rlominski

Hi all,

Looking thorugh my manual it states the the TSX (05 model) requires gas with 91 octane (I think it is 90 or 91), anway, the only way to get that octane around me is with premium gas (much more expensive).

The dealer says that regular (86 octane ) is just fine, but when the manual states it in multiple places I take is seriously.

What does everybody else buy?

Rob

dom

You don't say

sauceman

I mostly use 91 or 93.

Sometimes I resort to 87 when I'm somewhere where prices are crazy. I try to avoid it though, bacuse the car drives like

I need to see that fuel economy is affected by 87 octane though.

xpolosp0rtx

at my local gas station, i purchase midgrade (89 octane) because 91 is so much more expensive, and 87 just blows. however, if i'm around south jersey the prices are a lot better and i spring for 91.

slight difference in performance with lower octanes but no damage. very very slight difference between 89 and 91, but 87 you'll notice the drop.

gsclifton

iTrader: (2)

I would sell that TSX as fast as possible and get a Civic if Premium is too much coin.

I put in 93 since that is all that is avail in my area as Premium.

Wolfpack_TSX_22

My baby has only and forever will, taste the sweet nector of premium.

Plus in reality, whats a couple of dollars more and fill up for peace of mind that your not jacking up your car.

dom

Its about 200-300 per year on average.

I'll stick to premium.

stogie1020

(No Hijack Intended) Does anyone else use Costco gas? Any issues with quality of the 91 octane for the TSX?

thS777

Which brings me to one of things that I don't understand, that there are some people out there prefer to drive around and far just to find the cheapest gas even though it's only 5 cents difference. Even for full tank, it'd only be a saving of less than a dollar. I just don't get it...

osubuckeye98

I only use premium, mid-grade (89) if premium is sold out, which is rarely the case.

The manual recommends premium because the TSX engine has a high compression ratio. High octane gas is less likely to combust under high compression, which means less chance of knocking, which means your engine will last longer and you'll get the performance and MPG you expect.

If you take the "sport" part of the equation out of the TSX and drive it like a buick, then you can stick with standard grade gas.

LoveMyTL-S

My car gets only the best, 93 octane for my saaaweeetttt ride

Powered by Honda

Here in Canada 94 Octane baby!!!! Thats what I would put in my TSX if I owned one.....in a year I will be doing that...

Jim Holloman

Do the math and you might be surprised.

In my area, there is often only 10 cents per gallon difference between 89 octane and 93 octane. So,

20,000 miles per year / 25 mpg = 800 gals.
800 gals. * 0.10 differential in cost = $80.00 per year.

Even if Premium was $0.20 per gallon more than 89 octane, it is still only $160.00 per year, or about 1/180 of the price of the car; excluding interest costs. In other words, you would need to accumulate the savings from buying a lower grade gasoline for 180 years before it would provide the cash needed to buy another TSX.

I am convinced that higher octane gas provides more mpg. If so, then the difference is even less than that shown by the numbers.

Jim Holloman

Now, I know that my statement will probably offend some people. But, in my opinion, the TSX was not built, nor intended, for people on tight budgets. If you have to be concerned about an extra $200.00-$300.00 per year, then you probably paid too much for an automobile.

I imagine a lot of people that express concern about the high cost of Premium gasoline can also be found at the Starbucks counter. I don' t know about others, but a dollars worth of gasoline will do a lot more for me than a dollars worth of coffee.

escape-artist

Chevron premium...today, tomorrow, forever. Unless you want to jack your ride.

05_TSX_GP

Same here for my sweet TSX man!!!

AlterZgo

I think the biggest issue is the fact that you have to sit in line for about a hour to get to a pump at Costco. Frankly, the gas isn't all that cheap either. Something like 5 cents less a gallon. I'd rather just pay the extra amt and pump up right away rather than sit and idle for an hour wasting gas and time just to save 75 cents a tank.

Alin10123

You can use a lower grade of gas. The only thing that will do is cause pinging (preignition). Our engines actually have a knock sensor in there to detect pinging and will actually retard the timing of the engine to stop the preignition.
As a result, you have less MPG and way less performance. Your engine will drive like the current generation accord 4cyl.

So... basically the money you save with using regular vs premium, its going to be eaten up by the less MPG you get.
So... conclusion...
If you pay for premium, it may end up costing you the same amount of $$ and you'll get the performance this engine was intended to dish out.

euroStyle

ok, CA having the highest gas prices, how much are you guys paying for gas?
here in los angeles, i pay from $2.69 to about $2.89 for 91.

