is there a big difference in 87 and 92 octain and how long does it take the computer to catch up if i change gas

 

Yep, big difference. You'll notice. I would think car would pick it up 2nd fill up.

I use Mobil 93.

Correct me guys if I am wrong.



------------------
Black '97 Acura 3.0CL Premium (Leather,WoodTrim,SunRoof Visor,Spoiler,Gold,Fogs)

 

anythhing below 91 ocatane is very bad for your engine. It simply will detonate. the ECU will detect that and tries to prevent the detonations by de-tuning!! your engine.

To prevent damage the perforamce will hurt big time!.. get cheap try to save $1.5 on a fill a risk damaging your engine.

If you are worried about gas mileage I would recommend you a buy a second geo metro, or honda insight, if you can afford it!

------------------
Black, Eboney, 3.2 CL Type-S.
- Acura NAV.
- 3M clear bra (full front bumper, and side mirros)
- Wheels locks.
- Mooonroof visor
- Splash guards,
- Winter mats,
- Trunk liner,
- Acura Spoiler.
- Valentine V1 Radar Locator.
- PIAA 19169 road lamps.

 

i think you mean is bad for your 3.2 cl since it has a higher compresion ration than his 3.0. on the 3.2 91 is the recomended minimum and i believe is 87 for the 3.0.

 

I would use 93. The reason is simple, the octane measurement is actually a percent. The percentage is the amount of Carbon atoms in Gasoline that are NOT in a straight chain. So in 93 octane, 7% of the carbon atoms are in a straight line. In 87, 13%. It is MUCH easier for an engine to break up gasoline if its molecules are not in a straight line.

Ex. Lets say that this was a molecule of gasoline C-C-C-C-C

It would be substantially easier for an engine to break up this:


C
l
C - C - C
l
C

Same thing, different layout.
Using premium fuel WILL make your engine run smoother and stay healthier.

 

I have a 1st gen, and have always run 87 octane (recommended by Honda). I've run 92/93 octane over the past 2+ weeks (I am awaiting a nitrous nozzle from Zex [which could arrive any day--right ], and Zex recommends running 92/93 octane with nitrous). During these past 2+ weeks, my car has performed poorly, seems a bit slower, and my mileage has dropped 2-3 miles per gallon!

I can't wait to get 87 octane back in her!

 

Dustbuster, that really sounds backwards...what brand are you using? I've always used 93 in the CL however I had a 4runner in college that I would flip back and forth with, 87 one week 93 the other and it always seemed to run better if not quieter on the 93...it was a 3.0 V6...ironically, the fuel pump died in it...

 

While we're on the topic of fuel octane:

In the NorthEast there are Sunoco stations that have super-premium gas with 94 octane. Is there any benefit in using this (for the CL-S)?

I currently use the premium 93 from reputable gas stations like Mobil/Exxon, Sunoco, or Amoco. I try to vary the gas as little as possible and usually go with Mobil/Exxon (out of habit, plus I have the key chain charge-it thingy).

 

The differences between 94 and 93 are negligible and insignificant. I say in this situation go with Mobil, because not only is the speedpass convieniant, but the car is used to it.

 

I don't know I'm kinda of unsure about this too cause my friend has a 350 s-10 (it's his racing pickup) he runs nothing but whatever the highest octane at the pump(weither it's 92 or 93 whatever) anyhow he swears by it. but i read a study at about my car they did a test with and it showed no difference between 87 and 92. so I run 87(or the cheap crap)

 

For your car yes, but for a higher performance engine it will differ performance.

 

I agree the TL & CL models are design to burn 91 or higher octane as stated in the owners manual. I use 93 because thats the highest otane rating for premium fuel at the stations I go to.

 

(quote from "analyze this" when Jelly steps out to greet Dr. Sobiel after he rear-ends Jelly's town car with a thug in the trunk)

"Cheap Gas! Pings & Knocks! Whatcha gonna do?"

 

Hey what did you do?
Watch "analyze this" a million times
Nice quote nonetheless

Ps: they are coming out with analyze this 2. It is called "analyze that"

 

I love Speedpass... Makes it easy to get McDonalds too.

http://www.speedpass.com/news/article.jsp?id=50

 

Where do you guys have a 93' Octane rating? Here in Cali, the highest that we can put in our cars in 91!

 

it has been proven that 87 octane is better than 91 octane for J30A1 engines (3.0 liter). With 91, you will actually LOSE about 4 HP!!!

The reason for the lost power on the J30A1 when running higher octane fuel is because of ignition timing issues. The J30A1 is tuned and optimized for 87 octane fuel, and it does not adjust itself for other octane levels, so the amount of ignition advance is pretty much fixed on the J30A1!!!

If you really want to get the performance results of using a higher octane, you could advance your timing so that the spark fires sooner. If you don't advance the timing when running a higher octane than an engine was designed for will cause the peak of the combustion cycle to occur after the optimal torque point and this, ladies and gentlemen, is how you lose power.

Keep in mind that most cars (like the 3.2 liter) will benefit from running higher octane, but I think that the J30A1 is one of the exceptions to the rule.