Gas for 07 Lexus 350

[u***@verizon.net]

I have a 2007 Lexus 350 which the dealer and car manual recommends
premium gasoline. Has anyone tried regular or plus or a mixture of
either? I live in the Northern Virginia area and "supposedly" be
blends of gasoline are somewhat different for this metropolitan area.
Appreciate any feedback.

[Ray O]

Post by u***@verizon.net
I have a 2007 Lexus 350 which the dealer and car manual recommends
premium gasoline. Has anyone tried regular or plus or a mixture of
either? I live in the Northern Virginia area and "supposedly" be
blends of gasoline are somewhat different for this metropolitan area.
Appreciate any feedback.

The part about "your mileage may vary" also applies to the use of regular or
mid grade fuel instead of premium. When you use lower octane fuel, the
engine knock sensors may detect knocking and retard ignition timing, which
will reduce the power the engine produces, which may reduce fuel economy.

Calculate the fuel economy you are getting with premium on a cost per mile
basis and compare with what you get with regular or mid-grade fuel. I've
found that fuel economy goes down a little with regular, so that on a cost
per mile basis, there is no difference between regular and premium except
for the slight loss of performance.

[Xplant]

Post by Ray O

Post by u***@verizon.net
I have a 2007 Lexus 350 which the dealer and car manual recommends
premium gasoline. Has anyone tried regular or plus or a mixture of
either? I live in the Northern Virginia area and "supposedly" be
blends of gasoline are somewhat different for this metropolitan area.
Appreciate any feedback.

The part about "your mileage may vary" also applies to the use of regular
or mid grade fuel instead of premium. When you use lower octane fuel, the
engine knock sensors may detect knocking and retard ignition timing, which
will reduce the power the engine produces, which may reduce fuel economy.
Calculate the fuel economy you are getting with premium on a cost per mile
basis and compare with what you get with regular or mid-grade fuel. I've
found that fuel economy goes down a little with regular, so that on a cost
per mile basis, there is no difference between regular and premium except
for the slight loss of performance.
--
Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

I remember reading this when gas was $2.00 a gallon (premium was say
$2.20/gallon or a 10% premium - so presumably you got 10% better mileage w/
premium).

Now gas is $4.00/gal (say premium $4.25/gal or 6.25% premium so you need
only 6.25% better mileage).

My question is, is the extra mileage really 6% or 10% better??

Frankly, I have tried to measure this on my car. I take the same 450 mile
(each way) trip every year, at about the same time of year, for the last 6-8
years and stop at the same stations. Frankly I haven't been able to prove
any consistent difference between premium and mid-grade in my SC400 as other
factors (temperature, wind, tire pressures/air filter restrictions/state of
tune, etc.) seem to offset the effects of difference in fuel. So now I just
stick with the mid-grade.

Xplant

[Ray O]

Post by Xplant

Post by Ray O

Post by u***@verizon.net
I have a 2007 Lexus 350 which the dealer and car manual recommends
premium gasoline. Has anyone tried regular or plus or a mixture of
either? I live in the Northern Virginia area and "supposedly" be
blends of gasoline are somewhat different for this metropolitan area.
Appreciate any feedback.

The part about "your mileage may vary" also applies to the use of regular
or mid grade fuel instead of premium. When you use lower octane fuel,
the engine knock sensors may detect knocking and retard ignition timing,
which will reduce the power the engine produces, which may reduce fuel
economy.
Calculate the fuel economy you are getting with premium on a cost per
mile basis and compare with what you get with regular or mid-grade fuel.
I've found that fuel economy goes down a little with regular, so that on
a cost per mile basis, there is no difference between regular and premium
except for the slight loss of performance.
--
Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

I remember reading this when gas was $2.00 a gallon (premium was say
$2.20/gallon or a 10% premium - so presumably you got 10% better mileage
w/ premium).
Now gas is $4.00/gal (say premium $4.25/gal or 6.25% premium so you need
only 6.25% better mileage).
My question is, is the extra mileage really 6% or 10% better??
Frankly, I have tried to measure this on my car. I take the same 450 mile
(each way) trip every year, at about the same time of year, for the last
6-8 years and stop at the same stations. Frankly I haven't been able to
prove any consistent difference between premium and mid-grade in my SC400
as other factors (temperature, wind, tire pressures/air filter
restrictions/state of tune, etc.) seem to offset the effects of difference
in fuel. So now I just stick with the mid-grade.
Xplant

