[Hoosier]

I am considering buying the 300h and asked the dealer what fuel it required. He tells me Premium Unleaded only. But I see on the specs posted on this forum and on a couple independent reviews, that it accepts regular unleaded. Is that true and can anyone comment if they are using unleaded fuel for their 300h and does the engine run fine with it or not.

 

[iride4u]

The 300h uses regular fuel, the turbos use premium.

 

[Kennedy]

I think the only downside to running regular over premium is just not as much power as you would get if running premium. If its a lease then you probably don't have to worry much about it, unless there are ways they can tell what you were using.

 

[mister]

I would do whatever the owner's manual tells you. I don't think you are going to have critical problems using lesser grade fuels, but it will likely affect your car's performance.

 

[iride4u]

Using regular fuel in an engine with a knock sensor should not hurt the engine. What in will do is hurt the power and increase fuel consumption.

 

[TheLex]

The manual should tell you what kind of fuel you need and if you're really unsure, you can always ask Lexus.

 

[Kennedy]

The manual should tell you what kind of fuel you need and if you're really unsure, you can always ask Lexus.

I find that most of the times people at dealerships will just go by the book without much technical knowledge that ventures out from the 'book'

One reason why I find it's helpful to ask on forums.

 

[iride4u]

When driving at higher altitudes you can use fuel that is lower octane than is recommended in the manual. Saving $4.00 per fill-up is not as important as keeping a vehicle running properly. I find that when I use mid grade fuel my gas mileage drops, sometimes considerably. The same goes if I get E15 instead of E10. When traveling sometimes I can find No-Al stations this will really increase power and gas mileage. Since most of my travel is by motorcycle both work and pleasure I run into many different types of fuel. One of the worst was in Kansas where I had been getting 250 miles between fuelling's, a tank of what ever it was dropped my range to just over 100 miles. The other was in Hanes Junction, Yukon where the Shell station was selling Benzene instead of gas. This really screwed up some motorcycles and killed gas mileage.
I find that when traveling the most important way to save fuel is to keep a smooth and steady speed and not speed. It also helps to follow someone. This year when traveling with in a group I was getting 55mpg on my BMW K1600, when traveling at speeds faster then what was posted the mileage dropped to the mid to high 30s.

 

[Kennedy]

When driving at higher altitudes you can use fuel that is lower octane than is recommended in the manual. Saving $4.00 per fill-up is not as important as keeping a vehicle running properly. I find that when I use mid grade fuel my gas mileage drops, sometimes considerably. The same goes if I get E15 instead of E10. When traveling sometimes I can find No-Al stations this will really increase power and gas mileage. Since most of my travel is by motorcycle both work and pleasure I run into many different types of fuel. One of the worst was in Kansas where I had been getting 250 miles between fuelling's, a tank of what ever it was dropped my range to just over 100 miles. The other was in Hanes Junction, Yukon where the Shell station was selling Benzene instead of gas. This really screwed up some motorcycles and killed gas mileage.
I find that when traveling the most important way to save fuel is to keep a smooth and steady speed and not speed. It also helps to follow someone. This year when traveling with in a group I was getting 55mpg on my BMW K1600, when traveling at speeds faster then what was posted the mileage dropped to the mid to high 30s.

You make a good point about what's best for the vehicle and it's one thing that concerns me when buying a used vehicle, not a lot of people have this mindset with their vehicles and don't know the right things to do... could be buying someones mess up.

 

[TheLex]

Didn't know some gas stations would sell instead of gas. Can they do that when associated with such a large cooperation .

 

[iride4u]

Didn't know some gas stations would sell instead of gas. Can they do that when associated with such a large cooperation .

The only place that I have seen Benzene is in Hanes Junction, Yukon. I would suspect that was all they could get at that time. I filled up a BMW K1200LT and did not notice the sticker on the pump. My MPG dropped considerably. I don't know if other stations in the area sell the same product. It really played havoc with Honda Gold Wing's.

 

[David]

The only place that I have seen Benzene is in Hanes Junction, Yukon. I would suspect that was all they could get at that time. I filled up a BMW K1200LT and did not notice the sticker on the pump. My MPG dropped considerably. I don't know if other stations in the area sell the same product. It really played havoc with Honda Gold Wing's.

There might be an APP or some Map that outlines exactly where you can find it. As long as there's some demand for something there's bound to be folks out there talking about it and even resources for it.

 

[iride4u]

There might be an APP or some Map that outlines exactly where you can find it. As long as there's some demand for something there's bound to be folks out there talking about it and even resources for it.

My thought is that is all they can or could get in that part of Canada. I have been back in the last 5 years so this may have changed.

 

[David]

IMO it's not worth it to look out for them, being a person that wants efficiency I always go for what's most common.