Switched from Regular to Premium gas. 4Runner runs better (more power & smoother)

[Archer]

We only have 87, 89, 93 in Austin where I live. Curious what splitting the difference and going 89 would do... Not sure if 93 would be a good call here

I've ran 89 for the last 9K except I did try 93 for 2 tanks, no seat of the pants difference and also lost mpg.


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[DangItsDen]

I've ran 89 for the last 9K except I did try 93 for 2 tanks, no seat of the pants difference and also lost mpg.


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Lost MPG using 93 or 89?

 

[Gator 22]

If you want that little bit more power try 90 ethanol free. You get the power and a little better milage, usually 3-4%. But it will cost you apx 5% more so the better milage does not quite pay for the fuel but you will get the extra kick in the pants. We ran it in our 1K super bikes road racing at the track. The high compression engines needed high octane to keep detonation away and the 90 rec fuel did not detonate and were definitely faster on it.

 

[Jakethewhippet1]

well in my 2014 4R Limited (granted it was a n/a engine), i ran 87 (with eth) for almost 12 yrs and 120k miles. here are my stats

my lifetime avg was 16 mpg (across 249 fill ups) and i avg 28 miles a day (home to work 4 days a week is 32 miles round trip)

remote starts in winter kill my mpg since i was doing 10-25 min remote starts (3rd party drone mobile remote start)


i will be tracking the same with the new 4R

I agree 100%, the only way to accurately average MPG is long term with multiple fill-ups in all driving conditions (work, vacations, trips into the city, etc.). One year is good 2 or 3 is better. Also agree the remote starts kill mileage.

 

[Archer]

Lost MPG using 93 or 89?

93

 

[papadop88]

Y'all are talkin 93 octane and I'm over here in Southern California praying they don't take our 91 octane at somer point and have everything running on bananas.

 

[Nodak]

oh and to add to cali's woes, they usually dont import refined gas since no one outside of cali wants to make that special fuel. its not cost effective.

CARB requires very specific fuel blends and the only refineries are in cali that make them.

Environmental requirements
In addition to state taxes, the California Energy Commission estimates that environmental compliance costs added as much as $0.54/gal as of March 2025. The state’s Cap-and-Trade Program and Low Carbon Fuel Standard reflect costs associated with fuel supplier emissions and carbon intensity, and these costs are ultimately reflected in the price consumers pay at the pump.

Special fuel requirements
California also mandates a special blend of gasoline designed to reduce pollution and improve air quality. This fuel burns cleaner but is more expensive to produce because it requires more processing steps and expensive blending components.

Refiners outside the state only make this blend to supply California’s market, meaning that California primarily relies on in-state refineries for its gasoline supply.

Isolated petroleum markets
Supply side issues also contribute to higher California gasoline prices relative to the rest of the country.

Most of the gasoline consumed in California is refined within the state due to lack of petroleum infrastructure connections. California is geographically isolated from other U.S. refining centers because no pipelines supply California from across the Rocky Mountains and only a limited number of pipelines deliver to the West Coast from the Gulf Coast. Of the refineries outside of California with physical access to the state’s gasoline markets, only a few can meet California’s stringent fuel blending requirements.

California also imports gasoline from other countries, such as India and South Korea, to meet its fuel supply needs. Other countries produce California-specification gasoline, but high shipping costs usually limit imports to periods of refinery outages or the summer driving season.

In addition, West Coast refineries have historically maintained lower inventory levels compared with the U.S. average, and California refineries have been closing, with more closures on the horizon. All of these supply chain issues mean that California gasoline prices are more volatile and subject to large spikes, especially if any of the limited number of refineries go offline for maintenance or have an unexpected outage.

 

[DHermit]

Did you guys notice the manual says to only use gasoline that's considered "Top Tier"? You can see a list of stations here: https://www.toptiergas.com/

However, it's odd that I don't see 7-11 on there by my house, and I believe they use one of the brands listed.

 

[CO/ZA]

oh and to add to cali's woes, they usually dont import refined gas since no one outside of cali wants to make that special fuel. its not cost effective.

CARB requires very specific fuel blends and the only refineries are in cali that make them.

A lot of the US is moving to their example; smog, ozone, and pollution is a factor in many cities like Salt Lake or Denver.

LA smog in the 80s was no joke.

The EPA mandated "Tier 3" 10ppm ultra low sulphur fuel in 2021, and refineries have been switching over to that ever since.

https://www.epa.gov/regulations-emi...e-control-air-pollution-motor-vehicles-tier-3

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