Good question! I haven't calculated cost per mile since gas was $3.00 per
gallon so I don't know the answer. My guess is that as the price of gas
increases, you start to come out ahead with premium. I've been using
mid-grade for the past couple of months and have been getting between 18.5
and 18.9 MPG, while I used to get about 1 MPG better with premium.

[kitzler]

On May 26, 11:01 am, "Ray O" <rokigawaATtristarassociatesDOTcom>

Post by Ray O

Post by u***@verizon.net
I have a 2007 Lexus 350 which the dealer and car manual recommends
premium gasoline. Has anyone tried regular or plus or a mixture of
either? I live in the Northern Virginia area and "supposedly" be
blends of gasoline are somewhat different for this metropolitan area.
Appreciate any feedback.

The part about "your mileage may vary" also applies to the use of regular or
mid grade fuel instead of premium. When you use lower octane fuel, the
engine knock sensors may detect knocking and retard ignition timing, which
will reduce the power the engine produces, which may reduce fuel economy.
Calculate the fuel economy you are getting with premium on a cost per mile
basis and compare with what you get with regular or mid-grade fuel. I've
found that fuel economy goes down a little with regular, so that on a cost
per mile basis, there is no difference between regular and premium except
for the slight loss of performance.
--
Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

I heard that too, Ray, but at my 20K service stop, the Lexus rep
recommended I switch my 2006 GS300 engine from premium to regular. My
beef was actually sooty tailpipes, even though the car does not use
oil. Three things: (1) yes, some loss of power when not
downshifting, (2) no more hesitation when I stop quickly and try to
step on the gas immediately, like at a stop sign when there is no
oncoming traffic, and (3) about 10% better mileage on the highway... I
could not believe it, I thought maybe because the knock sensor had not
reset itself for less timing advance, when I switched to regular, but
after almost 14000 miles on regular, I cannot say I regret going to
regular. Now I may reduce engine valve life, because I think regular
burns hotter, but I do not plan to keep the car beyond 75K. Would
appreciate your feedback on my comments Ray! BTW, my tailpipes are as
sooty as ever, but I notice all GS300 have sooty tailpipes..

[Ray O]

Post by kitzler
On May 26, 11:01 am, "Ray O" <rokigawaATtristarassociatesDOTcom>

Post by Ray O

Post by u***@verizon.net
I have a 2007 Lexus 350 which the dealer and car manual recommends
premium gasoline. Has anyone tried regular or plus or a mixture of
either? I live in the Northern Virginia area and "supposedly" be
blends of gasoline are somewhat different for this metropolitan area.
Appreciate any feedback.

The part about "your mileage may vary" also applies to the use of regular or
mid grade fuel instead of premium. When you use lower octane fuel, the
engine knock sensors may detect knocking and retard ignition timing, which
will reduce the power the engine produces, which may reduce fuel economy.
Calculate the fuel economy you are getting with premium on a cost per mile
basis and compare with what you get with regular or mid-grade fuel. I've
found that fuel economy goes down a little with regular, so that on a cost
per mile basis, there is no difference between regular and premium except
for the slight loss of performance.
--
Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

I heard that too, Ray, but at my 20K service stop, the Lexus rep
recommended I switch my 2006 GS300 engine from premium to regular. My
beef was actually sooty tailpipes, even though the car does not use
oil. Three things: (1) yes, some loss of power when not
downshifting, (2) no more hesitation when I stop quickly and try to
step on the gas immediately, like at a stop sign when there is no
oncoming traffic, and (3) about 10% better mileage on the highway... I
could not believe it, I thought maybe because the knock sensor had not
reset itself for less timing advance, when I switched to regular, but
after almost 14000 miles on regular, I cannot say I regret going to
regular. Now I may reduce engine valve life, because I think regular
burns hotter, but I do not plan to keep the car beyond 75K. Would
appreciate your feedback on my comments Ray! BTW, my tailpipes are as
sooty as ever, but I notice all GS300 have sooty tailpipes..

