shortly after buying the vehicle, I put a trailer hitch on it and took a long trip cross country and up into Canadian Rockies pulling a teardrop trailer that weighs about 900 pounds. Over the course of 3+ days, I drove from North Carolina to Glacier National Park in Montana near the Canadian border, over 2000 miles. Along the way I would fill up twice in a row with different grades of gasoline to see if there was a difference in performance or gas mileage. I ran 87, 89, 91 (which was available in the midwest) and 93 octane. There was no difference. Basically the same gas mileage and road conditions didn't vary much because it was interstate through pretty flat terrain most of the way. There was also no difference in performance, even pulling a trailer. The car never hesitated or sputtered when I was accelerating into traffic or going up a hill. That experiment satisfied me that I could run the vehicle on 87 octane gasoline and I've done so for over 3 years since without an issue. I've never even had the car tuned up in the time I've owned it. The only maintenance I've had done is routine scheduled maintenance like oil and filter changes, brake service and maybe transmission fluid, so it doesn't appear using regular unleaded caused any longer term problems. I suspect Lexus engineers are just being very conservative with their recommendations to use premium fuel in some of their engines and vehicles.
I have ran 87 octane on my GX470 and LX570, both of which Lexus calls for premium gasoline, for over a decade. To be exact, 16 years on the GX (+2 years on premium gasoline since I thought VVTi 2UZ would benefit from higher octane - it doesn't) and 10 years on the LX. Combined miles on both is over 415k. I tow with both a couple of times a year as well as off-road throughout the year. No difference in using premium vs regular, gas mileage over long term (decade plus) is pretty much 16-17mpg highway. Routine maintenance, no engine work or sludge. I do my own maintenance after warranty expired on both vehicle. Both have A/T tires (32" on the GX and 33" on the LX), aftermarket 2.5" coilovers on the GX with no lift (because I want to retain my downtravel and not look like a bro truck), rear spring conversion, low profile roof-rack, and OEM hydraulic suspension on the LX (working on AHC is way easier than KDSS IMHO). Premium gasoline on the LX suppose to bump power up by 2 HP and 2 ft-lb torque... You can't feel it. You are better off using the money spent on premium fuel to supercharge either the 2UZ or 3UR. The only vehicle I run premium is my supercharged 4Runner since it will lean out/ping at the higher rpm if I run regular. Some folks say the ECU tuning is different on the Lexus vs the Toyota using the same engine... It could be or the timing is automatically adjusted when regular octane fuel is used. SUBJECTIVELY, all I can say is that regular octane fuel will work and will not cause issues with the drivetrain. If you want to put premium fuel according to Lexus brochure, then go ahead and have a peace of mind. If you want to put regular octane fuel in your GX470/GX460, LX470/LX570, then go ahead. It will be fine regardless whether the fuel is regular, mid grade, or premium.
I put 215k on my Landcriser and currently have a 2000 LX 470 with 250k miles on it. Always used 87 and never had any issues with either. As you know those are all time 4x4 like GX. Also had a LS 430 and put 87 in it, but got rid of it at 180k based on it being the ultra and the shocks had to be replaced at a cost that did t make sense for that age car. Never skipped a beat with 87. Currently have a 2022 Tundra. Calls for 87, while I believe the LX 600 calls for premium, but specs show slightly higher HP and torque. Not sure why it requires premium other than to achieve slightly higher numbers. Have a 2023 GX and have put 87 in it, but only have 6,500 miles on it.
In theory, higher octane fuel means more resistant to detonate at compression cycle thus giving the engine the ability to produce more hp/torque. All Toyota/lexus did is to calibrate the ecm for higher octane. so if you use lower octane, the ecm is smart enough to retard the timing to prevent knock. the only negative is that you don't get the advertise hp/tq and you will loose power. The only time using lower octane will hurt your engine is when you keep switching from lower octane to higher octane etc.. So whatever you choose, just stick with it. Also higher octane does burn cleaner, this making it fuel efficient but not that much. So if you don't mind loosing some power, then lower octane is fine. Just don't switch back and forth
Pulling timing does not remedy pre-ignition caused by low octane fuel. Pre-ignition/Detonation is the fuel combusting prematurely in the compression stroke prior to the ignition spark. Hence, pulling timing does nothing since the fuel is combusting without the need of an ignition source. Also, higher octane fuel does not equate to more hp/torque. Lean next to detonation is when motors produce the most hp/torque. Putting 101 octane fuel in a GX will not gain hp/torque but running the lowest octane without the fuel pre-igniting will give you the highest hp/torque.
@@Goofball310 So you're more knowledgeable than the mechanics who build all these high octane vehicles? They all say to use higher octane if you want the vehicle to run at it's best
It’s interesting to read comments on other you tubes about this issue. Some fuel truck drivers say it is a common practice to show up at a gas station with a load of regular, fill up the regular tank, and then be told to pump the extra in the premium tank.
I have enjoyed your videos so far keep up the good work and I don’t know where you live, but I wished I live there so I could have more fun driving off road to
Always figured it was due to lexus wanting to maintain low vibrations and stave off any kind of detonation for longevity - The lexus feel that theyve lost with the newer DI engines that sound broken brand new. im sure regular fuel is fine, but Im getting to old to mess around and tend to go with the manufacturer recommendation at this point.
Since we bought ours, I have tried 87, 89 and 93. And the best MPG goes to 93, 17.4 to 17.8 average all day in the city. In Hwy up to 21.6 when you drive for a while. I keep it at 70 mph or under as much as possible to achieve this. For us 93 is the way to go, it makes sense.
The btu of energy in 87 octane is the same as 93 octane. The difference you noticed is mpg will be due to other factors such as traffic and fuel quality. Put either fuel in your car and drive on the highway with cruise control for 5 miles. Then do the same with the opposite fuel on the same stretch of highway. Your MPG will be the identical.
I truly appreciate your videos. Well presented and thought out without any of that wacky music in the background that you might hear in other CZcams vids.
Higher octane fuel does keep combustion temperatures slightly lower as well. That may be a bonus here in Arizona especially when driving a loaded up Overlander up into the Mtns. To me it would be worth it to run the premium if anything for peace of mind. I also tend to keep my vehicles for long periods of time.
Always run 87 in my 2007 gx470 except in high elevations. Absolutely makes a difference up there, when running the lower octane fuel basically remaps your engine to make less power. Also takes more than one tank of gas to adapt to different octanes unless you are disconnecting the battery and restarting your fuel map from scratch. Amazing vehicles these things are and I will never drive anything else. Similar results with my 05 Sequoia with the same drivetrain but twice as many miles.
It does not take that long at all. It probably takes 30 minutes. You can track it yourself by watching a PID called Knock Correction Learned Value(KCLV) with an OBD bluetooth adapter. Its not remapping anything. KCLV globally adjusts the base timing tables to match the octane and conditions you are driving in. Its constantly adjusting even within the same tank of fuel. At high elevations you actually might want to consider running lower octane since the engine is running at lower cylinder pressures.
I used for 87 for the last 10k miles and recently tried 91. It “feels” better but could be placebo. Good point about the same engine in tundra and earlier 2nd gen sequoia- they use the same engine, meaning they all have a 10.3-1 compression ratio. This is still considered low compression and unlikely to predetonate gas. I would argue that if the requirement for 91 is because of higher load, then what about people towing with tundras. Surely towing a heavy load is more taxing in the power/drive train than an empty gx. My theory is that although mechanical they are the same, the gx has a 91 tune. Some people on mud and cl have recorded timing changes in ecu and confirmed that the engine does adjust accordingly.
This is called “knock correct learn value”. It’s read is degrees of camshaft advancement. Higher quality (and correct octane) will allow more timing advancement, thus increasing (or rather, allowing) peak power.
@@pennmikael The value is there regardless- it’s one of many inputs. But to answer your question, no. Using 87 octane will not cause damage to your engine. There are many sensors readily able to compensate for the slight pre ignition that 87 vs 93 will cause. HOWEVER, the vehicle will run better on 93. For most people this is felt largely in the responsiveness of shifts. I’ve owned 9 Lexus’s and personally, I’ve used 87 in all of them (including 3 Turbo’d NX’s).
My 2018 tacomas owners manual wanted 88 octane or higher... I did a little digging and it said it was for the engine knocking. I use my truck for work in west Texas and can confirm on a hard use day if I have been running regular fuel for a while that it will eventually knock on occasion. That being said if I only use it occasionally then that issue never happens. As a result I use higher octane fuel 99% of the time, but if I'm in a pinch and need to save a buck or two then the regular fuel was fine as long as it wasn't in successive fuel ups
I have a 2015 GX460 I bought new. Have always run 87 octane. At 105K miles now and never heard any knock or had mechanical issues. The awd drivetrain is an interesting theory for the premium requirement over Toyota's with the 4.6 that don't require it. But I would argue that the tundra and sequoia have higher gross weight ratings and are bigger vehicles that would encounter just as much potential strain. Since the compression ratios are identical I rolled the dice and decided to run 87 in mine and have never looked back. Shot in the dark as I'm not an engineer but I figured it was a Lexus tune to make the engine feel more refined/smooth. I think the ECU is fully capable making the engine happy on 87 as the compression ratio is nothing crazy.
