Do you use Premium or Regular Gas
#282
Originally Posted by bz268
I will add to that:
If you don't spend the 20cent (maybe 2 bucks in total) on gas, what are you going to spend the extra gas money to?
My philosophy is that if I don't waste the cash here, I will end up wasting the cash somewhere else anyway. And at the end, the doctors in the hospital will get all my saving eventually.
If you don't spend the 20cent (maybe 2 bucks in total) on gas, what are you going to spend the extra gas money to?
My philosophy is that if I don't waste the cash here, I will end up wasting the cash somewhere else anyway. And at the end, the doctors in the hospital will get all my saving eventually.
#283
Have you ever even tried premium gas right after a tank of regular gas. 91 or higher octance does truly make a difference. I used nothing , but regular fuel for my 2000 maxima cause I couldn't tell the difference between the recommended premium or regular.
However, with my 02 Acura CL-S I can tell a HUGE difference between even mid grade and premium fuel. I won't use anything other hten shell or BP octane...all they offer is 93 octane around me. I'm payed 4.09 today for 93 octane.
However, with my 02 Acura CL-S I can tell a HUGE difference between even mid grade and premium fuel. I won't use anything other hten shell or BP octane...all they offer is 93 octane around me. I'm payed 4.09 today for 93 octane.
#286
Originally Posted by psteng19
I filled up with 89 just for kicks and got 39.3 mpg on the MID for about a 80 mile mostly highway stretch.
I think I may just start putting in 89 from now on
I think I may just start putting in 89 from now on
#287
Originally Posted by 02CL-TypeS
Have you ever even tried premium gas right after a tank of regular gas. 91 or higher octance does truly make a difference. I used nothing , but regular fuel for my 2000 maxima cause I couldn't tell the difference between the recommended premium or regular.
However, with my 02 Acura CL-S I can tell a HUGE difference between even mid grade and premium fuel. I won't use anything other hten shell or BP octane...all they offer is 93 octane around me. I'm payed 4.09 today for 93 octane.
However, with my 02 Acura CL-S I can tell a HUGE difference between even mid grade and premium fuel. I won't use anything other hten shell or BP octane...all they offer is 93 octane around me. I'm payed 4.09 today for 93 octane.
Originally Posted by psteng19
I filled up with 89 just for kicks and got 39.3 mpg on the MID for about a 80 mile mostly highway stretch.
I think I may just start putting in 89 from now on
I think I may just start putting in 89 from now on
the myth that 91 is "better" is simply a myth. your car has an ECU that adjusts the timing of the car for 87, and the adjustment is so slight that there's no way most people would notice a power difference. if you think you do, you are nuts.
#288
Originally Posted by deepen03
i always fill 93 octane or higher (94 at some Sunocos). I know the prices are ridiculous, but its better than hurting the engine. I usually get either Shell V-Power or Sunoco Ultra.
all victims of paranoia.
do you change your oil every 1,000 miles? what if you hurt the engine!
#289
Originally Posted by deepen03
yea, but that range isn't accurate because you only drove 80 miles. Once you hit a certain number of miles on your tank, the mpg will gradually drop. That happened to me once and it said i was getting like 41 mpg for about 50 miles on the hwy but then it suddenly dropped to like low 30's mpg.
i've measured my tank over 300 mile distances and i get the same MPG with 87, 89, and 91, on average. i drive the same route every day for the past 2 months. my mileage hasn't changed at all.
#293
Originally Posted by odannyboi
use premium, you cheap bastards
#294
It may depend on how you drive and your environment. Under conditions of high heat and/or "spirited" driving, premium should give you better performance. The higher compression engine develops more torque and/or horsepower (I'm not sure which is related to the higher compression; probably both). However the higher compression requires higher octane gasoline to avoid preignition/predetonation (a.k.a. "ping" or "knock").
