“Gas is very expensive.”
While most cars run on regular gas, some luxury and high performance vehicles run on premium. But what happens if you use regular instead?
That’s what one man decided to try with his wife’s Lexus.
In a TikTok series with over 13,000 views as of this writing, Brohan (@xxbrohanxx) films himself at a Sam’s Club getting gas and wondering if using regular gas will harm the Lexus long term.
“Gas is very expensive. It’s like $4 for regular and about $4.75 cents for premium,” he begins.
With the rising costs in gasoline, Brohan has been saving money by using regular 87 in his wife’s Lexus RX 350 instead of premium.
“I’m supposed to use 91 octane… but I’ve just been using 87 for the meantime because how freaking expensive gas is,” he says.
“Is there any downsides on this Lexus to just run 87? I want to know if anyone else is just running 87 on their Lexuses that say premium,” he continues, adding, “The total to fill up this car from basically empty, $66.56 for regular. That’s insane.”
People who commented on the post warned Brohan that he could cause long term damage to the Lexus. But many thought that it was fine temporarily.
“Short term, no. Longer term, yes,” one wrote.
“Your car is designed to handle the change in octane, but ideally you want 91. On 87 it will run sluggish and less efficiently,” another added.
“Internal engine components will wear down a lot faster than normal. If I’m correct that car isn’t turbocharged so it’s not AS much of an issue but try to stick to what is recommended by the manufacturer,” someone else said.
Other viewers urged him to use the recommended fuel type.
“If it says use premium then use premium. Don’t ask people on social media. You’re going to get a wide range of answers that won’t lead you anywhere. Don’t damage your wife’s vehicle trying to be cheap,” one commented.
A second said, “My last two personal vehicles require premium fuel and the last time I tried using regular, the car didn’t like it causing it to misfire.”
With the rising costs of gasoline, consumers are looking for new ways to save money. Some drivers have selected 87 octane gas over 91 premium to save a few extra bucks. But there are risks associated with using lower grade gas than your vehicle requires.
Premium gas is specifically designed for high performance engines.
According to Kelley Blue Book, putting in regular gas in a vehicle that requires premium once won’t hurt the vehicle. However, doing this consistently can hurt the engine’s performance and create more damage in the long run. Doing this over time may cause engine knocking and pinging, Cars.com reports.
Using regular gas will cause carbon to build up in the engine. This buildup damages the piston rings over time, Griffin Muffler notes.
It’s also important to note that ignoring the octane rating requirements can potentially void your warranty and impact the vehicle’s resale value.
Motor1 has contacted Brohan via TikTok direct message and commented on the post. This post will be updated if he replies.
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