Switching from regular to premium or vice versa should not have any effect
on the amount of soot visible in the tail pipes. Using regular will not
reduce engine valve life. The notion that regular burns hotter than premium
is an urban legend. Regular and premium fuel have the same BTU content and
burn at pretty much the same temperature. The difference between regular
and premium is in the additives and octane, which reduces the fuel's
tendency to detonate under compression.

If you switch from premium to regular, the ECU will reduce timing advance as
soon as it detects a signal from the knock sensors. If you accelerate
slowly and don't put a load on the engine, the ECU may never reduce timing
advance.

If you switch from regular to premium, it will take roughly 2 tanks of fuel
for the ECU to start to advance timing again.

[kitzler]

On May 27, 11:07 pm, "Ray O" <rokigawaATtristarassociatesDOTcom>

Post by Ray O

Post by kitzler
On May 26, 11:01 am, "Ray O" <rokigawaATtristarassociatesDOTcom>

Post by Ray O

Post by u***@verizon.net
I have a 2007 Lexus 350 which the dealer and car manual recommends
premium gasoline. Has anyone tried regular or plus or a mixture of
either? I live in the Northern Virginia area and "supposedly" be
blends of gasoline are somewhat different for this metropolitan area.
Appreciate any feedback.

The part about "your mileage may vary" also applies to the use of regular or
mid grade fuel instead of premium. When you use lower octane fuel, the
engine knock sensors may detect knocking and retard ignition timing, which
will reduce the power the engine produces, which may reduce fuel economy.
Calculate the fuel economy you are getting with premium on a cost per mile
basis and compare with what you get with regular or mid-grade fuel. I've
found that fuel economy goes down a little with regular, so that on a cost
per mile basis, there is no difference between regular and premium except
for the slight loss of performance.
--
Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

I heard that too, Ray, but at my 20K service stop, the Lexus rep
recommended I switch my 2006 GS300 engine from premium to regular. My
beef was actually sooty tailpipes, even though the car does not use
oil. Three things: (1) yes, some loss of power when not
downshifting, (2) no more hesitation when I stop quickly and try to
step on the gas immediately, like at a stop sign when there is no
oncoming traffic, and (3) about 10% better mileage on the highway... I
could not believe it, I thought maybe because the knock sensor had not
reset itself for less timing advance, when I switched to regular, but
after almost 14000 miles on regular, I cannot say I regret going to
regular. Now I may reduce engine valve life, because I think regular
burns hotter, but I do not plan to keep the car beyond 75K. Would
appreciate your feedback on my comments Ray! BTW, my tailpipes are as
sooty as ever, but I notice all GS300 have sooty tailpipes..

Switching from regular to premium or vice versa should not have any effect
on the amount of soot visible in the tail pipes. Using regular will not
reduce engine valve life. The notion that regular burns hotter than premium
is an urban legend. Regular and premium fuel have the same BTU content and
burn at pretty much the same temperature. The difference between regular
and premium is in the additives and octane, which reduces the fuel's
tendency to detonate under compression.
If you switch from premium to regular, the ECU will reduce timing advance as
soon as it detects a signal from the knock sensors. If you accelerate
slowly and don't put a load on the engine, the ECU may never reduce timing
advance.
If you switch from regular to premium, it will take roughly 2 tanks of fuel
for the ECU to start to advance timing again.
--
Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

Thanks for your feedback Ray!

/kitzler

[Ray O]

"kitzler" <***@optonline.net> wrote in message news:be39f7d3-38c6-4594-a495-***@k37g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
<snipped>

Post by kitzler
Thanks for your feedback Ray!
/kitzler

You're welcome!

[kitzler]

By the way, my friend's Toyota Avalon trip computer displays the mpg
with 0.1 mpg accuracy. My Lexus GS300 trip computer displays the mpg
with a CONSISTENT 1.5 mpg overage, meaning my actual mpg is exactly
1.5 mpg less than indicated. Just thought this might be interesting.

