ECsteve

I know the TSX calls for premium gas, how bad would it be if you operated with midgrade/plus gas? Is it just a performance issue, or could nonpremium cause problems??
*And if it is just a performance issue, how much of an issue is it really (would you feel the difference in average driving, commuting, etc)? Just curious...
thanks

dom

Welcome ECsteve, check out these threads for your answer.


http://www.acura-tsx.com/forums/show...ht=Premium+Gas

http://www.acura-tsx.com/forums/show...ht=Premium+Gas

STC

iTrader: (1)

here we go again.............dont people ever learn?

dom

STC, ECsteve is new so theres no reason to give him a response like that. We've discussed Accord vs TSX hundreds of times and people still respond to new TSX vs Accord threads.

ECsteve, since this site has been around awhile we've pretty much discussed everything or almost everything anyway, so just use the search button in the top right corner next time you have a question. I'm sure you'll find your answer.

Spud

I agree. And even though something has been discussed before, doesn't mean that revisiting the subject won't attract some newer points of view. Not everyboody on acura-tsx.com has been here from the begining, so it's perfectly legit to reintroduce subjects to see if advice or opinions change...

slats

I'll answer your question! The TSX has a built in knock sensor, so you can use a lower octane fuel. Look at the fine print in the TSX brouchure. It will effect performance, but barely. However, you may need tune-ups sooner because of the higher carbon deposits. I would recommend just using the 91 like it calls for, but it's good to know that if a lower grade is accidently put in, it won't hurt. Hope this helps.

Slats

cwh82

Sorry to bring this thread back. But I was getting gas today, and the guy filled my tank up with 87 octane (NJ-full service) by accident. I normally put 93 octane in my car. I just want to know if this one time of putting in 87 octane will hurt my car. My '06 only has about 3k miles. Also, my oil was a little low and he added about a half quart of 10w-30. I know the manual says 5w-30. Will this have an adverse effect on the engine? Thanks

Still Water

Don't worry about it. No harm no foul. Just in the future you might pay particular attention to what people do to your ride. But I guess you already figured that out.



Welcome to the family.


P.S. - Ask away. Civility is its own reward.

S14 n Tsx

Just drive around the block few times and fill it up with 93 to mix it up. once aggain, you should also try to search or google it before asking question like this. It is okay! It really depends on your weather. 5w -30 is made for cold and hot weather and 10-30 is more for hot weather (summer time).

DuckyTSX

I think I read a study somewhere that someone used 93 and 87 on a car that needs premium..

They ended up getting worse gas mileage on the 87 that it ended up costing them almost the same $.

Stick with the good stuff and be merry

SoCaliTrojan

While you have the lower octane in your tank, you should avoid driving aggressively (high rev's, etc). Drive like a grandma until your tank gets a bit lower...you can then put some 93 back in. The mixture will then bring up the overall octane of your fuel above 87 (you'll need to bring the gas really low and fill up with 93 octane to make sure the tank is close to 93 again). I don't know how well octane boosters work.

The oil is fine. Putting thicker oil won't hurt (depending on your area, you should change oil grades anyway depending on season). Depending on how much is put in, your car might not seem as peppy (at least that's what I "feel" lol)

jlukja

I hope you smacked the attendant on the head.


It won't hurt anything if you run a tank on 87 octane. There are a number of threads on this. Check out the thread started by bradykp. Same deal with the oil, don't worry about it. Just make sure to add the correct multiweight if it gets low again.

BoxedUp

First of all, you should be for not paying attention to what someone else is putting into your car. Even when I get gas in NJ, which doesn't allow drivers to fill their own tank, I get out of the car to make sure the attendant is giving me what I asked for. One time a pump jockey started to put premium in when I had just told him to fill it with regular. I stopped him as soon as he hit the premium button on the pump. Don't take it for granted that you will get what you asked for and since it's YOUR car, be more attentive.
Second, the oil level was a little low? What's a little? Was it in the acceptable range? If the attendant wasn't smart enough to give you the right grade of gas, what made you think he knew how much oil to add? If you check your oil on a regular basis, and if you are burning any, you should carry a quart of the correct viscosity oil around with you so that when you need to add some, you can.
These are things even a caveman can do (thanks, Geico) and should be the responsibility of anyone who cares enough about their car and wants to keep it running at the highest level.
Just my

daftfunk

just yesterday i started filling my TSX with 87 (as I do for my 01 civic) then realized I was stupid at about half tank. I stopped and filled the rest up with 94 octane. feels fine to me.