Hook up a scanner. Push the engine hard watch the timing retard and knock value. There is the evidence for a knocking or pinging engine. Run super and compare. U will see thru data the reason for super.
I had a gx 470 for nearly 8 years with over 230k miles on her.. I use to run a combination of both regular and premium..at the end of the week I’d fill up with regular.. and after driving about 15-20 miles on the weekend, I’d top off on Sunday night with Premium.. Now I just purchased a 2018 gx 460.. but I’m scared to use regular as I plan on keeping her for a very very long time..
I've frequently asked myself this but always came to the question, does saving $10-12 on a tank of gas actually matter? I get that people want to save money where they can but if you're pinching pennies that tightly then I'd question why you would purchase a vehicle with this low of fuel efficiency in the first place. It's a gas chugging, port injected V8 in a luxury offroader with permanent 4WD. The whole appeal with the GX is it's capability, quality, durability, and reliability... so why jeopardize that by not following manufacturer specs? If the manufacturer says that I've got to add the blood of children to keep it running, guess what, she's not gonna go thirsty.
Very well said yea you can cheap out on something’s to save a few dollars here and there like store brand Paper plates, and stuff like that but anything that can cause issues down the line
I owned a 2012 Toyota Sequoia SR5 4WD with the 4.6L engine for ten years since new. For 6 months of every year it was in 4Hi (same as the GX460) and the other 6 months it was in 2WD. Used 87 Octane fuel for its entire life, including towing my surfboat (6500lbs) regularly, in a heavier vehicle, with much beefier drivetrain, and the engine made 310hp/327ftlbs of torque. In the GX460, which weighs almost 1000lbs less than my 2012 Sequoia, has lighter duty drivetrain, and tows 600lbs less, that engine only makes 301hp and slightly more torque (329ftlbs). My guess is that 87 octane will be just fine, just don't keep switching back and forth.
The 4.6L Sequoia 4WD drivetrain is the same as the GX460. Both have the same engine (1UR-FE) and same transmission (A760F), with the GX460 being much lighter. If you have gotten the 5.7L Sequoia 4WD, then you would have gotten the beefier AB60F transmission...
You make total sense. I will use 91 octane for my newly purchased Gx 460. Why not trust the Lexus engineers? And again, you are so insightful! The high compression due to the all wheel drive demands for the higher octane to reduce knocking. What a genius!
I've had my gx460 for 2 months now, I have used only and I mean only 93 octane. In doing such my fuel economy is a solid 340 mpg everytime I fill up. Also, being a former 2014 FJ Cruiser owner and only getting 230 mpg with 81 octane. The difference is enough for me to be very happy regardless of price.
I'm on the same boat. I had an FJ and sold it to buy a GX. The FJ loved Chevron regular. Yes there's a noticable difference between Chevron, Shell and Exxon or other top tier fuels. My GX is particular to Shell premium over Chevron and Mobile 1 full synthetic oil over Castrol full synthetic. I'll stick to Shell premium as well regardless of the price and always use top tier fuels over discount fuel. Hopefully it will save my catalytic converter and engine from carbon build up in the long run.
The full-time 4WD theory is interesting. I am not nearly well-versed enough to know engines, but I do know my 08 4Runner Sport V8 had full-time 4WD. Is the V8 in that model the same as any of the 2010’s GX’s engines? I’m looking at buying a 201X GX but wondering if it’s possible to find one with the same engine. My 4Runner was at 289xxx when I sold it in 2021 due to a slipping transmission. I miss it every day!!
I watched this video and have always used top tier premium in my GX. Shell premium in particular. Then I thought about one small detail..... The Toyota 4 runner limited has the option to come equipped with full time 4x4/ all wheel drive with the same 4.6L and doesn't require premium. So that fact just added to the argument. Perhaps the ecm is programmed differently but I doubt it.
91/93 in boosted vehicles or ones with a high compression ratio. 87 for normal N/A engines with a "low" compression ratio. As another said, when the engine is under high load in in altitude, 91/93 might be required to prevent predetonation in not normal air density (ie. high altitude).
When Lexus tops off your fuel tank, they use 87. Edit/update: I picked up my ‘23 GX Nov. 3 ,2022, salesperson told me that I can run 87 (he’s had 4 GX’s) I’ve been able to average 18.5 hwy and 17.4 city on 87 (granny driving)
Does Lexus require high octane in all their vehicles? If they don't then I'd say that had a reason to require it in the GX 460 other than just adding to the premium branding.
We have a 2005 Lexus LS430 which is basically the same engine as the GX. The LS430 also specifies high test fuel. We have owned it since 2007 and have accumulated 130k miles using mostly regular fuel without any noticeable difference. I once in a while fill up premium but quite frankly I can’t tell the difference, but then again I am not going 130mph on the freeways, nor gun it often.
ls430 engine is not the same engine or even generation of engine as the GX, it still has a timing belt. 4.6 and 5.7L engines are newer generation engines, and Lexus LS version of 4.6 is different and higher compression (than truck engine) with direct and port injection.
Folks …if the smart engineers of Lexus built this remarkable machine and request that we use premium, then so be it ! I think they know this vehicle better than we will ever know. It’s just like you seeing a sign that says “we recommend that you drink bottled water over tap water… in the long run bottled water will be better ya 😊
I tend to be in the higher octane camp since that is what Toyota recommends. I have ran the cheap gas through on occasion with no noticable difference. I need to check mileage, on my 2006 Range Rover I got enough better gas mileage on premium that it was worth using premium. I was thinking with your logic that if you are just running about town in moderate weather that the cheap stuff would be fine but if putting the engine under strain like high temps, off-roading, towing etc it might be wise to use premium.
Alright did some digging in the Australian market. Dug out the manual for their Toyota 200 series Land Cruiser using the 4.6L. the owners manual still said to use premium 91 octane. So do what you will with this info but it sounds like the 1UR-FE is a prima donna when it comes to her fuel requirements…
I just purchased a 2019 GX460 with 52K miles on it and have watched this (& other) videos about the necessity to use premium vs regular gas. I still am unsure what to do! I have no clue what the prior owner used for gas, and I’d love to just use 87 because why waste that money if it truly doesn’t matter. Just checking in to see if you’ve made any progress on a definitive answer. Any help would be much appreciated! Love your videos, so much great info, and in the comments as well! Thank you!
Hey, on a diff topic I wanted to ask you if you think protecting the undercarriage from rust is necessary? I saw in one of your vids that you already have some rust going on. I plan to keep my '22 GX long term. Do they need a undercarriage sealant or nah? I know you're in the desert but some of us like myself live in the north east. Thanks!
we don't have any rust at all... even if you tried out here you can't get metal to rust lol... our 95 camry with 300k on it had zero rust 😆.. question, what part of the USA are you in?
Get fluid film sprayed by local place. Then touch up yearly Doesnt cost much othwrwise it will gwt alot surface rust im also in ne with a used 10yr old gx with surface rust. So cleaned it and spraying it
For casual driving, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with using regular gas. As long as you’re not pushing the performance to the limit, it will do just fine.
The fuel requirement has always come down to one thing and that is the compression ratio’s inside of the engine block. In the case of the Lexus version, the compression ratios are higher requiring amor premium fuel. The same thing applies in the 5.7 L V8 that’s in the land cruiser and in the Lexus even though it’s the same motor that’s in the Sequoia in the tundra.
@@davidryder3374Isn't it interesting that the Land Cruiser 5.7L V8 and even the 4.7L V8 require unleaded while the Lexus versions of both vehicles and both engines require premium. Weird.
If it’s under warranty and you use the wrong octane and have a problem and they test it then you will have a problem. I bet they will just like Mercedes want higher octane to run in there cars
Does anyone have experience with running 87 octane vs 93 octane in other Lexus/Toyota engines like the 2gr-fks v6 in the is350 or heck even the 5.0 in the is500?
Run 87 octane and I get 15 Mpg in town, 93 octane and I average 16.5"ish" the same route everyday. "Seems a little more powerful" on 93 So I started "Mixing" 50/50 again around 15 MPG. Aprox. 60% premium 40% regular and I'm back to 16.5 plus. These numbers are average for a full tank. I run the "miles remaining" down to 20 miles to empty then add 12 of premium. Reset the pump and finish filling with regular. Usually around 9 gallons. This combination tends to be Cheaper than buying 91, milage back up and I get to pretend I'm back in the Chem Lab If any one else has tried this I would like to see other folks numbers. I think it would be impossible for the car to notice the difference, but it seems to. I also think it is due to the "Tune" and would love to know how the engine measures the difference, I do not think it is pinging.
I have a 2015 GX and had an LX with 245,000 miles. My mechanic said as long as there is no knocking because of low octane it was not necessary to run premium fuel.
Not here...2013. I have used premium once or twice. No noticeable difference. Perhaps a slight increase in gas mileage on the hwy. Now my 2010 Tundra...same powertrain needed at least 89 in the winter and 93 during the summer or it would "ping". My 03 Tundra needed 93 ALL the time. Weird huh.
