Which Octane for '06 Sienna 3MZ- FE

[mshu7]

Hey guys, just bought a Sienna from my in-laws. Not sure what to use when it comes to octane. I've never had a vehicle that spec'ed anything other than 87 so I've always run 87. I wasn't sure though if I should be using 89 or 93 in this one though. Suggestions?

Here is what the manual says:

Fuel type:
Unleaded gasoline, Octane Rating 87
(Research Octane Number 91) or higher.
For improved vehicle performance, use premium unleaded gasoline with an Octane Rating of 91 (Research Octane Number 96) or higher.

Fuel tank capacity, L (gal., Imp. gal.):
79 (21, 17.5)

 

[hypervish]

91 octane.

 

[badtlc]

Sounds like manufacturers are finally going to be up front and let it be known what the minimum is while letting it be known you can do better than the minimum requirement.

 

[mshu7]

*Should have included this in my original post...

Around my area, our choices are 87, 89, or 93 octane - no 91.

 

[badtlc]

Originally Posted By: mshu7
*Should have included this in my original post...

Around my area, our choices are 87, 89, or 93 octane - no 91.


93 will provide you the best HP, MPGs and possibly detergent level depending on your brands of gas.

87 will work just fine for your car at the cost of what is listed above but you might save some $$ depending on the MPG difference.

 

[RiceCake]

You can run 87 octane, its just saying that 91 may afford more performance because of the engine design.

So if you want flatout performance from a minivan, go 91, and enjoy the extra timing advance and such, but regular 87 will be totally fine.

Expect plenty of responses here telling you 87 octane is evil though, and will somehow ruin the motor, which isn't the case. 87 octane will just cause the engine computer to be slightly more reserved in its firing profile.

Its not turbocharged either so there's really no reason to go premium only.

 

[AlienBug]

The manufacturer is recommending 87. Nothing else. 91 RON is NOT higher octane than 87.
The RON measure is NOT the same as the octane rating on the pump.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octane_rating

87 is all your engine requires.

 

[mshu7]

Thanks for all the fast responses guys!

 

[newtoncd8]

+1 to what RiceCake said.

We have the 3MZ-FE in our RX330 ... just turned 170K and have always run 85 in Colorado (87 elsewhere). Over the years, I tried a few tanks of premium and didn't notice any difference in MPG or power.

As usual, YMMV.

 

[JHZR2]

I recall around that time there was a big to-do because toyota effectively lied and misrated the output and MPGs on some cars (new Avalon, IIRC) because of their wording of the use of premium vs regular.

I believe they stated power output and EPA MPG with premium unleaded, but then didnt require it in the wording in the manual.

Reads to me that 87 is just fine, but youll get better MPGs and/or more power with 91.

So then youll have to do a CBA over a few tanks of each to see if the MPG improvements you see, if any, are worth the cost of premium.

Ill venture to guess no.

 

[badtlc]

Originally Posted By: AlienBug
The manufacturer is recommending 87. Nothing else. 91 RON is NOT higher octane than 87.
The RON measure is NOT the same as the octane rating on the pump.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octane_rating

87 is all your engine requires.


You should read it again. It gives both octane rating numbers (RON and (RON+MON)/2). It quite clearly says 91 octane ((Ron+Mon)/2) will provide optimal performance but 87 octane (RON+MON)/2 will operate fine, too.

 

[AlienBug]

Originally Posted By: badtlc
Originally Posted By: AlienBug
The manufacturer is recommending 87. Nothing else. 91 RON is NOT higher octane than 87.
The RON measure is NOT the same as the octane rating on the pump.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octane_rating

87 is all your engine requires.


You should read it again. It gives both octane rating numbers (RON and (RON+MON)/2). It quite clearly says 91 octane ((Ron+Mon)/2) will provide optimal performance but 87 octane (RON+MON)/2 will operate fine, too.


Just read it again.

And I am more than a little

at my apprent lack of comprehension.

 

[2oldtommy]

Fill it up with 89 or 91 octane if you feel like you have won the lottery. Otherwise, stick with good old 87. FWIW--Oldtommy

 

[john_pifer]

Like my Tacoma with the 1GR-FE, this engine will produce a few more HP/LB-FT on premium due to timing advance and possibly other factors.

I run my Tacoma on premium most of the time. I have noticed some pinging with low-test gas. However, the pinging happens almost exclusively under a certain set of circumstances - under load, at higher throttle openings, in higher gears (such as pulling up a hill with just enough throttle opening to maintain speed, but not enough to trigger a downshift). The spiking cylinder pressures under this particular set of circumstances causes the pinging.

 

[asiancivicmaniac]

If it recommends premium, then use premium because it will most likely net you better mpg and in the end will negate the extra cost. You'll also get better engine performance.

 

[mshu7]

Thanks again for all the suggestions guys. I'll maybe try a couple tanks of 93 just to see if there's any difference. However, I'll probably stick with 87 long-term since it's a mini-van & I don't plan on doing any track runs with it.