I read many articles online and people have different opinions about this issue. Some say 89 is the best for acceleration. Others say 87 is just fine.
I'm worried only about the health of my car. So I read my user manual. Here are the screenshots. I'm not sure, but SE probably stands for sport edition. So should I use better than 87? I just want to use whatever is best for my RAV4's health.
Realistically, if the manual and the manufacturer are stating you should use 87 octane, that's really what you should use. If you purchase more expensive 89, 91, or 93, you are just wasting money. The higher the octane rating, the harder it is for fuel to burn (or ignite). If the vehicle was specified to use 93, then that's what you should buy or you risk engine damage. You run no risk to the engine by running what the manufacturer says. You'll also gain no performance advantage from running the higher octane, mainly because the engine (and computer tune) are not designed to use it.
The acid test is if you try a lower octane fuel, if you hear any "knocking" sounds under hard acceleration (perhaps up a hill), then you definitely need a higher octane rating. As Paulster2 mentions, there will not be any performance improvement, in spite of what a lot of people say. The octane rating is just a measure of resistance to knocking. I have a 2003 Toyota Celica GT-S that recommends premium and it runs fine on mid-grade, saving me $2.00 or more on every tank of gas.
87 will work, 89 is optimal, 93 will also work but uses a bit more (will start to run leaner but the computer easily compensates but using more fuel) 87 better for winter (no difference over 89), 89 better for summer (helps when underhood is HOT when you have the A/C running AND trying to keep the engine around operating temp.
I would maybe avoid the absolute cheapest/oldest gas stations as there might be water/rust contamination issues. That would pose a greater threat to your engines health than just running 87 all the time.
If the manual says 87 octane (or higher), that is all you need to run, 87 octane gas. The engine is designed to run at that octane rating optimally. You can run higher octane gasoline, but all you are doing is spending money you don't need to spend. My daughters Acura TL requires 93 octane fuel and running less impacts performance and can ping. My Ecoboost twin turbo is designed for 87 octane fuel and runs perfect all day long as it was designed to run on 87 Octane. Towing a camper makes no difference as the computer compensates. Higher octane for towing would help but isn't necessary ass the computer compensates for the octane fuel used. You can go higher, but shouldn't go lower than the minimum required.
Sunoco used to have a pump with five grades of fuel years ago all the way down to 85 octane (could blend 85, 87, 89, 91 and 93 at the pump). Sunoco 85 Octane would be used only for low compression engines or at the time, people trying to save some money as it was the least expensive fuel then.
Use a good grade 87 octane fuel and save your money.
I recommend using 89 . I have 2015 RAV4 . 89 does give you a better acceleration, you are right.
So go with 89 . This is the golden average . Your manual says 87 or higher . So anything above 87 is okay. However, i wouldn't go with 93 . Be cautious 93 may result in unburnt fuel that is not very good
Every modern (fuel injected) car will run fine on any type of gasoline you can get on a decent gas station. The car has an engine computer that adjusts many parameters multiple times per second to get optimal performance no matter the temperature, air pressure, octane rating, throttle position, hill slope etc.
A different octane rating may make a very small difference in mileage or peak performance. I personally tank the cheapest. Never experienced any measurable difference.
The manufacturer probably has to put octane rating in the manual to get certification right (otherwise someone would tank 50% water and sue, claiming that is runs sluggish...).
