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Running 87

2879 Views 31 Replies 20 Participants Last post by  ridehigh, 
R
My V8 Tundra doesnt seem to like 87 octane. Makes a very loud knocking noise when accelerating! Put 91 in and it all goes away!!! anyone else experiencing this? :confused:
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tundrainorange
ridehigh said:
My V8 Tundra doesnt seem to like 87 octane. Makes a very loud knocking noise when accelerating! Put 91 in and it all goes away!!! anyone else experiencing this? :confused:
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I cant tell the difference, weather it's 87 or 91. The only time I put 91 in is if Im going to tow to the desert, just incase it does make a diff.
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R
thats interesting...i can tell a big difference in performance... or maybe its my imagination!!
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dyogim
I couldn't tell after my first 3 months. I ran 91 my first 3 months then switched to 87. I've used 87 since with no issues.
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Hugemoose
ridehigh said:
My V8 Tundra doesnt seem to like 87 octane. Makes a very loud knocking noise when accelerating! Put 91 in and it all goes away!!! anyone else experiencing this? :confused:
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Do you regularly run 91? If so the computer might have to adjust back to 87. I think what you're hearing is pinging. It's not bad unless it's really loud and happens a lot! Run 87 long enough and it should be ok. If not...try 89.

My brothers 99 3.0 liter Ford Ranger pings like crazy on 87...he's ran 93 for the past 6 years with no problem. Higher octane simply prevents early detonation, which is more important in forced induction motors.
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J
I've run 87 for the past 6 years and 136,000 miles. Occasionally I will put a tank of 91 in and cannot feel the difference or see the difference in mpg. Don't waste he money, use 87.
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J
Yes, I've noticed that when pulling a step hill at lower speeds, say 25mph, on hot days my Tundra will ping. I switched to 89 and don't get the pinging nearly as much as on 87.
It may also be related to the brand of gas, but haven't experimented with that to prove yet.
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T
Almost always run regular 87 unleaded. Ocassionally, I'll run a tank of premium (91) to keep the injectors clean. The manual suggests an octane rating of 87, and therefore that's what I use. Now ... if the manual stated premium unleaded was required, but mentioned that 87 could be used in cases where premium wasn't available, I might think differently.


Like someone previously stated, the computer will automatically adjust the timing based on the grade of fuel used. In Cali, we pay exorbitant fuel taxes for supposedly the "cleanest" burning fuel(s) in the country. One would think that 87 would be just fine.
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Hispeed
ridehigh said:
My V8 Tundra doesnt seem to like 87 octane. Makes a very loud knocking noise when accelerating! Put 91 in and it all goes away!!! anyone else experiencing this? :confused:
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My '00 has always run on 87 and never pinged or knocked.
Have you tried filling up at a different gas station? Maybe your regular gas station is selling crappy gas. It's worth a try.
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V
I've run 87 for the past 6 years and 136,000 miles. Occasionally I will put a tank of 91 in and cannot feel the difference or see the difference in mpg. Don't waste he money, use 87.
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Ditto. I used 91 in my 02 Tundra, thinking it would make a difference, but it never did. Now I use 87 and save the extra money for beer :).
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R
my 00' would ping on cold starts and on accerlation with 87. I put 10gal of 91 and its almost gone!! i use chevron and i am in Cali. What is everyone else running?!?!
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Dee Cab
First, octane ratings don't keep injectors clean. Additives do.

Second, gas is gas. The only difference in the brands is additives.

In fact, you're probably buying Chevron gas at Exxon and Valero gas at Wal-Mart. There are only three major pipelines coming out of the Houston-New Orleans region supplying fuel to the lower 48. Refineries pump in fuel but don't necessarily take theirs out. If Exxon puts in 10 million gallons on Monday they are allowed to take out 10 million the same day, even though what they put in is still only a couple of miles up the line. Exxon may pull out BP fuel, Valero may pull out Exxon fuel, and Chevron may pull out Shell. The fuel, regardless of who's it is, is then mixed off site with that companies additives. Gas is gas. Additives are the only difference.

Now consider that there are some 40 different blends of gasoline depending on which part of the country it is to be used and what time of year it is. You guys in CA are buring a different fuel then the guys in NE. Summer blends, winter blends, regional blends, and ethanol blends can make for comparing apples to oranges. What works in TX may not work in AZ.
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The Phoenix
Hugemoose said:
Do you regularly run 91? If so the computer might have to adjust back to 87. I think what you're hearing is pinging. It's not bad unless it's really loud and happens a lot! Run 87 long enough and it should be ok. If not...try 89.

My brothers 99 3.0 liter Ford Ranger pings like crazy on 87...he's ran 93 for the past 6 years with no problem. Higher octane simply prevents early detonation, which is more important in forced induction motors.
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Constant pinging is a bad thing. If anyone tows with their truck, consider running a higher grade fuel and you should not experience any problems.
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JustBNme
ridehigh said:
. . . What is everyone else running?!?!
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Recently asked and answered :rolleyes:. See Tazilla's thread.
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4Runnerspv
I have used 87 Octane since it was new! There hasn't been any problems with it.
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K
I've run 89 in mine since I bought it. It runs good, if I'm going to tow something for awhile I might throw in 91 but I would have to be in a really generious mood. If I get the turbo setup that I'm looking at it won't be nothing but 91 then on out!
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C
I use 87 and have had no problems in 12000 miles. Are you using different gas stations? Maybe it's bad gas.
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R
i use same octane everytime and same gas station everytime! i am just glad i finally found out what the noise was because it was driving me nuts!!!
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B
Here in Oregon we get really crappy gas across the board. Only one pipeline coming in from the Tacoma area and we get the "leftovers". My 02 Tundra pings noticably on the 87 stuff. Does much better on 91. Putting in octane booster or other additives helps too but that is expensive too.
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Cosmo459sx
in my 06 Tundra V6, it doesnt make a damn difference. 93 or 89 doesnt do any better than 87.
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