Over the life of the car the savings between regular and premium won't pay for much more than new spark plugs and an oil change or maybe a set of tires by a Lexus dealer
I just picked up my 2023 Gx in May and I am in total agreement with what your saying. Where I live 91 octane is 36-40 cents more than regular and 93 is about 80 cents more. If your looking for longevity with your vehicle, I don’t think it’s worth the risk. On top of this if you’re buying new, you risk the chance of null & voiding your warranties. Another point to those that say regular is fine, where you live might be a factor such as altitudes. As for myself, it’s nothing less than 91.
I have a 2007 gx and I put premium the only difference in money per is little. The reliability durability and quality 👌 comes first not gas savings. I purchased mine for those reasons not to save gas.
245K on the odo of original miles on my '06 GX470 and NOTHING but regular 86/87. Yes pinging used to be an issue before MAF and automatic retard/advanced of timing based on oxygen/air density. This is even better as a function of living at altitude. I live in Santa Fe, NM at 7300' elevation. There is absolutely NO reason to run premium at altitude. But if it makes you feel good to pay the extra at the pump, go for it. Placebo is an amazing thing!
I always wondered why someone hasn't ever retuned so that i can safely use 87 without relying on the knock sensor as most say to correct for it. People retune even basic cars like buick/pontiacs 3800s, people spend about $200 to have it retuned to eliminate emissions light when removing the EGR etc... Just wondering why with such a large market for GX that people have not done this or i would think it's possible.
It is not the only car in our area we have landcruiser with same engine coming with 5.7 3ur-fe and 4.6 liter 1ur-fe which mention regular recomended RON 91 while with 1Gr-fe same engine in 4Runner mention premium RON 95 recommended so what to say at the end 😂 I think for me better to use what is written in the manual better for longevity of the engine however new engine have some technology that allow use of lower quality fuel for temporary use but for optimal performance use what is recommended as written in most Toyota v6,V8 engines cars
What about Lexus LS 460? It comes with both the rear wheel drive and all wheel drive, but both require premium, so your theory about all wheel drive does not work in this application? Does it?
My 2012 GX460 currently has 180k on it and I've purchased it with 150k. I've just started putting in 87 octane the last four fill up and cannot tell a difference between 87 and 91. Gas mileage is similar. Also my owner's manual says it's ok to use 87 when 91 isn't available but to use 91 on next fill up. I think it's mostly marketing by Toyota to make the Lexus brand look premium by using 91 octane. Even the new GX550 wants premium fuel but makes less power than the new Tundra and yet the Tundra is calling for 87 octane and they both have the new V6 turbo engine. Lol.
Just put Super in it!! 93 octane!! If you want the best performance with maintenance free just spend the extra couple dollars!! Well worth it in the long run!!👍🏼🇺🇸
You CAN use regular gas, however, the manual says that you can only do that when 91 is not available, and to switch back to 91 as soon as possible. If you use 87 fuel the computer will compensate and begin to retard your timing, so that you will not experience engine destroying detonation. With the engine timing retarded, you will now experience a loss of power. Causing you to step on the gas a bit more to get the expected performance. Therefore, increasing your fuel consumption. Using 87 fuel has also shown to cause oxygen sensor and/or catalytic converter issues. If you don't believe me, run 3 tankful's of 87 fuel, logging your fuel economy and resetting your computer every tank, and then run 3 tankful's of 91 fuel, logging your fuel consumption, while driving similarly and resetting your computer at each tank refill. You will most likely find, that the difference in increased fuel milage will 'almost' pay for the increased price of the 91 fuel. Just my experience, yours may vary. Your engine will thank you for it.
4Runner limited is full time all wheel drive and it has a smaller less powerful engine and runs on regular gas. My guess is that 91 octane may get a little bit better gas mileage and more horsepower. In other words marketing.
Premium is recommended because the GX can have higher peak load when towing its max rating. If you don’t load very heavily or use full throttle, you’ll never see the advantage of higher octane.
The technical answer to it is, the engine on the GX460 is tunned different compared to the one on Toyota models, HP is higher so is the torque, that’s the reasons why it needs higher octane, same thing with RX350 b6 vs Toyota Highlander v6, they are tunned different and therefor require different fuels.
I use both 87 and 91 on my Odyssey. The differences I notice the most... If I need to accelerate (lightly to moderate) to pass a car or speed up, I notice on the 87, the transmission will quickly downshift to a help with acceleration. The 91 will stay in the same gear (it will not downshift) and accelerate. No measurement on how fast I get to my desired speed but I notice the shifting more often on the 87. Last is gas mileage. On the 87, I can get between 18-20 when I fill up. On the 91, consistently get 20. I like the drive to and from work with the 91 because I don't notice the engine as much as I would with 87.
Toyota makes a 4 Runner Limited with the V6 engine that has a permanent 4 wheel drive system or All wheel drive all the time. They only require unleaded gas.. so lower power engine doing the same duty but with less octane gas required.. Contradicts your reasoning perhaps why the V8 needs Premium.
@@LexusGX460-OFF-ROAD it is but I would love to know if there was any objective information on this. @AutomotivePress was an engineer at Lexus, wonder if he could weigh in on the discussion?
@@steveadp Thank you for subscribing.. so far no objective data on this... just theory, user anecdotes, and what lexus said to put in it.. so for now it's a mystery until somebody hooks it up to a scantool and collects the data
I typically run premium. When prices get silly, I'll do a mix between 87 and 91, switching every other fill. On the third fill or just before a longer trip, I'll fill with premium.
Just pick one and run with it. You don't want to frequently be causing detonation and forcing the ECM to relearn the timing by detecting the detonation in the motor by triggering detonations more frequently than needed when going from premium to regular. You can also get octane booster fairly cheap if your gas stations gouge on the premium gas. It's less than $8 to treat a 20gal of regular and turn it into premium using something like Mag1 octane booster, for example.
@@LexusGX460-OFF-ROAD in a few places we have 98 and 102 on tap. I remember when I moved to California I was like where is the high octane lol. Had to sneak into airport and get avgas as a additive. Hahahhaaha
@@totalglitch Great question! Why don't we get to have the good stuff??? I'm sure you've seen the low octane stuff when traveling too... like 84 octane and stuff like that 😆
I didn’t always listen to the Toyota dealers’ why because for example they want me to change my engine oil every 10’000 miles so fuck them. So I think it’s the same with the gas on the Lexus.
Agree and came to the same conclusion. I often run 89 octane (mid grade) with 6 oz of octane booster as well as 6 oz of Lucas injector cleaner/upper cylinder lubricant. Runs like a champ.
@@LexusGX460-OFF-ROAD yes, damage could occur if owners consistently use 87 or 89 octane over long periods of time and over long mileage intervals. It could potentially cause unneeded stress on components of the engine such as fuel injectors, excess carbon buildup, regard the timing, cause the EGR to fail prematurely, and could result in more maintenance down the line. With said, my GX owners manual calls for 91 octane or better, so when In doubt, use 91 octane or greater. However in Texas we have 93 octane. So is 93 octane excessive for a vehicle that calls for 91 octane at minimum? Certainly can’t hurt by going above the manufacturers recommend octane level but when fuel gets expensive, owners may explore alternatives cost cutting measures. Then Most important maintenance item to ensure the long health of the engine is to keep the engine oil changes consistent and frequent. I don’t wait until 10k miles to change mine. Because I plan on keeping my 2015 GX for at least 250,000+ miles, I change the oil with 100% synthetic oil every 7500 miles or every 12 months which ever comes first. I do all maintenance myself, so for ~$50, it’s the best maintenance item I can perform to keep the engine running strong. I Add a complete fuel system cleaner and injector cleaner such as BG 44k every oil change. I also remove and clean the throttle body and EGR valve every 30k. This Keeps the RPMs at idle silky smooth. GX’s we’re meant the last if taken care of properly.
@@LexusGX460-OFF-ROAD My believing is that the vehicle is tuned differently when 91 octane is required, so it is more efficient to run on 91 octane. My believing could be truth or myth 😂 Regardless, I was able to get 50 kms per tank better mileage on 91 vs. 87. Dollar vs. Dollar comparison between 87 and 91 were the same. I paid out of pocket more with 91 octane but got better mileage. Another thing that made a slight difference on gas mileage was using Mobil 1 synthetic oil vs no name synthetic oil. Mobil 1 ran quieter and slightly better mileage but not ground breaking difference.
Hey Dude, love the reasoned and open minded approach to this question. On a side note, I wish more people would take that approach to so many things and see there are usually two sides to most things. So a follow up q; I'm considering getting a very low mie 2010 GX 460. Two quick q; do you or maybe others think doing 93 and then 87 every other fill up would be OK? Also, for all those who already own one of these cars, any things to be on the lookout for or to ask the dealer about? Thanks again for your insight!! Appreciate. Love CA! Visited with the fam in 2022!