Mega

I am totally not offended. But I just figured I'd shed some insight on my line of thinking since it's different than yours...

To me every dollar matters. I purchased a TSX because I found it to be worth the money for the level of vehicle you get. I did drive 100 miles out of town to save $800 on it though, and that was worth it (to me). I think of money in its buying power, not in dollars. So if you say saving $250/yr isn't significant... just start thinking about what $250 actually buys and it may change your mind. That would buy about two years of XM radio... it would buy a really nice MP3 player, or that new Sony PSP portable gaming device. Even if it's only $80/yr, it's still money. Whatever you're into, just think about what money gets you. I'm not saying $250 for better gas isn't worth it (to you)... but I've tested my car with 93, 91, and 89 octane, and thus far, for the way I drive my car (which isn't hard) I get almost exactly the same gas mileage, and the performance difference is not even perceivable, and I've yet to hear any knowledgeable expert say that buying 2 octane less than recommended will hurt your car in any way. So I've standardized on 89. I can afford 93. But I'd rather use 89, and save the extra $$ for other things I enjoy. I think one reason why I can afford nice things is that I don’t flippantly spend money, I think about every purchase I make, and how much I will get out of it vs. what it costs.

While on this subject, another thing I see people do is think of money as in percentage rather than literal dollars. In other words, saving $800 off a car doesn't seem like a big deal, but saving $800 on a television would be huge. To me $800 is $800, so what does it matter if you're saving it off a big or small purchase? It's still savings. So that translates all the way down to saving 10 cents per gallon. It adds up. Period.

Oh, and P.S. I have never once purchased coffee at Starbucks. :p

n3ok318

iTrader: (1)

it's ONLY $3 dollar difference.. put premium for ur car. plus, car gets better mileage with 91 i think

sauceman

I'd like to add that one of my best MPG records ever was done with 87 octane, so I think the whole premium gas gets you better mileage is moot. But I want to test it out in a controlled way first before I go around saying it's anything more than an impression.

Master47

And...the counterpoint.

I think of it this way....as gas gets more expensive, premium gas gets incrementally more affordable. Assuming the current cost structure constant. HAHA-how you ask?

Well look at it this way...so far (at least around here), premium (91-93) is generally $.20 more than regular (87) per gallon, unless you consider Shell which is usually $.22 more for premium. Anyhow, at $2.15 for regular (don't get jealous out there in Arnold's state), premium is generally $2.35. Let's look at the percent difference in price for paying for premium over regular:

($2.359 - $2.159)/$2.159 = .0926 = 9.3% difference

Now, two years ago when regular was $1.50, premium was still $.20 more a gallon at $1.70. Let's do the math:

($1.709 - $1.509)/$1.509 = .1325 = 13.3% difference

Now, I understand $80 a year is still money, but when you look at $80 a year now as opposed to $80 a year two years ago, it's not as much money considering inflation. I submit, as long as they keep the gas prices spaced by $.10 per grade, we are getting a better deal for premium, as gas prices go up.

Do you evaluate your 401(k) on a percentage earned per year, or as a shear dollar amount earned?

I believe we can agree on this - coffee at starbucks $5.00, coffee anywhere else $1.00. Percentage difference = 400%....bad purchase.

quintno

A previous forum turned me on to the ultimate solution to this problem--get the Discover special gas card, which refunds 5% annually for all gas purchases. That makes up for the extra premium price.

wickedlysane

when i commute from atlanta to birmingham, i use strictly costco gas, but both cities have their premium at 93. i get great gas mileage, but almost all my miles are open highway so i tend to speed more than the average person.

guess i didn't really answer your question. sorry!

a girl with an acura who just likes to hear herself type

vkewalra

I live in CA and typically pay about 2.68 for premium.

One thing I have noticed is that the markup between regular and premium is often $0.16/gallon now as opposed to $0.20 that I remember when gas prices were lower. I'm happy to pay the extra $2-3 per fillup if it means that my car will perform even slightly better.

Mega

Actually, I already use Discover... so I'm saving 5% on my 89 octane. :p

I also use Citibank Dividends which gives 1% back on everything, and 5% on gas/groceries. But I still use Discover for gas because Citibank has a $300/yr cash back max so I don't want to use it up on gas since I can get 5% elsewhere.

