Just asking for some advice but what is the best gas for the TSX to ensure a long life. My father would tell me for years to always use premium. But I heard somewhere that premium is only for the cars that require it.

So i ask you knowledgeble TSXers. Before I finally get my car from my folks (Thanksgiving), I need to know what the best gas to put in it is.

Thanks

 

The manual specifies using premium gas, so when its relatively cheap (63.7 cents a litre two days ago) I fill up with premium.
A few months ago, when gas was at 77.9 cents a litre, I fill up with regular.

I didnt notice a difference at all.

J.

 

Use PREMIUM bra....... that's what the manual says so that's what you should do

 

You are right, that premium is usually only for the cars that require it. And the TSX requires it.

 

Manual says "Use anything other than Premium might damage your engine".

I wonder how many ppl here does Premium/Regular mix like bowersan? I would love to use regular if no one finds the mixing causing any problem.

 

Is saving $2-4 per tankful (350-450 miles) worth taking the chance of damaging your engine?

 

Are there cars then that don't require premium that if you used premium, it would mess up the car?

 

Dont forget, premium gas is not BETTER that regular gas.
Premium gas is essentially just gas that is harder to ignite. The more octane in gas , the harder it is to burn. So in high compression cars like the TSX, the fuel gets so compressed that without that extra octane the fuel could ignite prematurely (called knocking). (By retarding the timing, the TSX engine can adjust to accomidate for this but it will lose some power and in the long run is probably not health for the car.) So thats why you need to premium (high octane) gas.

Now if you take a car that is not designed to run on premium (higher octane) gas, and put premium in ... in most cases I'd say it wont damage your engine. But it is very possible that your engine wont run as well as it should. But most importantly you are paying extra money for this high octane which you dont need.

 

Only Sunoco 94 goes in my car. There is no compromise.

 

94 when I can get it too, great stuff.

 

Hey Great! A thread on the advantages of premium vs. regular! I was really hoping we could have ANOTHER thread on this topic.

Use the search button dude!

P.S. I tried 87, 89, 91 in my car. I found no difference in performance from 89 to 91, big diff when I went down to 87 (sucked the life out of the car). But, engine ran fine either way.

 

Just curious , is there any pump gas higher than 94 in North America?

 

Hmm, maybe one of us should start a thread comparing the virtues of the TSX with the BMW 3-series, A4, or Saab 9-3?? That would be great

 

Sorry dude....look at my post count. I am still technically a noob.

 

LOL! Great idea.

IronMike - no worries. we're a friendly group.

 

Except for Adam Fiooz or whatever his name was. I was reading past threads and that guy was brutal. Funny about how he supposedly owns a fully loaded car when he talks with a vocabulary of a 5th grader.

 

Actually, it turned out that Adam was a teenager who was too young toodrive.

 

How in the world do people find out the age of people on the net. I know that BBS posters that talk smack are usually people who would not do it in real life. The whole anonymity factor is totally involved.

 

I'm 16 and I talk a lot of shit. K? Thanks..


Try to keep the search button in mind. We get this thread every 1-2 weeks.

Welcome to the club

 

I don't know if I'd say 'brutal,' maybe 'stupid' or 'lacking a penis.'

 

Definitely meant brutal in a negative sense. Not compliment in any way....unintelligent insults were brutal.

 

where do you get 94 around here???

 

I accidentally pumped a full tank of 87 octane into my TSX a few days ago! I forgot about the "premium" gas thing because I had just returned from a roadtrip in my truck, which takes regular. The next day, when I switched cars again, the TSX tank was near empty, so I just went to the gas station and filled it up, just like the truck...

It wasn't until I began to record my trip log/fuel cost data that I realized I was pumping 87!

Anyway, I noticed a peculiar behavior this week (which I attribute to the low-octane gas). I don't hear any engine knocking or pinging, but in 2nd gear, you can really feel the VTEC kick in between 6000-7000RPM. I don't know if that's because below 6000 the engine isn't producing as much power (retarded timing) as it normally does, or if I just never noticed it before.

 

I love Nebraska for their low price premium gas!!! I think its Nebraska if I remebered correctly when I do cross country 2 yrs ago on my lovely Integra.

