Aman

tips to saving gas:

keep windows closed (better aerodynamic performance)
keep A/C off (runs on gas)
accelerate slower
drive slower
always drive in the highest gear while cruising

JetJock

This thread needs to die!! This has been argued over and over before. My only comment would be...don't buy an Acura that needs premium if you can't afford it. It's true...eventually the computer will adjust for shit gas....but the engine was never designed to run on low octane gas. The one and only time I ever used cheap gas..and it was premium btw....just from the grocery store pumps..and not a good brand...my car started knocking after 50 miles on that shit gasoline. I never did it again. If you can't afford the gas...don't buy the car...PERIOD!!

S PAW 1

I might add here for those that add the techron once a month to their regular fueled TL:
They may replace the fuel additives/detergents that 87 octane fuel doesn't have, but they aren't doing a bit of good for their engine by having the knock sensor kicking in 3 weeks out of 4.
I usually run Shell V-power, or BP 93.
I ran 1/2 tank of 89 octane BP, and I could HEAR the knocking. I mean, there is a serious difference. I realize I am running the more knock prone "07 TL-S, but I said NEVER AGAIN!

rob-2

Please pass along a link. Lose of power does not equal reduced gas milage.

FYI - 87 oc has more btus per gal of gas then 91oc. The more refined the less energy is in the gas. Plain and simple.

I started pumping the cheap 87 gas for the last year, once we got around 2.50/gal my reaction was to save money.

A lot of people on this board know little to nothing about what actually happens when you pump regular gas. They'll tell you it's going to damage your motor and you might even have higher 'maintenance bills'. These people simply do not understand what happens when the motor detects knocking and the by products of combustion. The motor does adjust and I would really like to see some hard research to say the difference in gas will cause anything but a power reduction.

I've talked to two thermal dynamics professionals, neither could see any damages caused by burning 87oc if the motor can detect it. Now if it cannot detect it their could be issues. The 2nd gen TL can, so I've read.

The run down- my 00 TL is rated at 225 hp, actual is likely around 190 at the wheels. Even with a drop of 15% horse power I'm still driving around with 160 horse power at the wheels.

Now maybe I don't need to push every last ponny out of this motor and others do. But the difference in power means I have a heavier wallet. Even if I save $300-500/year burning cheaper gas, it's money in my wallet. I had to earn it and instead of burning it I have more choices.

So with all that said I seem to be of the few people here actually getting good milage. Avg 24mpg mix, 20-23 city, 30+ highway. So if all these people are RIGHT that 91+ oc gas is the only way to get better milage I would love to know what they are getting for their MPG.

As surely as the facts are facts they most be getting at LEAST 10% more, meaning a majority of these people are getting 33mpg highway.

Car runs perfectly, smog says its a clean as new and I'm getting better mpg then the average.

S PAW 1

One of the reasons that the TL meets ULEV, is that it uses the premium fuel to increase combustion efficiency.

IMO, everyone who has bought a TL/TL-S knew, or at least should have known what the requirements were when they bought it. Anything less constitutes abuse, and any dealer will tell you that whether they enforce it or not.

rob-2

When I smog checked in Northern Cal, I had regular in the tank. I actually didn't think anything of it.

I asked the tech about my emissions and he said, perfect. It has the same emissions as it was spec'd to have new. Go figure.

I think the gas thing is all about power.

assclown

iTrader: (1)

tire pressure too

Never Summer

This brings up a question I had been wondering for a while... I've noticed in some pictures, there is a green "ULEV" on the engine cover, while on mine and some others there is not. What is the difference?

fsttyms1

Ok and i think you need a little lesson as well. yes 87 octane may have more (actually very little) BTU but 91 has more of an ability to reduce knocking. Its what you dont hear that can kill a motor. Our motor was optimized for 91. While our cars have the ability to adjust to make sure it doesnt happen it does so by reducing peak efficiency. For many, they wont see a difference. But for the others they will. I for one do. I see a drop in mileage with 87. Im in my car for on average 50k + a year. I know what my car likes. On the hwy i typically see 30-33mpg.
This was my latest tank, cruise set the whole time. (14.3 gallons went into the tank)







And how do you think it makes the power? The more efficient the motor the more power it makes. The more efficient the motor the better gas mileage it makes. No one said it was bad for the motor, nor did any one say your motor was going to blow up. It will however make a difference in performance and mileage.