When you’re running a high compression engine, you need high octane fuel so it doesn’t ignite prematurely and your engine can operate optimally (obviously there’s more to it, but that’s a high level explanation), other than that do what your mind and wallet tells you to do…
@@LexusGX460-OFF-ROAD I put nothing but 93 for now. If the station I go to has 91 I may as well put that in to try. It makes sense what you said about the GX being the only 4.6 with full time 4wd possibly needing the extra octane.
@@LexusGX460-OFF-ROAD 2003 4.7l non vvti. Not sure if they had any changes in 2004 but it has the same hp rating. They just changed the recommendation I’m thinking. The later 2005 4.7 had vvti.
Why would Lexus engineers suggest premium fuel if there were no reason for it? What do they have to gain? Higher octane fuel runs cleaner and smoother in these motors, plain and simple. Will they blow up without it? Probably not but there’s not no reason for the suggestion.
true but the Tundra is only powering 1 axle at a time most of the time.. the GX has to trun both axles all the time... Perhaps that's the reason for premium???? Just a guess 😃 ✌️
My thoughts, don’t buy a vehicle requiring premium fuel and complain about fuel prices…purchase premium fuel or sell the vehicle and get a car that allows you to use 87 octane. Problem solved
Buddy had to somewhat disagree with you on this one. Now I’m mostly in grassroot Motorsport and canyon racing stuff, so it might be different, but what our common consent is that the fuel you use on an naturally aspirated car are highly depend on the compression your engine is running. An Lexus GX460 only have 10.2 compression while an 2012 Subaru Impreza base model have 10.5 and both drive all four all the time. But Subaru Impreza recommended 87 or higher. Now, if the car is running an aggressive racing timing/ECU tune, it will require 91, but I don’t think Lexus tuned the timing that aggressive consider it’s an low end torque focused engine not an high rpm engine like Honda/Subaru/BMW. High rpm engine is generally defined as engine rev over 6500 rpm. One other exception is carbon buildup on older cars, in which case the compression ratio increases. which is one reason why I’m running 91 on my 2.5RS despite it only requires 87. When I got a chance to deep service and clean the engine I will get Air fuel controller and tune it on 91. In which case the goal is to gain PEAK power and help out with slight oil burning issues. Now about the full time 4WD thing, it DO NOT make a difference in there since the extra low that move the front two wheel is insignificant and remember tundra where meant to be able to tow and I believe it weights more as well which made it require even higher load to get the car moving. Now, are running 91/93 better for engine? Yes. Are they required? No.
I can't speak for the GX 460 but I do own a Hemi powered Ram 1500 and it has never seen a tank of regular. Ram suggests AT LEAST mid-grade and premium for optimum performance. I have tried mid-grade on occasion and can definitely tell a power and mileage difference when I don't use 93 octane premium. I suspect there would be a similar observation with other vehicles where the manufacturer suggests running premium.
Its a premium brand thing, they all do it for marketing. They advertise higher horse power and better fuel economy. It also makes you feel premium when you put (Premium Gas) Acura does the same for MDX vs Pilot, same with Nissan and Infiniti.
You can put the cheap stuff in it no problems. Modern engines are designed to handle all types of fuel and the computer will auto adjust. If you sleep better at night knowing you put the best in your rig then go ahead.
this has the 4.6L v8... only other 4.6L fulltime 4wd is the Lexus LS460 which also requires premium. I know the 4.7 is similar but were trying to compare apples to apples here
@@LexusGX460-OFF-ROAD The 4th gen V8 4Runner and GX470 had the same engine and both had the same full time 4x4 system. Also, built in the same plant, on the same assembly line. The GX recommended 91, the 4Runner 87. The difference was the GX was rated at 3 more HP and 17 more lb/ft of torque. The difference is the engine in the GX was (allegedly) tuned for 91. Same goes for the GX460. It has nothing to do with full time 4x4.
@@mechmat12345 were talking about the 4.6L, not the 4.7L. No 4.6L application with fulltime 4wd specifies 87... they specify 91 or higher... ie GX460 and LS460 ✌️
![Lexus GX460 Top-5 Pros and Cons [1 -Year Ownership]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/OZQsRbtcG-I/mqdefault.jpg)
NO THEY DONT. We own 2 with a combined 450,000 miles. We have never even ran mid-range fuel in them. Neither has ever been in the shop.
Just 87 it’s whole entire lifetime?
I can tell you the engineers have plenty of evidence after a tear down the running premium over lifetime of car maters. Also your knock value will show u first hand the immediate reason you should run premium fuel.
@jasonstaub3045 first Jason, this isn't 1971 when I am having to retard the timing on my 440 Magnum because I can't get Av Gas. The computer on or Lexus will adjust the timing and has done that just fine for hundreds of thousands of miles. For the most part, not always, but for the most part the public has been told two big lies. You have to run premium fuel, and you need to change your oil every 3 to 5 thousands miles. By running regular in just one of my GX460'S I have saved about 15,000.00. I have plugs, two coil packs, a radiator, pads and rotors. It has never been back to Lexus. Now you can day that is an anomaly but I have done the exact same thing with a 2008 425HP Challenger, a 2002 F350 with a 7.3, a 97 F350 with a 7.3, a 2015 Lexus GX460, A 2010 Lexus GX 460, a 2000 4Runner, a 1999 4Runner, a 2008 F350 with a 5.4, a 72 FJ40 with a small block and a 98 Civic. With the exception of the 02 F350 none of those have ever been in the shop and none of the gas engines have ever had the oil changed sooner than 15,000. The Powerstrokes get it at 8000 but we pull with those. What we do is almost always allow several minutes warm up and several minutes cool down and we don't accelerate hard. Pretty simple.
What year are your Gx's
@thepitpatrol - That's great to know because I just purchased a 2016 GX 460 (with 77,000 miles on it). The dealer (of course) said I must use premium, but I'm hearing different stories from different people. I just want to take good care of my new ride! I don't want to get this wrong!
My 2023 Gx460 Luxury runs and the throttle response better with premium gas. The same goes for my 2019 Acura RDX A-Spec. The acceleration is more responsive. I’ll stick with premium gas since it has better cleaning additives. If I can afford a $70K+ vehicle why cheap out on gas.
RDX is a Turbocharged engine, which will greatly benefit from running premium.
Thats true of most modern engines. They all can adjust timing to take advantage of higher octane fuels.
That does not mean that you need to run premium though.
I have a 2011 Lexus RX 350 with a 6 cylinder engine that Lexus says requires 91 octane or higher unleaded gasoline. I bought it used with a little over 90,000 miles on it and the guy I bought it from said he always put 87 octane regular in it and never had an issue. In my area, the gasoline choices just about everywhere are 87, 89 and 93 octane, and it's typically $.40/gallon more for the 89 octane versus the 87, and another $.40 a gallon for the 93. So for a 15 gallon fillup it's an extra $12/tank. I was prepared to pay for it but didn't want to throw away money for no benefit.
Shortly after buying the vehicle, I put a trailer hitch on it and took a long trip cross country and up into Canadian Rockies pulling a teardrop trailer that weighs about 900 pounds. Over the course of 3+ days, I drove from North Carolina to Glacier National Park in Montana near the Canadian border, over 2000 miles. Along the way I would fill up twice in a row with different grades of gasoline to see if there was a difference in performance or gas mileage. I ran 87, 89, 91 (which was available in the midwest) and 93 octane. There was no difference. Basically the same gas mileage and road conditions didn't vary much because it was interstate through pretty flat terrain most of the way. There was also no difference in performance, even pulling a trailer. The car never hesitated or sputtered when I was accelerating into traffic or going up a hill.
That experiment satisfied me that I could run the vehicle on 87 octane gasoline and I've done so for over 3 years since without an issue. I've never even had the car tuned up in the time I've owned it. The only maintenance I've had done is routine scheduled maintenance like oil and filter changes, brake service and maybe transmission fluid, so it doesn't appear using regular unleaded caused any longer term problems. I suspect Lexus engineers are just being very conservative with their recommendations to use premium fuel in some of their engines and vehicles.
I have ran 87 octane on my GX470 and LX570, both of which Lexus calls for premium gasoline, for over a decade. To be exact, 16 years on the GX (+2 years on premium gasoline since I thought VVTi 2UZ would benefit from higher octane - it doesn't) and 10 years on the LX. Combined miles on both is over 415k. I tow with both a couple of times a year as well as off-road throughout the year. No difference in using premium vs regular, gas mileage over long term (decade plus) is pretty much 16-17mpg highway. Routine maintenance, no engine work or sludge. I do my own maintenance after warranty expired on both vehicle. Both have A/T tires (32" on the GX and 33" on the LX), aftermarket 2.5" coilovers on the GX with no lift (because I want to retain my downtravel and not look like a bro truck), rear spring conversion, low profile roof-rack, and OEM hydraulic suspension on the LX (working on AHC is way easier than KDSS IMHO). Premium gasoline on the LX suppose to bump power up by 2 HP and 2 ft-lb torque... You can't feel it. You are better off using the money spent on premium fuel to supercharge either the 2UZ or 3UR. The only vehicle I run premium is my supercharged 4Runner since it will lean out/ping at the higher rpm if I run regular. Some folks say the ECU tuning is different on the Lexus vs the Toyota using the same engine... It could be or the timing is automatically adjusted when regular octane fuel is used. SUBJECTIVELY, all I can say is that regular octane fuel will work and will not cause issues with the drivetrain. If you want to put premium fuel according to Lexus brochure, then go ahead and have a peace of mind. If you want to put regular octane fuel in your GX470/GX460, LX470/LX570, then go ahead. It will be fine regardless whether the fuel is regular, mid grade, or premium.