In the old days, you could seriously damage a high-compression engine by using a lower octane rating than specified, because of engine knock. However this engine (and probably most modern high performance engines?) has a knock sensor and it automatically retards the timing to stop knock the instant it senses it. This will rob you of some power, but will preserve the engine. So this allow you to use lower octane gasoline at the expense of some loss of power. Indeed, if you're driving under conditions that are not demanding, you may not notice the difference.
From what I understand, high octane gasoline will not improve gas mileage. It's just related to preventing preignition, thereby allowing higher compressions and more power.
All that said, I bought a higher performance car because I like to drive in a way that uses the power it can offer. So I've never put anything other than 91 or higher in it, like the manual says.
Besides, I'm slightly nervous trusting the anti-knock technology. What if one of those sensors or something fails? I know with the high octane fuel it should never get hurt, even if the fancy electronics fail to do their job.
In the old days, you could seriously damage a high-compression engine by using a lower octane rating than specified, because of engine knock. However this engine (and probably most modern high performance engines?) has a knock sensor and it automatically retards the timing to stop knock the instant it senses it. This will rob you of some power, but will preserve the engine. So this allow you to use lower octane gasoline at the expense of some loss of power. Indeed, if you're driving under conditions that are not demanding, you may not notice the difference.
From what I understand, high octane gasoline will not improve gas mileage. It's just related to preventing preignition, thereby allowing higher compressions and more power.
All that said, I bought a higher performance car because I like to drive in a way that uses the power it can offer. So I've never put anything other than 91 or higher in it, like the manual says.
Besides, I'm slightly nervous trusting the anti-knock technology. What if one of those sensors or something fails? I know with the high octane fuel it should never get hurt, even if the fancy electronics fail to do their job.
#299
Originally Posted by prelude358
use Premium!!as our car is high compression motor.if can't afford it why bother buying the tsx in the first place
#300
Make a hole, coming thru!
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 2,945
Likes: 15
From: Somewhere between 70 and 125 mph
Originally Posted by bradykp
... the myth that 91 is "better" is simply a myth. your car has an ECU that adjusts the timing of the car for 87, and the adjustment is so slight that there's no way most people would notice a power difference. if you think you do, you are nuts.
What I haven't tried is Shell's 87 or 89....
#301
^^ You're not nuts. I've noticed the same thing with Costco gas. I got around 2-3mpg less using Costco 91 octane than 91 octane from Shell, Mobil, and my neighborhood Vons. The difference between 91 and lower octanes will not be felt in everyday normal driving, particularly if you're trying to get better mileage, but will make a difference at WOT (that one time you have to floor it on a short on-ramp).
#303
up here in Canada we got Husky/Mohawk stations that offer 90grade for price of 87. it also features 10% ethanol. I experimented with this on FULL fillups and consistently got 560km+ on a full tank. Absolutely no performance degradation at all either.
#304
Make a hole, coming thru!
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 2,945
Likes: 15
From: Somewhere between 70 and 125 mph
I just filled up at Shell after putting 8.3 gallons of BJ's 93 into my tank (previously filled with Shell 93). Went 236.8 miles, mostly doing some hypermiling techniques, but a few WOT,... and got 31.2 computed mileage. I guess mixing top tier with warehouse gas every other fill-up won't cost me mileage too bad.
#305
- Chevron premium ONLY
- Mobil 1 synthetic oil ($8 a quarter) and
- Mobil 1 filter-$10. Next one will be $40 mugen.
- K&N drop in filter.
- Only the best for my sweetie
#309
I have always run 89 octane and i average 28.3 mpg. The highest I have got was 37.2 and that was on about a 150 mile trip with 3 people in the car ac on and the cruise locked in on 70 mph. As far as noticing a difference in performance what are you guys using to judge this difference?
#311
Make a hole, coming thru!
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 2,945
Likes: 15
From: Somewhere between 70 and 125 mph
Old thread returning from the dead ... gives me pain in da head....
Mobil 1 Synthetic ... $8 a quart??? Yikes. I get 6-packs for a little under $30 at Costco, and twice a year or so, they offer a $8 off coupon. Does yours come with a Willie Wonka golden ticket?