Of course it should go without saying that you MUST pay your CC balances off in full every month or all cash back is rendered moot and then some.

Welcome to my world of extreme frugal-ness... but hey, it works for me, and I have cash to buy pretty much whatever I want, so it works well.

jlukja

Just filled up this morning for $2.709/gal. :shakehead

iamhomin

$2.35 here in NJ for premium.

sleeper

at least you don't have to fill it up yourself. lazy bastards.... :shakehead

TSX OWNa

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scheißterhöffer

Mega:

Great posts. I think you are my monetary philosophy identical twin.

On the subject, I don't get buying a car knowing that premium is recommended and then getting bent out of shape about the incremental cost. Some say it matters, some say it doesn't. Fact is, I do not know if it does, but it was an expectation of mine when buying the car.

Jim Holloman, I agree completely with your Starbucks comparison. Obviously I don't want to pay more for gas than I have to, but to see these people in the news griping about it as though they are not excessive or wasteful in other ways. My huge gripe is alcohol at bars/restaurants. That's a ridiculous markup justified only by the fact that people are stupid enough to pay it (flame away!). My girlfriend drinks martinis sometimes when we go out. Man that just boggles my mind. ~$8 for a ~4 ounce drink? People bitch about $2.50 a gallon for gas but think nothing of paying $256 per gallon for an alcoholic beverage?

All that said, I've found that my overanalysis of such situations can tend to affect my ability to enjoy any given situation, so I sometimes try to not think too much about it when an irrational spending situation arises as long as I maintain my general spending framework.

Man am I a dork.

TSXTuner

You can fill up every half tank alternating between 93 and 89,

if it matters that much to you.

MrChad

This kills me, if you refuse to pay an extra $.20 per gallon for the optimum engine performance I hope you don't also try to pass at full acceleration that too wastes prime fuel in the tank. $2-3bucks per fill up more for Premium, who cares...if the price is that big of an issue maybe you should have purchased a prius.

Odds are it may be spending a buck to save a penny as actual fuel milage may decrease without using less then premium in this car I haven't done a study on it, nor do I ever plan to stick anythen less then 91 octane in my tank.

JeffTSX

Sunoco 91 octane for daily
Sunoco 94 octane for track

justsomeboi

Ive driven a 4runner for a year and a half which uses 87. And man even though the TSX needs 91 the MPG on the TSX is much better than that gass guzzler that I save $$ on the TSX still.

91 is expensive though; but still cheaper on a TSX compared to lower octanes on gass guzzling SUVs

GSI

I have been driving 80 miles roundtrip in Atlanta and have minimized my commute down to 18 miles roundtrip. You may ask how. I started parking my car and taking Marta (commuter rail) to my job. I am saving money on gas, time and miles so much that it does not matter what the cost of gas goes to. In all honesty, the TSX gets such great gas mileage that premium should not be a problem.

drunkenbuda

Don't buy a TSX if you're not going to take good care of it....Give it wut it needs...Got Premium?

Mega

If you're a dork, I'm a dork as well. I prefer the term geek though. I have no moral issue with drinking, but rarely do it for the same reasons... it's just too expensive. I never really learned to like beer, and the stuff I do like is too pricey... not to pricey to afford, but too pricey to justify... big difference. I could justify 93 octane if I could witness or even read about a tangible benefit other than people subjectivly saing their car "feels" better or they "think they might" get better mileage.
I have. I ran my car on 93 for a few weeks, and am now on my 4th tank of 89. So far my gas mileage is exactly the same (if not slightly better) with 89 in it. Considering there are lots of other factors besides octane, I certainly can't draw a solid conclusion... but what I can draw from this is... for my car, the way I drive it, it makes no difference. I can't tell any difference in the way it handles either.
I would not put another drop of anything less than 91 octane in my car if I had any evidence whatsoever that 89 is bad for my car. The last thing on earth I'd want to do is damage my wonderful car. Somebody PLEASE provide a link to some credible source that demonstrates how putting 89 in a car that recommends 91 is "not taking good care of my car" and I'll switch to 93 in a heartbeat (since I have a hard time finding 91). If there is any truth to this, 10 cents per gallon is certainly not worth hurting my car.


Sorry for

TSXtacy

anyone here use 94 Octane?
i noticed that it makes the ride a bit smoother than with 90-93
does it feel any different then 93 octene in the TSX?