 

Racing gas. I've seen it up to 118 octane, at least. And it ain't cheap!

http://www.citgo.com/Products/FuelGa...ngGasoline.jsp

 

This is one of th reason's why I'll never buy a car coming off a lease

 

hmmm... did you somehow make your engine achieve a higher compression? 94 is for people who think more octane equals better fuel... which is wrong in so many ways it's not funny.

the good news is that you are probably not harming your engine by going this route but I believe that people who put 94/93 in a car rated at 87 are hurting their car... plus they get worst gas mileage to boot.

 

Let me explain.....

The User manual also states that most Canadian gases contain something called MMT. I can't remember what this stands for but the manaual says it will hurt your engine over time. The ONLY gas in Canada that apparently does not contain MMT is ??........You guessed it Sunoco 94. So why would I risk the engine life of a car I plan to keep more than 5 to 7 years? I put 94 Octane in for the same reason that I spend the extra $30.00 or so per oil change on Mobil 1.

Did you know that Subaru Canada ONLY reccomemnds Sunoco 94 in Canada for the STi for this same reason.

 

Here's an article stating that only Canada still pumps MMT gas. Look at the text in red.


U.S. bans it; Canada burns it: While many nations have banned MMT, we keep pumping it
Graeme Fletcher
National Post (Canada)

Friday, September 6, 2002

It is claimed to be a neurotoxin and to degrade the complex emission control systems that keep today's cars cleaner than ever before. The chemical in question is methylcyclopentadienyl manga-nese tricarbonyl or MMT, an organic manganese compound. Of late, MMT is, once again, getting a lot of attention, and rightly so.

While MMT has been used in Canada since the late 1970s to boost the octane rating of unleaded gasoline (particularly after the removal of lead), the use of this fuel additive has been a controvesial topic since its introduction in the United States in 1976.

Indeed, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said the use of MMT represented a potential health hazard and moved to ban its use in 1977, and it has remained that way south of the border. Europe subsequently followed the U.S. lead. This means Canada remains one of the few countries to still embrace its use.

This issue pits two formidable forces against each other. On the one side, Ethyl Corp., the sole purveyor of MMT, touts it as being safe; even claiming that a little manganese is good for us. While this may be true, as with all trace elements, more than a little can be lethal. It also claims that blending MMT with gasoline does not cause health problems or damage the delicate emission control systems used on today's cars.

On the other side, public health professionals believe manganese is a neurotoxin and that releasing it into the atmosphere via exhaust emissions will cause nerve and brain damage in humans, especially children because of their closer proximity to the tailpipe. Critics also suggest Ethyl's claim that MMT is safe does not stand up to scientific scrutiny.

In response to these concerns, the Canadian government instituted, in 1995, a ban on any further importation or transportation of MMT, which had until that time been permitted as a fuel additive in all provinces since 1978.

Ethyl Corp. contested the ban with a lawsuit brought against the government. This action was made possible when Canada signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), as it allows private corporations to sue nations. Rather than face a messy scrap, the government paid a reported $20-million settlement to Ethyl Corp., wrote a letter of apology and agreed to withdraw the ban on MMT. As a result, it is still counted as one of the many chemicals added to the gasoline we pump today. (emphasis added by OCA)

Obviously, the financial stakes are high for all concerned. Ethyl Corp. stands to make millions marketing MMT; the petroleum producers like MMT because it is cost-effective -- Irving Oil (and Sunoco's Ultra 94) being the exception. On the flip side, automobile manufacturers are miffed at watching the billions invested in developing effective emission control systems, as mandated by federal regulators, go down the drain.

A few years ago, Honda found that oxygen sensor failures were considerably higher in Canada than in the U.S. The automaker also found that manganese-coated sensors signal the Electronic Control Module (ECM) to enrich the air/fuel mixture, which increases hydrocarbon and carbon mon-oxide emissions.

Compounding the situation is the fact manganese also coats the noble metals used in the catalytic converter, reducing its efficiency. Ford, Toyota and Chrysler all confirm Honda's findings.

Indeed, Ford estimated that for every 80,000 kilometres travelled, one-quarter pound of manganese was deposited in the converter. These deposits are permanent and cannot be reversed by using a fuel that does not contain MMT.