/Kitzler

[muzzy]

Bought my RX350 last July, have always used regular in it - no ill
effects and get great mileage for an SUV.

Post by u***@verizon.net
I have a 2007 Lexus 350 which the dealer and car manual recommends
premium gasoline. Has anyone tried regular or plus or a mixture of
either? I live in the Northern Virginia area and "supposedly" be
blends of gasoline are somewhat different for this metropolitan area.
Appreciate any feedback.

[Jay Somerset]

Post by u***@verizon.net
I have a 2007 Lexus 350 which the dealer and car manual recommends
premium gasoline. Has anyone tried regular or plus or a mixture of
either? I live in the Northern Virginia area and "supposedly" be
blends of gasoline are somewhat different for this metropolitan area.
Appreciate any feedback.

Regular grade won't hurt it, but your mileage won't be as good (the
timing gets retartded to avoid repeated pinging/knocking/detonation.

I find that the higher price of mid-grade gas is more than offset by
the better mileage, so almost always avoid regular for that reason. I
haver not found the additional cost of "super" to worth any further
slight improvement in mileage, so avoid that as well.

[Elmo P. Shagnasty]

Post by Jay Somerset
Regular grade won't hurt it, but your mileage won't be as good

It's not about the mileage, it's about the fuel cost per mile.

Period.

[Jay Somerset]

On Mon, 26 May 2008 17:45:19 -0400, "Elmo P. Shagnasty"

Post by Elmo P. Shagnasty

Post by Jay Somerset
Regular grade won't hurt it, but your mileage won't be as good

It's not about the mileage, it's about the fuel cost per mile.
Period.

Go back and re-read the referenced post -- that's what I said.

[j***@hotmail.com]

All modern engines will accommodate regular gas by retarding ignition
timing. Unless the manual say otherwise you can always use regular.

Post by u***@verizon.net
I have a 2007 Lexus 350 which the dealer and car manual recommends
premium gasoline. Has anyone tried regular or plus or a mixture of
either? I live in the Northern Virginia area and "supposedly" be
blends of gasoline are somewhat different for this metropolitan area.
Appreciate any feedback.

[jdoe]

Post by u***@verizon.net
I have a 2007 Lexus 350 which the dealer and car manual recommends
premium gasoline. Has anyone tried regular or plus or a mixture of
either? I live in the Northern Virginia area and "supposedly" be
blends of gasoline are somewhat different for this metropolitan area.
Appreciate any feedback.

I have an 05 rx 330, about the same vehicle, and have always run
regular gas with no ill effects, the possible issues from using
regular in this car could be a slight loss of engine power and very
slight hit on fuel economy, neither of which has been an issue in my
case
__________________________________________
Never argue with an idiot.
They'll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

[trailer]

since purchasing my 2007 RX350 new, I haven't used anything but premium.

if you believe the display, the car gets anywhere from 21-23 mpg, mostly
city driving. since I don't put a lot of miles on the car, I have never
used regular. I don't know about the accuracy of the MPG display.

now approaching 15k miles on odometer.

my $.02.

<***@verizon.net> wrote in message news:***@4ax.com...
I have a 2007 Lexus 350 which the dealer and car manual recommends
premium gasoline. Has anyone tried regular or plus or a mixture of
either? I live in the Northern Virginia area and "supposedly" be
blends of gasoline are somewhat different for this metropolitan area.
Appreciate any feedback.

[Gardis]

Post by trailer
since purchasing my 2007 RX350 new, I haven't used anything but premium.
if you believe the display, the car gets anywhere from 21-23 mpg, mostly
city driving. since I don't put a lot of miles on the car, I have never
used regular. I don't know about the accuracy of the MPG display.
now approaching 15k miles on odometer.
my $.02.
I have a 2007 Lexus 350 which the dealer and car manual recommends
premium gasoline. Has anyone tried regular or plus or a mixture of
either? I live in the Northern Virginia area and "supposedly" be
blends of gasoline are somewhat different for this metropolitan area.
Appreciate any feedback.