Thank you for sharing your experience and data here. It helps everyone in drawing their conclusions on this topic. Thank you 🙏 ❤️
I put 215k on my Landcriser and currently have a 2000 LX 470 with 250k miles on it. Always used 87 and never had any issues with either. As you know those are all time 4x4 like GX.
Also had a LS 430 and put 87 in it, but got rid of it at 180k based on it being the ultra and the shocks had to be replaced at a cost that did t make sense for that age car. Never skipped a beat with 87.
Currently have a 2022 Tundra. Calls for 87, while I believe the LX 600 calls for premium, but specs show slightly higher HP and torque. Not sure why it requires premium other than to achieve slightly higher numbers.
Have a 2023 GX and have put 87 in it, but only have 6,500 miles on it.
Wow that makes sense still going back and forth on 4runner or gx 469 so thank u
Thanks for exploring this
thank you for subscribing ❤️ 🙏
In theory, higher octane fuel means more resistant to detonate at compression cycle thus giving the engine the ability to produce more hp/torque. All Toyota/lexus did is to calibrate the ecm for higher octane. so if you use lower octane, the ecm is smart enough to retard the timing to prevent knock. the only negative is that you don't get the advertise hp/tq and you will loose power. The only time using lower octane will hurt your engine is when you keep switching from lower octane to higher octane etc.. So whatever you choose, just stick with it. Also higher octane does burn cleaner, this making it fuel efficient but not that much. So if you don't mind loosing some power, then lower octane is fine. Just don't switch back and forth
Pulling timing does not remedy pre-ignition caused by low octane fuel. Pre-ignition/Detonation is the fuel combusting prematurely in the compression stroke prior to the ignition spark. Hence, pulling timing does nothing since the fuel is combusting without the need of an ignition source. Also, higher octane fuel does not equate to more hp/torque. Lean next to detonation is when motors produce the most hp/torque. Putting 101 octane fuel in a GX will not gain hp/torque but running the lowest octane without the fuel pre-igniting will give you the highest hp/torque.
@@Goofball310 So you're more knowledgeable than the mechanics who build all these high octane vehicles? They all say to use higher octane if you want the vehicle to run at it's best
Thanks for making a video on this buddy
Thank you 😊 💓 for subscribing ❤️
It’s interesting to read comments on other you tubes about this issue. Some fuel truck drivers say it is a common practice to show up at a gas station with a load of regular, fill up the regular tank, and then be told to pump the extra in the premium tank.
The gas station then can put in octane booster and raise the regular gas to premium. It's not rocket science.
Unless they are selling premium pump’s filled with regular
This is all fine and dandy until weights and measures Shows up.
I have enjoyed your videos so far keep up the good work and I don’t know where you live, but I wished I live there so I could have more fun driving off road to
thank you for your kind words and support. please consider visiting Joshua Tree national park if you like the scenery and thank you for subscribing ❤️
Always figured it was due to lexus wanting to maintain low vibrations and stave off any kind of detonation for longevity - The lexus feel that theyve lost with the newer DI engines that sound broken brand new. im sure regular fuel is fine, but Im getting to old to mess around and tend to go with the manufacturer recommendation at this point.
Since we bought ours, I have tried 87, 89 and 93. And the best MPG goes to 93, 17.4 to 17.8 average all day in the city. In Hwy up to 21.6 when you drive for a while. I keep it at 70 mph or under as much as possible to achieve this.
For us 93 is the way to go, it makes sense.
Mathematically the 20% premium cost isn’t offsetting the mpg gain
@@alphawolfadventures1470 it does if you calculate the cost of damage lower octane creates.
The btu of energy in 87 octane is the same as 93 octane. The difference you noticed is mpg will be due to other factors such as traffic and fuel quality. Put either fuel in your car and drive on the highway with cruise control for 5 miles. Then do the same with the opposite fuel on the same stretch of highway. Your MPG will be the identical.
I get about 3-4 mpg better with premium in GS450H and the start/stop is much smoother and can’t tell when it starts and stops.
I just always run shell Vpower after watching a YT guy run it in an old lawnmower carbs to see if it really cleans. It does and well
I truly appreciate your videos. Well presented and thought out without any of that wacky music in the background that you might hear in other CZcams vids.
thank you for your support 🙏 ❤️ we will try to make the videos as non-crappy as possible 😀
@@LexusGX460-OFF-ROAD 🤣😄
Higher octane fuel does keep combustion temperatures slightly lower as well. That may be a bonus here in Arizona especially when driving a loaded up Overlander up into the Mtns. To me it would be worth it to run the premium if anything for peace of mind. I also tend to keep my vehicles for long periods of time.
Dude you are very interesting and engaging - well educated obviously. Love your settings as well. Here I sit in Pa it’s May and cold
Always run 87 in my 2007 gx470 except in high elevations. Absolutely makes a difference up there, when running the lower octane fuel basically remaps your engine to make less power. Also takes more than one tank of gas to adapt to different octanes unless you are disconnecting the battery and restarting your fuel map from scratch. Amazing vehicles these things are and I will never drive anything else. Similar results with my 05 Sequoia with the same drivetrain but twice as many miles.
It does not take that long at all. It probably takes 30 minutes. You can track it yourself by watching a PID called Knock Correction Learned Value(KCLV) with an OBD bluetooth adapter.
Its not remapping anything. KCLV globally adjusts the base timing tables to match the octane and conditions you are driving in. Its constantly adjusting even within the same tank of fuel.
At high elevations you actually might want to consider running lower octane since the engine is running at lower cylinder pressures.
I paid a lot of money for my 23 GX460 💙 the V8. I will follow Lexus recommendation and continue to fill up with 91 octane.
I used for 87 for the last 10k miles and recently tried 91. It “feels” better but could be placebo. Good point about the same engine in tundra and earlier 2nd gen sequoia- they use the same engine, meaning they all have a 10.3-1 compression ratio. This is still considered low compression and unlikely to predetonate gas. I would argue that if the requirement for 91 is because of higher load, then what about people towing with tundras. Surely towing a heavy load is more taxing in the power/drive train than an empty gx. My theory is that although mechanical they are the same, the gx has a 91 tune. Some people on mud and cl have recorded timing changes in ecu and confirmed that the engine does adjust accordingly.
This is called “knock correct learn value”. It’s read is degrees of camshaft advancement. Higher quality (and correct octane) will allow more timing advancement, thus increasing (or rather, allowing) peak power.
@@danervin2530 any damage in an engine utilizing/implementing the learn value? I get there could be less power, but is it harmful for the engine?
@@pennmikael The value is there regardless- it’s one of many inputs. But to answer your question, no. Using 87 octane will not cause damage to your engine. There are many sensors readily able to compensate for the slight pre ignition that 87 vs 93 will cause. HOWEVER, the vehicle will run better on 93. For most people this is felt largely in the responsiveness of shifts. I’ve owned 9 Lexus’s and personally, I’ve used 87 in all of them (including 3 Turbo’d NX’s).
Thank u’ for this video 🥷🏽
No problem!!
My 2018 tacomas owners manual wanted 88 octane or higher... I did a little digging and it said it was for the engine knocking.
I use my truck for work in west Texas and can confirm on a hard use day if I have been running regular fuel for a while that it will eventually knock on occasion.
That being said if I only use it occasionally then that issue never happens. As a result I use higher octane fuel 99% of the time, but if I'm in a pinch and need to save a buck or two then the regular fuel was fine as long as it wasn't in successive fuel ups
another thing to know is that Japanese octane and US octane are diffferent 95 in japan is same as 91 in US
That intro music gave me hardcore Sonic the Hedgehog 2 vibes. Instant like
I have a 2015 GX460 I bought new. Have always run 87 octane. At 105K miles now and never heard any knock or had mechanical issues. The awd drivetrain is an interesting theory for the premium requirement over Toyota's with the 4.6 that don't require it. But I would argue that the tundra and sequoia have higher gross weight ratings and are bigger vehicles that would encounter just as much potential strain. Since the compression ratios are identical I rolled the dice and decided to run 87 in mine and have never looked back. Shot in the dark as I'm not an
engineer but I figured it was a Lexus tune to make the engine feel more refined/smooth. I think the ECU is fully capable making the engine happy on 87 as the compression ratio is nothing crazy.
Hook up a scanner. Push the engine hard watch the timing retard and knock value. There is the evidence for a knocking or pinging engine. Run super and compare. U will see thru data the reason for super.
The GS450Hybrid has different injection I think than an RX.
@@flouisbailey it's has two sets of injectors. Plenum and direct injections.
