Premium DOES make a difference

[angelo]

Looking at the 2006 Toyota models on their web site (<a href="http://www.toyota.com/vehicles/2006/camry/specs.html">here</a>) I noticed that Camry 3.0l V6 makes only 190HP and 3.3l V6 only 210hp on regular.
Good thing they kept the Solara ratings with premium.
So YES, Premium DOES make a difference

[Mandarinsolara]

rephrase in connected thoughts please

[theprodigy79]

That appears to be accurate... The Camry SE 3.3 is rated at 210 with a [3] by it.. if you click that it says "achieved using regular fuel"... The Solara 3.3 is rated at 225 with a [2] by it... if you click the 2 it states "achieved using premium fuel"... considering they are the same engines that would seem to be the case, however I am wondering if there may be other minor differences beside that (exhaust layout, etc..) and that happens to be more of a coincedence. After all.. the Sienna has the same engine as us with 5 additional hp and 2 additional FtLbs of torque with no bracketed number, implying that the engine is somewhat tweakable... since the Solara is the Camry's "sporty" sister, they may have just tweaked it a bit more... I still don't like the fact that we're outdone by a damned minivan...

[angelo]

rephrase in connected thoughts please

I referred to a previous thread where many members claimed there is NO DIFFERENCE in power between regular and premium.

[Lone Solara]

The difference is not only based on octane. The VVTI system allows Toyota to adjust the engine output, and hence the power and torque. There was someone on this forum who's working at a Lexus dealership and he made this exact point - sorry, I'm too lazy to look up the name right now. Anyway, the Solara, Sienna, Highlander, RX330 and ES330 all have the same engine/transmission, yet the SUVs usually have 5 more horsepower and 2 more ft-lbs. On the other hand, they are heavier by up to 700 lbs. Still, it would be nice for Toyota to give us the same power in the Solara, since they can clearly do it.

[Mandarinsolara]

was it just me or didnt someone just say they have completely different exhaust setups, and plus our solaras are not built around the option of towing something.

im tired of flippin idiots

[silversurfer220]

I agree- Premium does make a huge difference. One of my friends has a 2005 SLE v6 with 9,000 miles had has been using the cheap, unleaded fuel in his car since day one. My 04 SLE v6 with 8,000 miles has had premium since day one and gets 5-6 mpg better than the car using the regular (lower octane) fuel. I was surprised, but the numbers showed, so I will continue to buy the premium fuel. Its not that much more than regular. When the car has been on the highway, I have gotten the mileage up to 34 mpg's (per the trip computer). I did the calculation myself and it was right.

[Astro]

I still disagree. What does showing a 3.0L against a 3.3L show? The 3.3L should have more power to begin with anyways. Plus, the Solara comes stock with more HP than the Camry. So, what are you guys trying to say? The difference in 87 - 91 (Ca.) wouldn't give you any HP increase, it may give you a little more MPG (I doubt it though). Besides, every car is different, it'd be rare to see 2 of the same cars perform exactly the same. Remember, Toyota designes their engines to perform at maximum efficiency with the specified octane. So, if anybody can show me dyno numbers better with 91 octane instead of 87 octane, I'll give you a cookie.

[theprodigy79]

Hey SoCallara, I concur with you, however just to clarify the engines of comparison are the Camry SE 3.3 and the Solara 3.3... not the Camry 3.0.

[TW85]

Interesting how Toyota now states the rating is with premium fuel. My '04 brochure does not say anything about the octane rating (as far as I can find).

[Astro]

Hey SoCallara, I concur with you, however just to clarify the engines of comparison are the Camry SE 3.3 and the Solara 3.3... not the Camry 3.0.

Even then, the Solara comes with more HP standard.

[Lone Solara]

Hey Astro, I was actually (mostly) agreeing with your position, but I guess I didn't make it very clear. I was trying to make the point that Toyota tunes the engine to a particular output, and that octane has a minimal effect on horsepower. Octane CAN have an effect on horsepower if the regular gas is not quite regular (say 85 instead of 87 for whatever reason). In that case the engine might delay the spark timing in order to prevent detonation, which in turn will decrease horsepower.

That being said, the Solara is rated at 225hp and 240ft-lbs with REGULAR gas (I looked it up in the owner's manual, that's Toyota's recommendation.) So, if you trust your gas station's regular gas to be indeed regular, there's no horsepower gain from using premium gas. There's about a 1.5-2 mpg improvement however (based on personal observation.)

[Lone Solara]

Interesting how Toyota now states the rating is with premium fuel. My '04 brochure does not say anything about the octane rating (as far as I can find).

I'm wondering if it's got something to do with gas consumption. They rate the V6 at 21/29. The 21 to me is VERY optimistic; I was getting about 18 in the city with normal driving, less after a race on TV.

[MikeATL]

I agree the premium doesnt make a difference. Toyota probably tweeks the engines for each vehicle for performance (power/weight, etc), but that probably affects mpg, so where as 18 mpg might be acceptable for a SUV, it would be seen as too low for cars in our (solara) class.

[Turbosolara]

I think premium might make difference at solara (or maybe camry and other toyota's). Because the user manual said, for optimum performance, please use premium fuel. honda civic user manual just straight out tell you to use 87 octane. however, for 3.3L vvti, high compression, i think it make sense 91 octane can make the car runs better.