General Motors chipped in, saying the spark plugs in some of its engines have a failure rate 50 times greater in Canada than in the northeastern U.S. Surprise, surprise, the only difference in operating conditions between here and there is the use of MMT.

And so to today. A study, which cost US$8-million, released this past July by the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers Association, the AIAMC and the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers' Association validates these findings.

The study showed that MMT- fuelled, low-emission vehicles compared with vehicles driven on non-additive gasoline for 160,000 kilometres suffered the following: 31% higher hydrocarbon (HC) emissions; 24% higher oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions; 14% higher carbon monoxide (CO) emissions; 2% higher emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas; and 2% lower fuel economy.

If the Prime Minister is really serious about cleaning up our environment, MMT should be placed ahead of the easy passage the Kyoto Protocol is expected to receive. If this latest study and the fears expressed by health professionals hold water -- and there is no sound reason to suspect otherwise -- outlawing MMT would reduce exhaust emissions as well as remove a suspected neurotoxin.

Ethyl Corp. -- and the government, judging by its inaction on the matter -- claims MMT does not pose a danger.

So, with the results of this recent study and the lack of any clear scientific proof MMT is not a health risk, who should have the final say on the relative safety of MMT?

In 1998, the CCPA (Canadian Centre for Policy Alternative) posed the following questions: "Given the hard reality, where should the burden of proof lie? Should it reside with those who rightly fear the addition of yet another neurotoxin to our environment? Or should it lie with those who want to add it for commercial gain?"

Makes you think, doesn't it? This is an issue that desperately needs revisiting, and by all concerned.

OCA editor's note: as a direct result of NAFTA (the North American Free Trade agreement between US, Canada and Mexico), this toxin is still being used in Canada - and the company that manufactures it received a $20 million payoff from the Canadian government. The proposed FTAA (Free Trade Area of the Americas) for the Western Hemisphere follows the NAFTA model and allows private corporations to sue nations for lost profits. That's one of the main reasons OCA vigorously opposes FTAA.

 

Wow, good post domn. That is my new bit of knowledge for the day.

One question - who is OCA?

 

interesting.... so 94 sunoco only (no mmt) or all sunoco?

well... i'm surprised that you don't use amsoil oil and amsoil oil filters. you sound like the perfect canidate (only the best for your car mantra) for it's usage.

 

Organic Consumers Association

 

Funny, I've never met a consumer that wasn't organic.

C. <--- I crack myself up

 

a study few years back shown that MMT is uses in "almost" every pump station at every grade, high concentration of MMT usually found in high octane gas, but not every pump's gas contain MMT, like a Shell pump may have it but next one may not, but chance is more than 80%. but as far as i know, Sunoco 94 is the only gas that does not contain MMT at all location. other grade of Sunoco may or may not contain MMT.... Sunoco use ethanol as additive rather than MMT, but ethanol have it's disadventages; it require higher temp then reg gas to start air mixture, that's why Sunoco use only max 10% in fuel otherwise we will have problem starting car in winter!!... so to avoid MMT in Canada, best is to stay away from premium gas except Sunoco 94, or use lower grade which contain less MMT. funny i send my concern of mmt to Shell and they told me MMT is 100% safe to human, car, and environment.
Canadian government was about to ban MMT til the company file a law sue, same.

same with soft drink company; do you know Moutain Dew, Crunch in US contain caffeine, but not in Canada? Canada only allow tea or cola product to have caffeine "ADDED" so they sue Canada Gov for $$$, EVERY YEAR.

also MMT is harmful for baby and women w/baby! !

 

As far as I know its only Sunoco 94 that does'nt have it.

I looked into getting amsoil as all the info I've gathered shows it superior to Mobil. But I could'nt even find a Mobil 1 or K&N oil filter much less amsoil oil and filter. Since I was running out of time I put the Mobil 1 in. But I've found a performance shop that I think carries all that stuff so I may grab amsoil IF I can find it.

 

Yes I know there is race gas, but I meant pump gas. In other words gas I can get at some regular gas station.

 

I think you can only get Amsoil through their website... it's not that bad in price but you have to get a lot of it. Don't know of any dealers but who knows.

 

If thats the case then forget it. First, I'll have to pay in US dollars which will cost me and then I have to pay border and higher shipping fees to get it here. Can you say $100.00 CAD Oil change?