Still Water

Divided by 2 = 90.5

daftfunk

lol yeah I hope I'm close enough.

ChrismanTSX

I read the same thing somewhere, and one of my friends (an engineer) said he tested the theory and reached the same conclusion. Anyone ever test this? My wife put 87 in last time , and as soon as I hit 1/2 tank, I went to get 94...

chuson

$$$ Differences b/w Premium (91) and Regular(87) is about $500CDN/ year, if you think it's alot, listen to this. *** Long Story, read ONLY if you are bored ***

My 94 V6 Camry require Medium (89) fuel. When I took over the car @ 18, I started to put in 87 fuel cause I would like to save some money (my wallet). A year later, the CEL began to come on occassionally. We brought our car for maintanence regularly and can't find the problem (@ Toyota or my own mechanic). Thru out the year, I've been putting in 87 fuel because I can't really feel the differences b/w low or high octane. I was trying to fix the CEL everytime when it came on and has went thru different mechanic, by counting the receipt (I was trying to see how much I wasted) I have been paying more than $1500CDN just to fix the CEL problem. Everytime they fixed the CEL, it would come back on w/in 3 days.

Finally, last year we switched to another mechanic again. He was guessing that the low octane fuel was causing this problem. Surprisingly, another Toyota Dealership was telling us the same thing, and they were partially agreed as well. Since they can't find the problems of what's going on, they said it will cause about $2500 - $4000 CDN (Parts + Labor) to TOTALLY get rid of the CEL problem. But we decided not to fix it.

The engine is still running w/ CEL now, and my younger bro was driving it. However, it was extremely sluggish. I've no idea if it is due to its age, or the low octane really Fxxk it up, since there's no way of proofing it. But let's do the calculation. $500 more per year X 6 will be around $3000CDN. I've put around $1500CDN just to fix the CEL light and maybe another $3000CDN to fix it (or engine swap maybe?). It was not enjoyable thru out my 6 years of driving. Therefore, I only put 91/93 Octane to my TSX now. I hope my experience can help those who wanna put low octane fuel into their TSX.

godfather2

imho, one shouldn't buy the car if they can't afford the appropriate gas. not to say that you can't afford it, but that's how it sounds

cibs

I'm curious as to how you get the difference between the two grades is $500 / yr???

i've figured out that it's only 100 bucks or so.... i guess it depends on how often you fill up, but i fill up once a week, and the difference in reality is only a few bucks a tank... say it's even as much as 10 cents... 6 bucks a tank, 52 weeks in a year, that's still only 312/yr difference, and usually atleast here in 'sauga the difference is closer than 10cents a litre...

But i agree with you, just save yourself a possible headache in the future and put in what's recommended from the factory.... you spend 40k CAN or 30k US on a car, and then a few hundred bucks in 'savings' is enough to have you risk something going wrong with it??

afici0nad0

true.

to put things in perspective - if one really needed to save money, he/she can always bag just one lunch a week, skip the afternoon coffee, buy the burnt dvd instead of hitting the theatres, etc.

chuson

I drove alot because I always went into London (Ontario) to meet w/ my gf back then, so I fill up at least 2 times a week.

Dalahu

OK, so you accidentally fill your tank w/87 instead of 91 like several folks on this thread have done. Why not just add an octane booster? (Usually available at the gas station) It will raise the octane level of the gas you accidentally put in your tank. Then, write off the $3-$4 for the product as an "oops penalty". If your fill up with 15 gallons of 87 you probably saved $3 anyway (figuring a $0.20 dif between regular and premium gas).

SPARKIE

Never use an Octane Booster that contains the compound MMT. It could be harmfull to your engine.