AZP-TL

The fact of the matter is that using 87 octane is perfectly fine with our cars, they simply adjust for it and yes you get a reduction in power. Seems to me alot of you are leadfoots/power nuts, of course your mileage will go down if you pound on the gas every time you accelerate and/or speed and waste all that kinetic energy by turning it into heat when you come to a screeching hault at a stop light. It's all in how you drive, if you like to race and do any of the above then 91+ will be beneficial to you, although your mileage could be much better if you drive conservatively with either types of gas. Ultimately, using 87 doesn't hurt anything but adjust to it or you may end up paying more in lost mileage. It all depends on each individual.

As far as the ruining the engine nonsense, as long as you do regular servicing and throw in some injector cleaner every now and then, it is a non issue.

Seikoja

here is my question about 89 gas how comes u get more gas mileage from 93 octane than 89?

S PAW 1

If, at 60mph, you are producing 10 more hp by using premium fuel, you are able to decrease the hp needed to overcome drag, ie: less throttle opening.


As far as the ruining the engine nonsense, as long as you do regular servicing and throw in some injector cleaner every now and then, it is a non issue.


You need to reread post#43. If you are constantly having to engage the knock sensor, it will eventually wear out. Do you think that's good for your engine in the long run? Or maybe you don't care?

S PAW 1

If, at 60mph, you are producing 10 more hp by using premium fuel, you are able to decrease the hp needed to overcome drag, ie: less throttle opening.

[Quote, AZP-TL]
As far as the ruining the engine nonsense, as long as you do regular servicing and throw in some injector cleaner every now and then, it is a non issue.


You need to reread post#43. If you are constantly having to engage the knock sensor, it will eventually wear out. Do you think that's good for your engine in the long run? Or maybe you don't care?

Seikoja

make sense so 89 equals less hp which equals more % trottle so end up using more gas. so u really dont save money on 89

AZP-TL

Obviously knocking isn't good, if the engine knocks then you want to get off that gas, if it doesn't then no, I don't care. The cars were designed to be able to take 89 and adjust accordingly.

fsttyms1

The fact of the matter is is that the motor detunes itself and that its optimally designed for 91. YES you can run 87 but you will get better results and a cleaner running engine with 91. Some of you "think" that just because it "Seems" to be running fine it is, but in reality it may not be. Just like when many run with the cel light on, Yea it may seem that its running fine but very often its not.

And you can have a heavy foot and still get good mileage with these cars. Look at mine. (and it did before the swap as well)

But you CANT hear all knock. Its the stuff you cant hear you need to be most concerned about. The type-s guys have to worry about it more. Yes they are designed to detune and adjust, but there is only so much they can do. All it takes is 1 ping to blow up a motor. (not that we really have that much to worry about but it can happen)

Also running on lower fuel will put more deposits in the motor and more stress on the cat to do its job.

S PAW 1

No, they were NOT designed to take 89 and adjust.
If they were, they wouldn't have put "premium fuel only" on your gas cap

fsttyms1

Exactly. They were DESIGNED for 91, with the ability to adjust "IF" needed (meaning where as 91 wasnt available)

Seikoja

people dont understand the cars were tuned on 91 octane that means the ecu is design for that gas any tuner knos if a car is tuned for a certain octane runnin any lower will destroy the engine.

chrismeoli

you guys who say the car is designed for anything less than what it calls for are idiots. If youre so smart go to work for Acura and and they can get rid of the techs and engineers over there who have spent years developing products, so some "kid" can tell them that it is nonsense. Obviously we should be ;letting you guys design the next batch of Acura engines because you know better.

