Premium Fuel for LR4

[LR4ME]

I stumbled across an old thread and thought this was awesome! I'll never understand owners that try to pinch pennies on gas for a $60K vehicle. Why would you want your performance and economy diminished?

Trekker, interested to see if you have crunched the numbers to confirm you actually get better mileage/economy using premium? Everything I've read from consumer reports/Car Talk/Edmunds etc, and my limited experiments show absolutely no noticeable improvement in mileage from using premium, and I haven't used premium in a couple years now with no issues as a result. I understand that premium may improve performance under heavy acceleration, but if you're trying to set a 0-60 PR every time you get on the interstate, I'm guessing you don't care about economy in the first place.
TL;DR - Just cause I lined the pockets of whoever owns LR these days doesn't mean I want to line the pockets of ExxonMobil et al any more than I need to.

 

[Trekker]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread that has obviously caused some butthurt. When I pop open the cover over the fuel filler cap, it says "premium fuel recommended". I don't care what Car Talk/Edmunds or whomever says, I'm going with the engineers that built the damn thing. I just find it ironic that people buy a premium vehicle and get stingy at the pump.

 

[LR4ME]

I would guarantee the "Premium Fuel Recommended" sticker wasn't put there by an engineer, chief. A lawyer/accountant/marketing person worried about being sued for false advertising yes, but the engineers who built the engine with electronic control systems to adjust for different fuel mixes?

 

[Trekker]

I get it that it will work with different octane fuel. If that's your choice to use a lower octane than recommended, then so be it. The tires also go round with less than recommended air pressure. I choose to follow the manufacturer's recommendations. You could probably buy a coffee at Starbucks with what you save on filling the tank. I'm just amused with the irony, that's all. I just wish I could get a diesel LR4 and this would be a moot point.

 

[umbertob]

It's your money, use whatever unladed fuel makes you happy. Land Rover only recommends, it does not require, premium grade fuel for this specific engine. I am happiest when my car performs at its peak, and you can only achieve that by using 91 octane or better, so that's what I use unless I don't have a choice (e.g. my gas station ran out of premium and only has mid-grade or regular unleaded available.) That's worth more to me than saving maybe 15-20 bucks a month, and that figure is probably debatable when you account for the reduced fuel economy of using lesser octane fuel. The Owner's Manual says it best:

OCTANE RATING
Premium unleaded gasoline with a Cost of
Living Council (CLC) or Anti Knock Index (AKI)
octane rating of 91 or higher should be used.

NOTICE:
Even a very small amount of leaded fuel will
damage your vehicle’s emission control
system and could invalidate the emissions
warranty. In addition, leaded fuel will damage
the oxygen sensors in the fuel injection system
and also seriously damage the catalytic
converter.
Note: Federal law requires that gasoline octane
ratings be posted on the pumps.
Note: Mid or regular grade gasoline with a CLC
or AKI rating of not lower than 87 may also be
used, but performance and fuel economy will
be reduced.

Using unleaded fuel with a lower than
recommended octane rating, can cause a
persistent, heavy engine knock (a metallic
rapping noise). If severe, this can lead to
engine damage.

 

[Trekker]

Some gas stations in my area offer ethanol-free premium fuel, which is even more of an incentive to use premium.

http://pure-gas.org/

 

[umbertob]

In my area (Southern California), the closest one appears to be in friggin' Nevada.

 

[samcarloso]

Off topic, speaking about savings. I just got back from getting an oil change from my local land rover dealer and the prices of oil changes went down from $249 to $199. I am not sure if this goes for all land rover dealerships.

 

[stmcknig]

I would like the choice to buy non-ethanol adulterated gas, even if it meant I paid more for it (but why should I?). Ethanol has no business being in the fuel tank.