2026 4Runner TRD Sport Dyno Results (Stock vs Tuned on 86 Octane)

[Lamuncha]

Certainly free to load in whatever you think is best for you. But I wouldn't rely on faith that it is true.

Forget the noise out there about it being proven. It cannot be proven - the three popular fuels have almost the same energy, how can you get more out of one vs the other.

Tuning is a separate discussion..

The squeaking- maybe it is the rear seat where in the hinge.

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[HVLA]

Certainly free to load in whatever you think is best for you. But I wouldn't rely on faith that it is true.

Forget the noise out there about it being proven. It cannot be proven - the three popular fuels have almost the same energy, how can you get more out of one vs the other.

Tuning is a separate discussion..

The squeaking- maybe it is the rear seat where in the hinge.

Noise???? What are you talking about????? Dynos have PROVEN that premium fuel increases horsepower in THIS ENGINE by 15-20hp.

I feel like I am taking crazy pills here.

 

[HVLA]

If it does than is the minimal HP gain really worth the Premium grade price paid per gallon especially with the cost apporaching record highs?

What do you mean IF??? It isnt an IF. The increase is 15-20hp. This isnt a debate. And yes $5 per fill up is absolutely worth 15-20hp to me.

 

[The_Dark_Knight_Forever]

What do you mean IF??? It isnt an IF. The increase is 15-20hp. This isnt a debate. And yes $5 per fill up is absolutely worth 15-20hp to me.

Noise???? What are you talking about????? Dynos have PROVEN that premium fuel increases horsepower in THIS ENGINE by 15-20hp.

I feel like I am taking crazy pills here.

You should take a chill pill, bud. This is a forum for fellow 4Runner owners where different opinions & thoughts about topics are a given.

Maybe the Dynos do show a slight HP increase with premium gas in a shop under controlled circumstance. I mean we're talking “15-20 HP” which is only 5.4-7.19% of the factory spec 278 HP (gasoline powertrain) using Regular fuel. I personally doubt it can even be more than barely perceived in real world driving which is less controlled than testing on a Dyno in some shop. I'm far from being a gearhead though...I just try to learn from others & ultimately I decide after further research if I believe the information I was given. Everyone is incorrect occassionally & that's okay...though I'm not saying the Dyno results are incorrect nor correct. If you or others can actually perceive it & have some need for a slight bump in HP then that's great...keep on fueling with Premium & enjoy the drive.

Ponder this though: The new Land Cruisers & the new 4Runners are very similar SUVs both using the i-FORCE MAX Hybrid powertrain...a 2.4-liter turbocharged inline-4 cylinder paired with an electric motor. But the 4R only requires Regular grade gas versus the LC which requires Premium grade gas. The reason apparently is that the same engine is tuned differently in the LC due to it being a heavier SUV. I speculate that Toyota engineers did not tune the 4R engines (neither gas only or hybrid models) to require Premium grade gas because in their learned opinion it's not needed due to the lighter weight & which makes me a skeptic of filling with Premium grade gasoline is going to somehow increase HP when the engine is not tuned from the factory to benefit from the higher octane. Just compare the stock HP of the hybrid 4R to the hybrid LC (which is the only powertrain) & you'll find that they both deliver 326 HP despite the 4R requiring only Regular grade gasoline where as again the LC requires Premium grade gasoline. This tells me that the 4R engine isn't tuned to benefit from Premium grade or even Mid grade gasolines.

Is anyone here able to produce any official documentation from Toyota stating that the 4R will deliver increased HP when Premium grade gas is used?
I would think Toyota would be very happy to advertise such a benefit if it were true as that would be a nice selling point & could get Toyota some nice kick backs from gasoline producers of 91-93 octane gasolines.

 

[HVLA]

You should take a chill pill, bud. This is a forum for fellow 4Runner owners where different opinions & thoughts about topics are a given.

Maybe the Dynos do show a slight HP increase with premium gas in a shop under controlled circumstance. I mean we're talking “15-20 HP” which is only 5.4-7.19% of the factory spec 278 HP (gasoline powertrain) using Regular fuel. I personally doubt it can even be more than barely perceived in real world driving which is less controlled than testing on a Dyno in some shop. I'm far from being a gearhead though...I just try to learn from others & ultimately I decide after further research if I believe the information I was given. Everyone is incorrect occassionally & that's okay...though I'm not saying the Dyno results are incorrect nor correct. If you or others can actually perceive it & have some need for a slight bump in HP then that's great...keep on fueling with Premium & enjoy the drive.

Ponder this though: The new Land Cruisers & the new 4Runners are very similar SUVs both using the i-FORCE MAX Hybrid powertrain...a 2.4-liter turbocharged inline-4 cylinder paired with an electric motor. But the 4R only requires Regular grade gas versus the LC which requires Premium grade gas. The reason apparently is that the same engine is tuned differently in the LC due to it being a heavier SUV. I speculate that Toyota engineers did not tune the 4R engines (neither gas only or hybrid models) to require Premium grade gas because in their learned opinion it's not needed due to the lighter weight & which makes me a skeptic of filling with Premium grade gasoline is going to somehow increase HP when the engine is not tuned from the factory to benefit from the higher octane. Just compare the stock HP of the hybrid 4R to the hybrid LC (which is the only powertrain) & you'll find that they both deliver 326 HP despite the 4R requiring only Regular grade gasoline where as again the LC requires Premium grade gasoline. This tells me that the 4R engine isn't tuned to benefit from Premium grade or even Mid grade gasolines.