AZP-TL

I said they were designed to take 89 and adjust accordingly, not that they were designed specifically for 89. Nice try but you fail.

Fact, people can and have run lower than premium gas on these cars for years without their engines blowing up. Like I said, the engines are built to be able to take it and adjust, there is a reason for that. The manufacturer isn't going to say to use 89 gas if the car was specifically designed for high octane as that goes in line with the specifications they determine for the vehicle but they do not say using 89 will blow up the engine for a reason as well and that reason is because it will not. Using a lower octane can dirty the engine faster but that is a non issue if you take the time to clean it on a regular basis. These are not race cars, we are not talking about a high performance finely tuned V12 on a Ferrari; Honda engines are built very well, they can take alot of abuse. Using a lower level of gas abuses these engines no more than driving the cars like dragsters which many of you seem to do on a regular basis.

chrismeoli

they dont say to use 89, why do you keep saying that. look at your gas cap

MurdaZ

iTrader: (1)

i pump 87 in this bitch, and get 40hwy mpg, ballin

AZP-TL

I said no such thing, I commented that the manufacturer does not say using 89 will blow up the engine, in fact they say using 89 is ok. They do not say to use 89 all the time because that yields lower performance ratings and can possibly lead to lower mileage or knocking if it's really poor gas.

chrismeoli

just go buy a moped and use gatorade for gas.

rob-2

The above statement is simply incorrect. If we were talking about cars that only produced enough power to get up to 60mph, MAYBE. These cars have about 4-5 times the hp requires to cruise at 60mph without the throttle body opening up anymore for a few less ponnies.

I think we all forget, this are not high end motors.

But hey, burn what you like. Just dont think because you type it, it is anything but an opinion. Your motor will run for a 300K on any pump gas you put in it. Now if you drive like you own an F1 car, what you pump is moot point.

fsttyms1 - on my next trip to AZ and back I'll show you how to get 600miles to a tank. 85mph cruise on 87 oc.

02type-s

I can't believe this thread got to 3 pages. Its simple, really. If you can't afford the 3 DOLLAR DIFFERENCE at the end of a fill up, buy a civic. With a price difference as minimal as it is, just shut up and deal with it. Thats the cost of having a nice car. You can't buy a TL and then bitch about a 3 dollar per tank difference. Seriously.

Whoo, end of rant.

fsttyms1

Never happen on one tank of gas at those speeds

red00tl

A Civic isn't necessarily cheaper than a 2G TL these days.
In fact I believe Civic maintains its value better than our TL.

Seikoja

i dont think u guys get it, detonation happens when ur not hearing and its a slow killer to ur engine. it takes its time n chew away ur pistons.


thats what happens over time when u not hearing any engine pingin

02type-s

I was referring to civics not requiring premium fuel

red00tl

^ Ah well, I was just joking.
Besides, Civic SI I'm sure requires Premium due to its higher compression ratio.

But I agree with you that it's not worth the trouble pumping 89.
The saving, if at all, is minimal when everything has been factored in.
I'd rather fill up with Premium and forget about it.

rob-2

Got two witnesses in the car that say otherwise.

fsttyms1

Ive gotten in the 500s but you wont get 35-36 mpg at those speeds.

mcflyguy24

Only once have I pumped 89 in the TL and it ran considerably weaker afterwards. I usually go with 93, since barely anyone around here sells 91 for some reason. Only one station I know of sells it.

MurkyRiversTL

WOW.... I cant believe this thread is still open.

If you wanna put 89 then do it. you heard what every one has to say and it goes both ways. Decide for yourself. be cheap and put 89 in.

Like I said in my first post on this thread.

Its like feeding your dogs shit instead of Purina...... they will eat it but they arent gonna like you for very long.

DO what you want.

MurkyRiversTL

drivin off 400 foot cliffs doesnt count when factoring gas mileage