WOW, my BMW 328i with a 6cyliner (in line) gets 18-19mpg around town,
and up to 30mpg on the highway, and the engine is smaller than the RX.
That's extremely GOOD gas mileage. Have you checked that on a trip?
It's easy to do, I get 200+ miles around town on 11 gallons of gas.
Consistent.

[kitzler]

Post by Gardis
WOW, my BMW 328i with a 6cyliner (in line) gets 18-19mpg around town,
and up to 30mpg on the highway, and the engine is smaller than the RX.
That's extremely GOOD gas mileage. Have you checked that on a trip?
It's easy to do, I get 200+ miles around town on 11 gallons of gas.
Consistent.

Subtracting 1.5 mpg from my trip computer, I get around 18-21 mpg when
making short trips around town, but as soon as the car has really
warmed up (about 12-15 miles) then the mileage gets fabulous, with the
trip computer registering 32-34 mpg (30.5 - 31.5 actual). The mileage
is a bit less during cold weather, perhaps 1 mpg. And that's for a 3
Liter engine! I never used to get that much out of my prior 4 cyl
Chrysler product! Plus I use regular nowadays.

[01dyna]

On Fri, 30 May 2008 04:51:38 -0700 (PDT), kitzler

Post by kitzler

Post by Gardis
WOW, my BMW 328i with a 6cyliner (in line) gets 18-19mpg around town,
and up to 30mpg on the highway, and the engine is smaller than the RX.
That's extremely GOOD gas mileage. Have you checked that on a trip?
It's easy to do, I get 200+ miles around town on 11 gallons of gas.
Consistent.

Subtracting 1.5 mpg from my trip computer, I get around 18-21 mpg when
making short trips around town, but as soon as the car has really
warmed up (about 12-15 miles) then the mileage gets fabulous, with the
trip computer registering 32-34 mpg (30.5 - 31.5 actual). The mileage
is a bit less during cold weather, perhaps 1 mpg. And that's for a 3
Liter engine! I never used to get that much out of my prior 4 cyl
Chrysler product! Plus I use regular nowadays.

wait a minute. You're telling us that you're *averaging* over 30mpg?
The RX400h *averages* 21mpg and it's a hybrid!

Incidentally, I test drove the RX400h and didn't like it *at all*. For
a vehicle that cost over $40k, it barely got better mpg than an
RX350 and it was noisy and cramped and the navigation system was
grainy and discolored and looked like it hadn't been upgraded since
1995.

We had hoped that Lexus would of made a hybrid version of their ES350
(to coincide with Toyota's hybrid Camry) but they never have so last
weekend we traded in my wifes 2000 ES300 for an 07 Hybrid Camry.

Wow..it's an incredible car. We *average* 38mpg in the city and 37
on the highway (better mpg in the city where it's running
predominately on electrics). The navigation system and fit and finish
rivals a Lexus and it was only $28k.

And it's *creepy* quiet. Something you have to be careful about since
pedistrians often won't hear you coming up on them.

[Elmo P. Shagnasty]

Post by 01dyna
We had hoped that Lexus would of made a hybrid version of their ES350

"would of"?

What planet are you from?

[01dyna]

On Sat, 31 May 2008 10:25:57 -0400, "Elmo P. Shagnasty"

Post by Elmo P. Shagnasty

Post by 01dyna
We had hoped that Lexus would of made a hybrid version of their ES350

"would of"?
What planet are you from?

I'm certain it's not yours knucklehead.

[Elmo P. Shagnasty]

Post by 01dyna
On Sat, 31 May 2008 10:25:57 -0400, "Elmo P. Shagnasty"

Post by Elmo P. Shagnasty

Post by 01dyna
We had hoped that Lexus would of made a hybrid version of their ES350

"would of"?
What planet are you from?

I'm certain it's not yours knucklehead.

Ah. So you think the phrase is "would of". Right. Gotcha.

[St. John Smythe]

Post by Elmo P. Shagnasty

Post by 01dyna
On Sat, 31 May 2008 10:25:57 -0400, "Elmo P. Shagnasty"

Post by Elmo P. Shagnasty

Post by 01dyna
We had hoped that Lexus would of made a hybrid version of their ES350

"would of"?
What planet are you from?

