Does anyone have any suggestions on the type of gas to use in the Prius? 87, 89 or 93. Do you know if you get better gas milage with the higher Octane rating? Will it throw the timing off? Please help.
The octane rating of gas is a measure of the temperature at which it will self-ignite. High-compression engines need high octane gas to prevent premature ignition, but high-octane gas actually has slightly less energy than low octane gas. Read your owner's manual!!! It clearly states the octane rating of the gas. Basically, use Regular gas.
At high altitudes, "regular" gas is 85 octane, which is perfectly appropriate for the Prius. If, however, you're just passing through somplace high on a road trip, you might want to consider filling up with the 87 octane grade so you'll have the proper grade when you're at normal altitude.
From our FAQ:http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Toyota_Prius/FAQ#Fuel_System, and search PriusChat using the keyword octane for the many, many,many, many, many threads.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jedirock @ Jun 26 2006, 10:39 PM) [snapback]277180[/snapback]</div> Do you have your Prius yet jedirock? I note your Prius as a option #9. Daniel, he may not have an owners manual to read yet. This was his first post here. Lets give him a break. Welcome to PriusChat jedirock.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Three60guy @ Jun 26 2006, 09:27 PM) [snapback]277211[/snapback]</div> ...And search isn't working...
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daniel @ Jun 26 2006, 08:51 PM) [snapback]277188[/snapback]</div> You need higher octane gas to prevent knocking, not pre-ignition. Knock and premature ignition are not the same thing. Knock and detonation are the same thing. Pre-ignition is different. See the Gasoline FAQ or Wikipedia for the distinction.
