BelowRadar

I was having a discussion the other day with a guy at work, and he was saying that I really don't need to put "premuim fuel in my car" but all of us with RL's know that it calls for 91 or better. I didn't what to tell him what would happen if we go below that 91, but I'm not really trying to find out either. Does anyone know why so many newer luxury cars are going for premium only ? ?

Ken1997TL

He's full of it. Premium is not only going to make your car run better and faster, per dollar you'll travel further. I've tested regular vs. premium in my '97 TL which has a very similar engine and identical transmission as the 1st gen RL.

With regular gas, i lost power, it ran rougher AND I lost 2 or 3 miles per gallon.

Newer cars are designed for premium gas because they have higher compression engines, which are designed for higher power.

snavarrette

This is very true. Here in Arizona where regular unleaded is currently around 3$ a gallon a local news station suggested people use 91 octane to get better gas mileage on there car that take regular unleaded.

Ken1997TL

Could be true for some cars, such as the Honda Accord. It will advance the timing accordingly for added power. This is official and straight from the Accord engineers themselves.

chitownRLer

could not agree more!!! FYI, if you fill up the tank, you pay about $2 or $3 dollars more with premium fill up vs. unleaded. I'd rather pay the 2-3 bucks more to have a smoother ride. Believe me, its not worth the 2-3 bucks that you save.

Kaiserseal

I ran this test for months when I first bought the car. Overall, I get an extra 2mpg on premium which makes the cheap stuff, the same price. Since I buy my gas at Costco, they did not have a middle grade to test, so I am speaking of the difference of 87 to 93.

tipsandthoughts

Have an '02, here is what my repairman said last week (a local Acura/Honda expert); worked on my 91 Legand prior to this:

This type of Honda engine has a sensor that will pick up on the grade being used -- and automatically adjust. Meaning, if I use regular, it will downtick to lower performance and poorer gas mileage.

He did relay that because of this capability, the engine typically will not ping or have other side effects.

So, if premium is $.30 a gallon more, and you use regular, would save approx. $.5 overall per gallon...(just an estimate)...not much of a savings...and you would be bearing the risk of just possibly somebody being wrong and subtle accelerated wear taking place.

Bottom Line: Shop around and get reasonably priced Premium. Note: I have seen gas prices drop considerably in past 2 weeks...and premium prices not drop as quickly...now here is some real price gouging!!

dhopewell

I did the test too. Here in Iowa the cheapest gas is mid grade wih ethanol. I lost about 2mpg and can tell the difference in smoothness. in the end 91 doesn't cost more, works better, so is the way to go here. In PA I used 93, and doubt that the ultra 94 on offer in some stations was worth the premium though.

Ken1997TL

94 is only worth it when you're at sea level.

robbyboy32

I just got done with a zig zag of trips across the Eastern States and my gas mileage was as follows: 87 octane from New Jersey to Michigan I got 20 miles per gallon. Michigan city driving with 87 octane about 16-18 mpg. Michigan to Alabama 87 + premium mix(finally broke down to use the expensive shit) 23 mpg. Alabama to Florida to Michigan 93 octane only, I got 24.5-27 (!!) mpg. Use premium, go easy on the gas pedal accelerating, and use cruise control. The one tank of gas I got near 27 mpg I used cruise almost exclusively for a straight 330 miles going 85 indicated on the speedo(which is about 78 mph in reality) It also helps to buy a new air filter as that made a big difference after I picked one up in Alabama.