I had a gx 470 for nearly 8 years with over 230k miles on her.. I use to run a combination of both regular and premium..at the end of the week I’d fill up with regular.. and after driving about 15-20 miles on the weekend, I’d top off on Sunday night with Premium.. Now I just purchased a 2018 gx 460.. but I’m scared to use regular as I plan on keeping her for a very very long time..
Thank you for sharing your experiences and feedback 🙏 ❤️ 🤲
CB The engine will run fine on regular but performance on premium is better better transmission shifting no knocking specially on extreme weather
I've frequently asked myself this but always came to the question, does saving $10-12 on a tank of gas actually matter? I get that people want to save money where they can but if you're pinching pennies that tightly then I'd question why you would purchase a vehicle with this low of fuel efficiency in the first place. It's a gas chugging, port injected V8 in a luxury offroader with permanent 4WD. The whole appeal with the GX is it's capability, quality, durability, and reliability... so why jeopardize that by not following manufacturer specs? If the manufacturer says that I've got to add the blood of children to keep it running, guess what, she's not gonna go thirsty.
Your points are excellent 👏 I believe the old saying "don't cut your nose to spite your face" applies?
Very well said yea you can cheap out on something’s to save a few dollars here and there like store brand Paper plates, and stuff like that but anything that can cause issues down the line
Why would you spend the money of you don't have to?
@@thepitpatrol we don't have to spend the money buying a gas guzzling lux v8 offroader either- but we did
@Sly well we didn't have much choice. But when you figure 5 or 6 dollars a tank over the life of those it adds up.
I owned a 2012 Toyota Sequoia SR5 4WD with the 4.6L engine for ten years since new. For 6 months of every year it was in 4Hi (same as the GX460) and the other 6 months it was in 2WD. Used 87 Octane fuel for its entire life, including towing my surfboat (6500lbs) regularly, in a heavier vehicle, with much beefier drivetrain, and the engine made 310hp/327ftlbs of torque.
In the GX460, which weighs almost 1000lbs less than my 2012 Sequoia, has lighter duty drivetrain, and tows 600lbs less, that engine only makes 301hp and slightly more torque (329ftlbs).
My guess is that 87 octane will be just fine, just don't keep switching back and forth.
The 4.6L Sequoia 4WD drivetrain is the same as the GX460. Both have the same engine (1UR-FE) and same transmission (A760F), with the GX460 being much lighter. If you have gotten the 5.7L Sequoia 4WD, then you would have gotten the beefier AB60F transmission...
87 seems fine for city driving or low acceleration. But I have notice a small power difference between 87 and 93
You make total sense. I will use 91 octane for my newly purchased Gx 460. Why not trust the Lexus engineers? And again, you are so insightful! The high compression due to the all wheel drive demands for the higher octane to reduce knocking. What a genius!
Isn't the octane required based on the compression ratio of the engine?
I've had my gx460 for 2 months now, I have used only and I mean only 93 octane. In doing such my fuel economy is a solid 340 mpg everytime I fill up. Also, being a former 2014 FJ Cruiser owner and only getting 230 mpg with 81 octane. The difference is enough for me to be very happy regardless of price.
I think you are going downhill.
I'm on the same boat. I had an FJ and sold it to buy a GX. The FJ loved Chevron regular. Yes there's a noticable difference between Chevron, Shell and Exxon or other top tier fuels. My GX is particular to Shell premium over Chevron and Mobile 1 full synthetic oil over Castrol full synthetic. I'll stick to Shell premium as well regardless of the price and always use top tier fuels over discount fuel. Hopefully it will save my catalytic converter and engine from carbon build up in the long run.
You must mean miles per tank, not mpg.
The only difference I've come across is a drop in MPG's. Using 87 drops my MPG's by 4 MPG in city on my 2017 Lexus GX460.
The full-time 4WD theory is interesting. I am not nearly well-versed enough to know engines, but I do know my 08 4Runner Sport V8 had full-time 4WD. Is the V8 in that model the same as any of the 2010’s GX’s engines? I’m looking at buying a 201X GX but wondering if it’s possible to find one with the same engine.
My 4Runner was at 289xxx when I sold it in 2021 due to a slipping transmission. I miss it every day!!
Higher octane fuel prevents detonation but ECM can adjust timing for lower octane fuel.
It’s also a shorter stroke than the tundra. Or so I’ve been told. That could have something to do with “recommending” premium by Lexus.
I watched this video and have always used top tier premium in my GX. Shell premium in particular. Then I thought about one small detail..... The Toyota 4 runner limited has the option to come equipped with full time 4x4/ all wheel drive with the same 4.6L and doesn't require premium. So that fact just added to the argument. Perhaps the ecm is programmed differently but I doubt it.
I use both gasolines and it runs fine never knocks and it gives me same mpg and if you treat her nice it could get better mpg!!
91/93 in boosted vehicles or ones with a high compression ratio. 87 for normal N/A engines with a "low" compression ratio. As another said, when the engine is under high load in in altitude, 91/93 might be required to prevent predetonation in not normal air density (ie. high altitude).
When Lexus tops off your fuel tank, they use 87.
Edit/update:
I picked up my ‘23 GX Nov. 3 ,2022, salesperson told me that I can run 87 (he’s had 4 GX’s) I’ve been able to average 18.5 hwy and 17.4 city on 87 (granny driving)
He is right.
Does Lexus require high octane in all their vehicles? If they don't then I'd say that had a reason to require it in the GX 460 other than just adding to the premium branding.
We have a 2005 Lexus LS430 which is basically the same engine as the GX. The LS430 also specifies high test fuel. We have owned it since 2007 and have accumulated 130k miles using mostly regular fuel without any noticeable difference. I once in a while fill up premium but quite frankly I can’t tell the difference, but then again I am not going 130mph on the freeways, nor gun it often.
Thank you for sharing this real world data 🙏 ❤️ ♥️
ls430 engine is not the same engine or even generation of engine as the GX, it still has a timing belt. 4.6 and 5.7L engines are newer generation engines, and Lexus LS version of 4.6 is different and higher compression (than truck engine) with direct and port injection.
Yes premium 91 on Gx470 i have a is350 i used 87 and engine was knocking couldn't get rid of the knock so to be safe and avoid that use 91 only...
What about using non ethanol fuels?
Folks …if the smart engineers of Lexus built this remarkable machine and request that we use premium, then so be it ! I think they know this vehicle better than we will ever know. It’s just like you seeing a sign that says “we recommend that you drink bottled water over tap water… in the long run bottled water will be better ya 😊
I tend to be in the higher octane camp since that is what Toyota recommends. I have ran the cheap gas through on occasion with no noticable difference. I need to check mileage, on my 2006 Range Rover I got enough better gas mileage on premium that it was worth using premium. I was thinking with your logic that if you are just running about town in moderate weather that the cheap stuff would be fine but if putting the engine under strain like high temps, off-roading, towing etc it might be wise to use premium.
We have 2 GX460's. Have never run anything but low grade in them. They have never been in the shop.
Alright did some digging in the Australian market. Dug out the manual for their Toyota 200 series Land Cruiser using the 4.6L. the owners manual still said to use premium 91 octane.
So do what you will with this info but it sounds like the 1UR-FE is a prima donna when it comes to her fuel requirements…
I just purchased a 2019 GX460 with 52K miles on it and have watched this (& other) videos about the necessity to use premium vs regular gas. I still am unsure what to do! I have no clue what the prior owner used for gas, and I’d love to just use 87 because why waste that money if it truly doesn’t matter. Just checking in to see if you’ve made any progress on a definitive answer. Any help would be much appreciated! Love your videos, so much great info, and in the comments as well! Thank you!
What did you end up using?
Hey, on a diff topic I wanted to ask you if you think protecting the undercarriage from rust is necessary? I saw in one of your vids that you already have some rust going on. I plan to keep my '22 GX long term. Do they need a undercarriage sealant or nah? I know you're in the desert but some of us like myself live in the north east. Thanks!
we don't have any rust at all... even if you tried out here you can't get metal to rust lol... our 95 camry with 300k on it had zero rust 😆.. question, what part of the USA are you in?
Get fluid film sprayed by local place. Then touch up yearly
Doesnt cost much othwrwise it will gwt alot surface rust im also in ne with a used 10yr old gx with surface rust. So cleaned it and spraying it
Just use rust reformer paint from rust oleum
so if you arent hammering on it and keeping it at 2k rpm there is no need for premium?
For casual driving, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with using regular gas. As long as you’re not pushing the performance to the limit, it will do just fine.
Hey where did you get your bug deflector from? Just picked up a '23 and want to see if I can get one as well, any idea if it would fit this year?
czcams.com/video/k5IDM2ukK2o/video.html
The fuel requirement has always come down to one thing and that is the compression ratio’s inside of the engine block. In the case of the Lexus version, the compression ratios are higher requiring amor premium fuel. The same thing applies in the 5.7 L V8 that’s in the land cruiser and in the Lexus even though it’s the same motor that’s in the Sequoia in the tundra.
You don't even have to run mid range fuel in them.