With the prices here now < $2.60 for 93 octane (I keep blinking at that and thinking, "Wait, not $3.49 ... $2.49?"), I see no reason to skimp on fuel.
Mobil 1 Synthetic ... $8 a quart??? Yikes. I get 6-packs for a little under $30 at Costco, and twice a year or so, they offer a $8 off coupon. Does yours come with a Willie Wonka golden ticket?
With the prices here now < $2.60 for 93 octane (I keep blinking at that and thinking, "Wait, not $3.49 ... $2.49?"), I see no reason to skimp on fuel.
#312
I don't understand people buying a luxury vehicle (entry level, but still) and then want to skimp on the fuel they put in it!
I'll admit, when gas prices were at their highest, I bought off-brand gas more often than not (because it was cheaper and convenient), but throughout my ownership I've never put anything but 91 octane gas in the car.
Sure, the car will run on 87 and 89 octane gas, but the lower octane will cause piston knock (whether you hear it or not, it still happens). This is where the fuel ignites prematurely, before the piston reaches TDC (Top Dead Center). This premature ignition of gas, over time, will damage the engine. At what mileage will the damage start to show, who knows. I plan to keep the car for a while and I just don't want to chance premature breakdown because I was cheap and used lower octane gas. I'd rather spend the extra $3-$5 a fill up and not risk it.
I'm not sure how people are getting outrageous gas mileages. My last road trip averaged 31 MPG round trip. With my 5AT, I typically get 31-32 MPG on the highway, and 20-22 or so MPG city (don't really pay attention to city mileage too much). Of course, this is without much effort. I could never imagine getting anything much more than 35 MPG out of this car, unless the trip was all downhill lol!
I'll admit, when gas prices were at their highest, I bought off-brand gas more often than not (because it was cheaper and convenient), but throughout my ownership I've never put anything but 91 octane gas in the car.
Sure, the car will run on 87 and 89 octane gas, but the lower octane will cause piston knock (whether you hear it or not, it still happens). This is where the fuel ignites prematurely, before the piston reaches TDC (Top Dead Center). This premature ignition of gas, over time, will damage the engine. At what mileage will the damage start to show, who knows. I plan to keep the car for a while and I just don't want to chance premature breakdown because I was cheap and used lower octane gas. I'd rather spend the extra $3-$5 a fill up and not risk it.
I'm not sure how people are getting outrageous gas mileages. My last road trip averaged 31 MPG round trip. With my 5AT, I typically get 31-32 MPG on the highway, and 20-22 or so MPG city (don't really pay attention to city mileage too much). Of course, this is without much effort. I could never imagine getting anything much more than 35 MPG out of this car, unless the trip was all downhill lol!
Last edited by thunder04; 11-12-2008 at 02:11 PM.
#313
I found that implementing more fuel-efficient driving behaviors (like clumping errands together and taking a smoother route with less stops) is really all we can do to save money on gas, and its not even too much of a difference.
There's nothing wrong with saving money especially on GAS. I don't understand people who say stuff like "OHH the TSX is not for people who worry about gas prices." All the thread-started did was ask a question. And its good information for other drivers to read about even if they stick with premium.
There's nothing wrong with saving money especially on GAS. I don't understand people who say stuff like "OHH the TSX is not for people who worry about gas prices." All the thread-started did was ask a question. And its good information for other drivers to read about even if they stick with premium.
#317
Just discussed this with the dealership service advisor. His take was that the only side effect he's seeing from use of regular is having to open up engines to de-carbon at about 80,000...
Of course, given my opinion of data from service advisors...
Of course, given my opinion of data from service advisors...
#318
I heard the same thing about 10%ethanol but I not sure at what mileage.
#320
I don't really care how much more it costs...I only use premium in my TSX. Why not just pay the extra $2 per fill up to be sure?? I notice a HUGE difference in MPG and power when I use cheap premium gas...why would I think that a lower octane fuel wouldn't do the same thing? To me...the extra 2 bucks is worth it.