Hello everyone..
I recently bought a 07 RDX tech and wondering if I should put Premium gas or Regular? I had 01 CL-type S before and even though the suggested was "Premium gas" I always used Regular.. Bought my CL at 97000 miles, sold at 140000 after 4 years without any problems..
Any related experience? Do you all use Premium? What are the side effects of using Regular gas?
Any comment will be appreciated.
Thanks

 

Considering your RDX is a turbo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
it's not like a regular engine...
it will need the best octane

 

Manual says 91 or better.

Any turbo powered vehicle is going to require a higher octane fuel.

 

Could you use regular? Probably most modern cars can account for about any decent fuel but less power, worse fuel economy, at least some greater potential for fuel related issues. Not to hate on the OP but I've never understood the big deal about premium v. regular. I know it stinks to pay a little more at the pump but its just not that much actual cost compared to price of the vehicle, other maintenance, enjoyment,... etc.

Summary of several online tests:
Turbo engines are knock limited, meaning they will begin to knock before Minimum ignition advance for Best Torque (MBT) is reached, resulting in power loss and possible engine damage. Although modern turbo vehicles utilize the onboard computer to limit knock, reduce power, and prevent engine damage, the use of lower octane gas will still result in significant loss of power and fuel economy.

 

Premium. The RDX uses a turbocharger. The reasoning is as follows;

With a turbo, more air is injected into the cylinder. In order to keep the air to fuel ratio correct, more fuel is injected in the cylinder as well. When the cylinder compresses this mixture, regular gas lacks the ability to resist detonation under high pressure (it can ignite before the spark plugs go off). The RDX will reduce timing to combat this, but over time, it might (will) produce knocking and a check engine light.

 

Hyundai turbos take regular. I believe the same is true for the ford ecoboost cars.

However this is an Acura.

 

There are some turbo cars on the market that can run regular, but for the RDX, premium is required. If you're ever in doubt, simply check the inside of your gas cap - every car has a label there than tells you what to run.

 

Those are GDI engines. They compress only air and then atomized fuel is sprayed into the chamber at the last second. There is little need for the fuel to be detonation-resistant, and that's why they can use regular.

RDX, on the other hand, uses a MPI engine which compresses air+fuel mixture. It is more likely to detonate while being compressed if you use regular.

While RDX ought to be able to run on regular, I doubt it saves you any meaningful amount of money.

 

i only run premium in my cars, plus on the gas cover it says premium fuels only.

 

quote from the 2009 RDX owner manual: "The long-term use of regular-grade gasoline can lead to engine damage"

 

No brainer, use premium with the turbo.

 

I've been driving a BMW X1 while I've been waiting to receive my RDX (had some issues I wanted fixed before I agreed to buying it.) I put regular in it one time(even though I knew better) and it ran like crap. I won't be putting anything but Premium in my RDX, yes it is expensive, but if it is anything like the BMW you can tell the difference.

 

You spend more money using regular gas per mile than premium, your fuel economy and power will suffer and possible engine wear/tear/damage.

Stop being cheap and listen to what the world's largest engine manufacturer has to say about its own vehicles.

 

I don't get it. People buy a premium vehicle that takes premium fuel. Here in California premium tends to be about 20 cents more for a gallon than regular. so on a 16 gallon tank you spend $3.20 more than a tank of regular. If you can't afford that then you shouldn't have bought a premium car.

 

Premium all the way, every time without hesitation.
In fact, I cannot even remember the last time I even considered regular.

 

I've got a sams club card and I noticed they are .44c cheaper a galon on Premium there vs. a traditional gas station. This makes it what 6$ cheaper a fill up, or 1 1/2 gallons extra just depends how you view it. We finally got the RDX, yes it is slower than the BMW x1 we where driving, but hey it's still fun and the AWD works great.

 

Only slower* untill you tune/intake/exhaust then we'll see your judgement as compared to the X1