Lexus LS 2007+ :: Fuel Fault Causing Hesitation Upon Acceleration

It was the fuel. I had been experiencing a hesitation when going from a cruising speed...to WOT (wide open throttle) situations. The car would kind of just hang there for a couple of seconds, not really going anywhere. This situation was a bit - I wouldn't call it scary - but I would call it something I needed to be concerned/mindful of when pulling into traffic or switching lanes on a highway, etc....it made you have to take into account how much more space you'd need to do such a maneuver.

Well the problem is gone, it was the fuel. And it was my own fault. I was buying Super one week, then supplementing mid grade the next...mixing the two and lowering the octane level. Plus I was buying the gas at a station that was cheap. My logic was that I drive 600 miles a week...I'm trying to save a few bucks, etc...the guy I bought the car off of said he was doing the same thing with the fuel (and he's a Lexus tech)...and for the most part I didn't notice much of anything in loss of fuel mileage, etc.

The hesitation wasn't something that really bothered me because I usually don't find myself in situations where I have to mash the gas pedal into the floor, but I did want to know why the car was acting like that. After reading through a bunch of threads I came upon one post that said most of the time it's the fuel, but there is a reprogramming procedure as well. For me it was the fuel. I know others have solved an entirely different problem with the quality of their oil (TGMO).

So if you're going with a lesser grade of fuel...yes your miles per gallon won't really change...and no you won't be able to tell much of a difference...but don't be surprised if your car doesn't want to move in hard acceleration situations for a spell (I imagine it's the knock sensors kicking in).