The LC asks for regular fuel, not premium. I own both a LC (200 series) and a GX.
@@davidryder3374Isn't it interesting that the Land Cruiser 5.7L V8 and even the 4.7L V8 require unleaded while the Lexus versions of both vehicles and both engines require premium. Weird.
If it’s under warranty and you use the wrong octane and have a problem and they test it then you will have a problem. I bet they will just like Mercedes want higher octane to run in there cars
For me and mine. I'll continue to use 93 only. I love my 21.
Does anyone have experience with running 87 octane vs 93 octane in other Lexus/Toyota engines like the 2gr-fks v6 in the is350 or heck even the 5.0 in the is500?
Run 87 octane and I get 15 Mpg in town, 93 octane and I average 16.5"ish" the same route everyday. "Seems a little more powerful" on 93
So I started "Mixing" 50/50 again around 15 MPG. Aprox. 60% premium 40% regular and I'm back to 16.5 plus. These numbers are average for a full tank.
I run the "miles remaining" down to 20 miles to empty then add 12 of premium. Reset the pump and finish filling with regular. Usually around 9 gallons. This combination tends to be Cheaper than buying 91, milage back up and I get to pretend I'm back in the Chem Lab
If any one else has tried this I would like to see other folks numbers. I think it would be impossible for the car to notice the difference, but it seems to. I also think it is due to the "Tune" and would love to know how the engine measures the difference, I do not think it is pinging.
excellent real world data! Thank you for contributing ❤️
I have a 2015 GX and had an LX with 245,000 miles. My mechanic said as long as there is no knocking because of low octane it was not necessary to run premium fuel.
Wow thank you for sharing your real world data and experiences! It is appreciated on this topic especially 😃
Not here...2013. I have used premium once or twice. No noticeable difference. Perhaps a slight increase in gas mileage on the hwy. Now my 2010 Tundra...same powertrain needed at least 89 in the winter and 93 during the summer or it would "ping". My 03 Tundra needed 93 ALL the time. Weird huh.
Over the life of the car the savings between regular and premium won't pay for much more than new spark plugs and an oil change or maybe a set of tires by a Lexus dealer
I just picked up my 2023 Gx in May and I am in total agreement with what your saying. Where I live 91 octane is 36-40 cents more than regular and 93 is about 80 cents more. If your looking for longevity with your vehicle, I don’t think it’s worth the risk. On top of this if you’re buying new, you risk the chance of null & voiding your warranties. Another point to those that say regular is fine, where you live might be a factor such as altitudes. As for myself, it’s nothing less than 91.
Over here in Dubai, our regular is 92 and our premium is 98. So we just put regular 😂
I have a 2007 gx and I put premium the only difference in money per is little. The reliability durability and quality 👌 comes first not gas savings. I purchased mine for those reasons not to save gas.
It will do just fine on low grade and over the life of the vehicle you are talking about a lot of money.
245K on the odo of original miles on my '06 GX470 and NOTHING but regular 86/87. Yes pinging used to be an issue before MAF and automatic retard/advanced of timing based on oxygen/air density. This is even better as a function of living at altitude. I live in Santa Fe, NM at 7300' elevation. There is absolutely NO reason to run premium at altitude. But if it makes you feel good to pay the extra at the pump, go for it. Placebo is an amazing thing!
I always wondered why someone hasn't ever retuned so that i can safely use 87 without relying on the knock sensor as most say to correct for it. People retune even basic cars like buick/pontiacs 3800s, people spend about $200 to have it retuned to eliminate emissions light when removing the EGR etc... Just wondering why with such a large market for GX that people have not done this or i would think it's possible.
What about the LS460 with AWD? I know its different, but that also requires "premium" fuel according to Toyota. I use premium in my 2013.
good point, same engine and similar center diff (not lockable)... premium fuel required
It is not the only car in our area we have landcruiser with same engine coming with 5.7 3ur-fe and 4.6 liter 1ur-fe which mention regular recomended RON 91 while with 1Gr-fe same engine in 4Runner mention premium RON 95 recommended so what to say at the end 😂
I think for me better to use what is written in the manual better for longevity of the engine however new engine have some technology that allow use of lower quality fuel for temporary use but for optimal performance use what is recommended as written in most Toyota v6,V8 engines cars
What about Lexus LS 460? It comes with both the rear wheel drive and all wheel drive, but both require premium, so your theory about all wheel drive does not work in this application? Does it?
Same is true with Lexus GS 460, the rear wheel drive version is much lighter than the GX 460, but still come in premium fuel
good catch on the LS! Looks like the AWD LS requires 91 octane too... Inwonder why the RWD LS requires premium too... what do you think?
Any ideas/ comments about mixing gas 50/50 ?
My 2012 GX460 currently has 180k on it and I've purchased it with 150k. I've just started putting in 87 octane the last four fill up and cannot tell a difference between 87 and 91. Gas mileage is similar. Also my owner's manual says it's ok to use 87 when 91 isn't available but to use 91 on next fill up. I think it's mostly marketing by Toyota to make the Lexus brand look premium by using 91 octane. Even the new GX550 wants premium fuel but makes less power than the new Tundra and yet the Tundra is calling for 87 octane and they both have the new V6 turbo engine. Lol.
Just put Super in it!! 93 octane!! If you want the best performance with maintenance free just spend the extra couple dollars!! Well worth it in the long run!!👍🏼🇺🇸
Yep. I run 87 in mine.
You CAN use regular gas, however, the manual says that you can only do that when 91 is not available, and to switch back to 91 as soon as possible. If you use 87 fuel the computer will compensate and begin to retard your timing, so that you will not experience engine destroying detonation. With the engine timing retarded, you will now experience a loss of power. Causing you to step on the gas a bit more to get the expected performance. Therefore, increasing your fuel consumption. Using 87 fuel has also shown to cause oxygen sensor and/or catalytic converter issues. If you don't believe me, run 3 tankful's of 87 fuel, logging your fuel economy and resetting your computer every tank, and then run 3 tankful's of 91 fuel, logging your fuel consumption, while driving similarly and resetting your computer at each tank refill. You will most likely find, that the difference in increased fuel milage will 'almost' pay for the increased price of the 91 fuel. Just my experience, yours may vary. Your engine will thank you for it.
4Runner limited is full time all wheel drive and it has a smaller less powerful engine and runs on regular gas. My guess is that 91 octane may get a little bit better gas mileage and more horsepower. In other words marketing.
Premium is recommended because the GX can have higher peak load when towing its max rating. If you don’t load very heavily or use full throttle, you’ll never see the advantage of higher octane.
The technical answer to it is, the engine on the GX460 is tunned different compared to the one on Toyota models, HP is higher so is the torque, that’s the reasons why it needs higher octane, same thing with RX350 b6 vs Toyota Highlander v6, they are tunned different and therefor require different fuels.
I use both 87 and 91 on my Odyssey. The differences I notice the most... If I need to accelerate (lightly to moderate) to pass a car or speed up, I notice on the 87, the transmission will quickly downshift to a help with acceleration. The 91 will stay in the same gear (it will not downshift) and accelerate. No measurement on how fast I get to my desired speed but I notice the shifting more often on the 87. Last is gas mileage. On the 87, I can get between 18-20 when I fill up. On the 91, consistently get 20. I like the drive to and from work with the 91 because I don't notice the engine as much as I would with 87.
..that seems to make alot of sense... higher octane can generally withstand more load before knocking... thank you for sharing your experiences 🙏 ❤️
Toyota makes a 4 Runner Limited with the V6 engine that has a permanent 4 wheel drive system or All wheel drive all the time. They only require unleaded gas.. so lower power engine doing the same duty but with less octane gas required.. Contradicts your reasoning perhaps why the V8 needs Premium.
we love the 4runner Limited... perhaps the 5speed transmission, V6, and less lux = less weight... and technically it is a different engine...
@@LexusGX460-OFF-ROAD it is but I would love to know if there was any objective information on this. @AutomotivePress was an engineer at Lexus, wonder if he could weigh in on the discussion?
@@steveadp Thank you for subscribing.. so far no objective data on this... just theory, user anecdotes, and what lexus said to put in it.. so for now it's a mystery until somebody hooks it up to a scantool and collects the data
I typically run premium. When prices get silly, I'll do a mix between 87 and 91, switching every other fill. On the third fill or just before a longer trip, I'll fill with premium.
Just pick one and run with it. You don't want to frequently be causing detonation and forcing the ECM to relearn the timing by detecting the detonation in the motor by triggering detonations more frequently than needed when going from premium to regular.
You can also get octane booster fairly cheap if your gas stations gouge on the premium gas. It's less than $8 to treat a 20gal of regular and turn it into premium using something like Mag1 octane booster, for example.
@@freezerlunik Its funny but that 8 bucks is the difference between a fill up with premium and regular.
You are wasting money 212caboose. They run fine on 87.
