87 or 91 Octane

[NotApplicable]

This is one of those “you do you” topics. There are a lot of strong opinions and superstitions out there but very little to no empirical evidence, particularly when it comes to the 6th gen 4Runner specifically.

The manual says to stay at or above 87. Do that and you’re good!

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[CO/ZA]

Yeah, before the 7% discount at Costco the difference in 85 and 91 octane here is like 60 cents.

Running 85 at altitude gives noticeably worse performance.

 

[Nodak]

its because you folks need your special unicorn fart gas

/sarcasm

 

[127.0.0.1]

87 'cuz I tried 2 tanks of 93 and it didn't do anything better than 87 can do

except 93 cost a buck more a gallon

 

[ChasingTrail]

It’s exactly the opposite of that, actually. Higher elevation reduces the need for octane. That’s why in Colorado, regular is 85 instead of 87 like lower places.

https://www.slashgear.com/1825420/colorado-85-octane-gas-reason-substitute-87/

Light bulb! I'm currently in northern CO and drove through SE Wyoming - I saw 85 and wondered about why I never saw it in AZ or throughout the Midwest. Thank you for this! So do people here run it as if it's regular 87?

 

[Twisted]

Big misconception folks have is that higher octane gives you more power. It does not. Higher octane simply doesn't suffer from the power reducing adjustments of lower octane.

I have ran both and couldn't tell you if there is any real noticeable difference. I tend to fuel up with 92 because it makes me feel better about how it is running. Half the time it is with clear non ethanol. No hard scientific data there. I suspect with mild driving there is zero difference but if I were pushing it and running things hard the 92 would treat me better.

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