Is anyone here able to produce any official documentation from Toyota stating that the 4R will deliver increased HP when Premium grade gas is used?
I would think Toyota would be very happy to advertise such a benefit if it were true as that would be a nice selling point & could get Toyota some nice kick backs from gasoline producers of 91-93 octane gasolines.

Toyota knows who buys 4runners. They arent people who want to use premium fuel as clearly evidenced by the large group here that use regular fuel. It is more marketing with a small slice of ecu tune than anything.

Premium fuel increasing horsepower isnt an "opinion". I dont care what fuel anyone uses. I do care that people keep posting factually incorrect information.
Want to save $3 a month in fuel? Be my guest.

 

[The_Dark_Knight_Forever]

Toyota knows who buys 4runners. They arent people who want to use premium fuel as clearly evidenced by the large group here that use regular fuel. It is more marketing with a small slice of ecu tune than anything.

Premium fuel increasing horsepower isnt an "opinion". I dont care what fuel anyone uses. I do care that people keep posting factually incorrect information.
Want to save $3 a month in fuel? Be my guest.

Until I see some hard evidence in the form of official documentation from Toyota stating that the stock engine as is will deliver more HP when fueled with Mid grade or Premium grade gasolines I will cast doubt on Dyno results & claims that the stock engine does deliver a slight increase in HP.
I mean come on...how do we really know that the Dyno testing was performed properly & is completely accurate? Where is the widespread proof obtained through proper scientific testing of these engines in large numbers?
Why does Toyota keep silent if their stock engines are capable of delivering more HP with higher octane gasolines? If true it would be an added benefit for consumers who want more HP, right?
And by the way, the 4Rs cost notably less money than the LCs so it would seem logical that part of the reason is because the engines aren't tuned from factory to increase HP output with higher octane gasolines. Comparing both SUVs overall, the 4R is the wiser purchase for value which has been said by most popular & respected critics & reviewers. In fact, it's often questioned why Toyota would make such similar vehicles in a mechanical sense which basically compete with each other...but I digress.
I do want to call attention to your math though...“Want to save $3 a month in fuel?”? That's not actually factual from someone insisting on people posting factual information. Your math ain't mathin', bud. Let's think about this. I've attached a screenshot of what is currently the gasoline prices at a Costco nearest to my residence. Costco typically always offer the lowest prices around for Top Tier certified gasolines...at least in my area. As an example, if I fill with 19 gallons of Premium instead of Regular then I'm paying $11.78 more for one fill up & for what...maybe a 5-7% increase in HP that is likely inperceptable in real world driving scenarios. I personally fill up at least 4 times a month so that would be $47.12 more than if I had filled with Regular grade gasoline. People are free to spend their money how they choose to. I'm just not seeing the value in paying for Premium grade because it's very likely not doing very much at all that's going to make my 4R last longer than Regular grade Top Tier gasoline would be doing because the engine is not tuned to benefit from higher octane gasoline.
Oh but wait...what about detergents in the fuel? The U.S. government mandates that a certain amount of detergents must be added to all gasoline sold in the U.S.. All grades have the minimum required detergents but Top Tier certified gasolines exceed the minimum required amount of detergents which is one reason why they cost more. What is false is that Mid grade & Premium grade contains more detergents...it's practically false advertising. There is a study in particular conducted by AAA using brand name gasolines that proved that the only differences between grade is the octane rating...the detergent amounts are approximately the same between grades. I digress again but you're welcome to search for the AAA study & review the Top Tier Fuels website if you want to know more.
All the best to fellow 4R owners in here & out there!

 

[HVLA]

Stillen is a very reputable company in business for decades. They gain nothing by lying about the hp gains on premium.

Sheldon Brown also alluded to the premium fuel use.

The "$3" was sarcasm thanks.

 

[The_Dark_Knight_Forever]

Stillen is a very reputable company in business for decades. They gain nothing by lying about the hp gains on premium.

Sheldon Brown also alluded to the premium fuel use.

The "$3" was sarcasm thanks.

If you think Stillen gains nothing from their claim then continue to fool yourself, bud. It's a reputable company, yes, but they sell performance parts after all & are very likely in league with gasoline producers.

Did Sheldon Brown assist in designing the 25-26 4Runners?
Please direct me to where he “alluded” to HP gain when using Premium grade gasoline in these engines.

Ahhh okay...you were being sarcastic about the $3 a month thing. Whatever.

I just find it interesting that you haven't really addressed the points that I've made earlier refuting the possibility of gain in HP using Premium grade gasoline. Instead you've avoided them largely in part. It would be interesting to know how you can explain away my points. But maybe you're too busy to reply at length because you're working to fund your Premium grade gas purchases among other things that also aren't firmly proven to be of much tangible benefit. You do you.

Whatever the case may be, no hate is intended. I've expressed my opinion on the topic & said my piece. I just feel like it's all bunk & very circumstantial until Toyota officially states it's not. Maybe I'm wrong & maybe I'm not. Just know that there is the possibility that Dyno testing can be skewed & that the stock engine without aftermarket tuning might not even have the capability of delivering increased HP using Premium grade gasoline.

God bless (with respect to whatever you believe in or don't) & peace, bud!

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