I mix my fuel 87 and 93 from sams club. When on highway drive but in city only 93
here in CA we only get 91.. so it sounds like you are making homemade 91 octane 😃
@@LexusGX460-OFF-ROAD in a few places we have 98 and 102 on tap. I remember when I moved to California I was like where is the high octane lol. Had to sneak into airport and get avgas as a additive. Hahahhaaha
@@totalglitch Great question! Why don't we get to have the good stuff??? I'm sure you've seen the low octane stuff when traveling too... like 84 octane and stuff like that 😆
The service manual states that premium is required so that is what I will use
good call... I think your logic sounds very reasonable 😃
I didn’t always listen to the Toyota dealers’ why because for example they want me to change my engine oil every 10’000 miles so fuck them. So I think it’s the same with the gas on the Lexus.
Agree and came to the same conclusion. I often run 89 octane (mid grade) with 6 oz of octane booster as well as 6 oz of Lucas injector cleaner/upper cylinder lubricant. Runs like a champ.
do you feel any damage could ever be done to the engine using 87 or 89??
@@LexusGX460-OFF-ROAD yes, damage could occur if owners consistently use 87 or 89 octane over long periods of time and over long mileage intervals. It could potentially cause unneeded stress on components of the engine such as fuel injectors, excess carbon buildup, regard the timing, cause the EGR to fail prematurely, and could result in more maintenance down the line.
With said, my GX owners manual calls for 91 octane or better, so when In doubt, use 91 octane or greater. However in Texas we have 93 octane. So is 93 octane excessive for a vehicle that calls for 91 octane at minimum? Certainly can’t hurt by going above the manufacturers recommend octane level but when fuel gets expensive, owners may explore alternatives cost cutting measures.
Then Most important maintenance item to ensure the long health of the engine is to keep the engine oil changes consistent and frequent. I don’t wait until 10k miles to change mine. Because I plan on keeping my 2015 GX for at least 250,000+ miles, I change the oil with 100% synthetic oil every 7500 miles or every 12 months which ever comes first. I do all maintenance myself, so for ~$50, it’s the best maintenance item I can perform to keep the engine running strong. I Add a complete fuel system cleaner and injector cleaner such as BG 44k every oil change.
I also remove and clean the throttle body and EGR valve every 30k. This Keeps the RPMs at idle silky smooth.
GX’s we’re meant the last if taken care of properly.
First time I heard about this was at the Costco gas station. Some old Russian guy used it for his with the same positive results. Drive safe ya'll.
You obviously don't want money so it doesn't really matter. Use the most expensive gas.
I have done comparison on Lexus IS300 between 91 vs. 87 octane and can confirm the 91 provides noticeable better gas mileage.
thank you. Wonder why it got better mpgs? What is your theory?
@@LexusGX460-OFF-ROAD My believing is that the vehicle is tuned differently when 91 octane is required, so it is more efficient to run on 91 octane.
My believing could be truth or myth 😂
Regardless, I was able to get 50 kms per tank better mileage on 91 vs. 87.
Dollar vs. Dollar comparison between 87 and 91 were the same. I paid out of pocket more with 91 octane but got better mileage. Another thing that made a slight difference on gas mileage was using Mobil 1 synthetic oil vs no name synthetic oil. Mobil 1 ran quieter and slightly better mileage but not ground breaking difference.
Who makes your bumper?
DV8 , check our channel content for more information
I run 91 for best longevity!
Hey Dude, love the reasoned and open minded approach to this question. On a side note, I wish more people would take that approach to so many things and see there are usually two sides to most things. So a follow up q; I'm considering getting a very low mie 2010 GX 460. Two quick q; do you or maybe others think doing 93 and then 87 every other fill up would be OK? Also, for all those who already own one of these cars, any things to be on the lookout for or to ask the dealer about? Thanks again for your insight!! Appreciate. Love CA! Visited with the fam in 2022!
When you’re running a high compression engine, you need high octane fuel so it doesn’t ignite prematurely and your engine can operate optimally (obviously there’s more to it, but that’s a high level explanation), other than that do what your mind and wallet tells you to do…
IMO you gave the best explanation- thank you
What octane gas do you use?
@@LexusGX460-OFF-ROAD I put nothing but 93 for now. If the station I go to has 91 I may as well put that in to try. It makes sense what you said about the GX being the only 4.6 with full time 4wd possibly needing the extra octane.
I use 87 for my gx470. Lexus actually recommended 87 for the 2003. After 2003 that they recommend premium gas
did the 2004 have the 4.7L or the 4.6L? Any engine changes such as added VVT etc?
@@LexusGX460-OFF-ROAD 2003 4.7l non vvti. Not sure if they had any changes in 2004 but it has the same hp rating. They just changed the recommendation I’m thinking. The later 2005 4.7 had vvti.
@@peeairfam why do you think they changed the octane recommendations after 2003??
What octane gas do you use in your GX460?
I run 93. I tried lower octane, but it didn’t seem to run as well. Could have just been my imagination, but I am sticking with 93.
93. But sometimes 87. I dont see any difference.
@@johnwarren4669 what was different about using 87?
@@LexusGX460-OFF-ROAD for me 87 doesnt have the power in 2000 rpm band but when it passes 3000 feels regular.
@@harshy_9975 thank you 🙏 for your contribution to this topic ❤️
I run 87 in my 2011 GX460...no problems
Why would Lexus engineers suggest premium fuel if there were no reason for it? What do they have to gain? Higher octane fuel runs cleaner and smoother in these motors, plain and simple. Will they blow up without it? Probably not but there’s not no reason for the suggestion.
It definitely doesn’t need 87. The tundra being a work truck is designed for load. I’ve put 300k with not a single issue and I towed cars regularly.
true but the Tundra is only powering 1 axle at a time most of the time.. the GX has to trun both axles all the time... Perhaps that's the reason for premium???? Just a guess 😃 ✌️
Run regular plus 89.
My thoughts, don’t buy a vehicle requiring premium fuel and complain about fuel prices…purchase premium fuel or sell the vehicle and get a car that allows you to use 87 octane. Problem solved
Buddy had to somewhat disagree with you on this one. Now I’m mostly in grassroot Motorsport and canyon racing stuff, so it might be different, but what our common consent is that the fuel you use on an naturally aspirated car are highly depend on the compression your engine is running. An Lexus GX460 only have 10.2 compression while an 2012 Subaru Impreza base model have 10.5 and both drive all four all the time. But Subaru Impreza recommended 87 or higher. Now, if the car is running an aggressive racing timing/ECU tune, it will require 91, but I don’t think Lexus tuned the timing that aggressive consider it’s an low end torque focused engine not an high rpm engine like Honda/Subaru/BMW. High rpm engine is generally defined as engine rev over 6500 rpm. One other exception is carbon buildup on older cars, in which case the compression ratio increases. which is one reason why I’m running 91 on my 2.5RS despite it only requires 87. When I got a chance to deep service and clean the engine I will get Air fuel controller and tune it on 91. In which case the goal is to gain PEAK power and help out with slight oil burning issues.
Now about the full time 4WD thing, it DO NOT make a difference in there since the extra low that move the front two wheel is insignificant and remember tundra where meant to be able to tow and I believe it weights more as well which made it require even higher load to get the car moving.
Now, are running 91/93 better for engine? Yes. Are they required? No.
I can't speak for the GX 460 but I do own a Hemi powered Ram 1500 and it has never seen a tank of regular. Ram suggests AT LEAST mid-grade and premium for optimum performance. I have tried mid-grade on occasion and can definitely tell a power and mileage difference when I don't use 93 octane premium. I suspect there would be a similar observation with other vehicles where the manufacturer suggests running premium.
Its a premium brand thing, they all do it for marketing. They advertise higher horse power and better fuel economy. It also makes you feel premium when you put (Premium Gas) Acura does the same for MDX vs Pilot, same with Nissan and Infiniti.
good points!
It's only 10.2:1 compression ratio. So no.
You can put the cheap stuff in it no problems. Modern engines are designed to handle all types of fuel and the computer will auto adjust. If you sleep better at night knowing you put the best in your rig then go ahead.
Thank you for your feedback ❤️ 🙏 🤲
My 2008 4 runner is a 4.7 liter all time 4wd so your off on that 1
this has the 4.6L v8... only other 4.6L fulltime 4wd is the Lexus LS460 which also requires premium. I know the 4.7 is similar but were trying to compare apples to apples here
@@LexusGX460-OFF-ROAD The 4th gen V8 4Runner and GX470 had the same engine and both had the same full time 4x4 system. Also, built in the same plant, on the same assembly line. The GX recommended 91, the 4Runner 87. The difference was the GX was rated at 3 more HP and 17 more lb/ft of torque. The difference is the engine in the GX was (allegedly) tuned for 91. Same goes for the GX460. It has nothing to do with full time 4x4.
@@mechmat12345 were talking about the 4.6L, not the 4.7L. No 4.6L application with fulltime 4wd specifies 87... they specify 91 or higher... ie GX460 and LS460 ✌️
The Gx470 he mentioned had the 4.7 the 4runner had at that time.... 470 =4.7 460 =4.6
I think Toyota want us to use premium gas for better performance, I don’t think regular gas will fuck up our trucks.
Land Cruisers are also full time awd and they use 87 fuel?