I'm certain it's not yours knucklehead.

Ah. So you think the phrase is "would of". Right. Gotcha.

Lighten up, Elmo. "Would have" is abbreviated "would've," which is
pronounced "would of."

Surely you must have bigger issues worthy of your attention.

[01dyna]

On Sat, 31 May 2008 16:58:31 -0400, "St. John Smythe"

Post by St. John Smythe

Post by Elmo P. Shagnasty

Post by 01dyna
On Sat, 31 May 2008 10:25:57 -0400, "Elmo P. Shagnasty"

Post by Elmo P. Shagnasty

Post by 01dyna
We had hoped that Lexus would of made a hybrid version of their ES350

"would of"?
What planet are you from?

I'm certain it's not yours knucklehead.

Ah. So you think the phrase is "would of". Right. Gotcha.

Lighten up, Elmo. "Would have" is abbreviated "would've," which is
pronounced "would of."
Surely you must have bigger issues worthy of your attention.

I've killfiled him already. Rarely does he have anything worthwhile to
contribute anyway.

He's lonely and screams for attention.

[Ray Goldenberg]

Post by 01dyna
On Sat, 31 May 2008 16:58:31 -0400, "St. John Smythe"

Post by St. John Smythe

Post by Elmo P. Shagnasty

Post by 01dyna
On Sat, 31 May 2008 10:25:57 -0400, "Elmo P. Shagnasty"

Post by Elmo P. Shagnasty

Post by 01dyna
We had hoped that Lexus would of made a hybrid version of their ES350

"would of"?
What planet are you from?

I'm certain it's not yours knucklehead.

Ah. So you think the phrase is "would of". Right. Gotcha.

Lighten up, Elmo. "Would have" is abbreviated "would've," which is
pronounced "would of."
Surely you must have bigger issues worthy of your attention.

I've killfiled him already. Rarely does he have anything worthwhile to
contribute anyway.

One always wonders about those who feel the need to proclaim that
they've killfiled someone.

Apparently, simply doing it is not enough?

[01dyna]

On Sat, 31 May 2008 20:17:02 -0400, Ray Goldenberg

Post by Ray Goldenberg
One always wonders about those who feel the need to proclaim that
they've killfiled someone.
Apparently, simply doing it is not enough?

not really, please re-read what I posted. I merely told someone else
what I did to remove the annoyance, not that I was proclaiming to
anyone else (especially the person I KF'd), that I did.

[Elmo P. Shagnasty]

Post by 01dyna
weekend we traded in my wifes 2000 ES300 for an 07 Hybrid Camry.
Wow..it's an incredible car. We *average* 38mpg in the city and 37
on the highway (better mpg in the city where it's running
predominately on electrics).

You need to study up. It's not running "predominantly on electrics" at
all.

[01dyna]

On Sat, 31 May 2008 10:26:35 -0400, "Elmo P. Shagnasty"

Post by Elmo P. Shagnasty

Post by 01dyna
weekend we traded in my wifes 2000 ES300 for an 07 Hybrid Camry.
Wow..it's an incredible car. We *average* 38mpg in the city and 37
on the highway (better mpg in the city where it's running
predominately on electrics).

You need to study up. It's not running "predominantly on electrics" at
all.

funny..you own one? Oh..that's right. *I* do.

[Elmo P. Shagnasty]

Post by 01dyna

Post by Elmo P. Shagnasty

Post by 01dyna
Wow..it's an incredible car. We *average* 38mpg in the city and 37
on the highway (better mpg in the city where it's running
predominately on electrics).

You need to study up. It's not running "predominantly on electrics" at
all.

funny..you own one? Oh..that's right. *I* do.

Ummmmm.....yes, I own a Prius. Same Hybrid Synergy Drive system as the
Camry.

Study up. It's not running "predominantly on electrics" at all.

Say, somewhere else someone was having a discusson about throwing away
the owner's manual and instead relying on random strangers on the Usenet
to tell him how to maintain his car.

And you would be one of those random strangers, claiming to know things.
Hmmmm.