I just read a review of the Lincoln MKZ on Edmunds. In their review, it mentioned that the Camry and it's big sister Lexus ES350 require Premium fuel to achieve peak performance and hp/tq ratings. I have no found this to be true in the manual or any other reviews. The Camry does have a high compression ratio similar to the Nissan Altima which definately requires premium fuel. I haven't found any review of the Camry or any literature showing the Camry does need premium fuel. Does the Camry require premium fuel to achieve peak performance?

 

No use 87.

 

does not require premium fuel to run, but most tests run premium. 87-91 you can feel a difference in startup and flat out acceleration. Simple test...run tank empty with 87, refill with 91.

 

If the car was tuned to run on 87, then high octane will make no difference in performance. Normally, the owners manual will comment on this stating something to the fact that the car was designed to run on 87, but the use of premium fuel will increase performance. Nissan states point blank that 91 ocatane is recommended and if it's not available you can use 87. The ECU will retard timing and decrease performance by about 7hp. I've made the grave mistake in the past thinking that premium provides better performance and once you continue to use premium, the car hates going back. Since premium burns so slowly, it will create carbon buildup on the plugs.

 

from what you said i can only vouch for hard to go back to regular.
if a car gets used to running higher than 87, trying to run 87 results in a not so happy car, and it might even cause knocking.

 

Of course the Lexus ES350 has the same exact engine and recommends Premium fuel and gets an extra 4hp and 6ft/lbs of torque. I would assume that this would also provide better fuel economy since the Camry weighs in at 100 lbs less.

 

yep. the cost/benifit equation comes into play here. Typically cost outweighs benifit, but if you run 89 octane the equation kind of balances out.

 

I run 89 for exactly the reason nodrogkam said.