First of all I just bought my Acura this weekend. I payed $9,200 for a 99 TL w/ 67,000 miles on it. Original owner, garage kept, silver with black leather int w/ everything but a navigation system in it. Even though as a college student, I am going to have a difficult time paying it off, it is quiet a nice change from my 91 Maxima. Plus I hope it is very reliable to get me to and from school when I come home.

The owner told me that she only put premium gas in it. With gas prices these days, and the fact I do not have much cash, I was wondering what you recommend if you were in my situation. I would love to just put regular in it but I would like to ask you guys for you opinion first.

Thanks

 

first off, welcome.

secondly, this forum is for the first gen TLs (96-98). You'll want to do your posting in the second gen TL forums instead since you have a '99.

this is a really common question, actually. here's the deal. acura wants you to put premium in it because that's what makes it run most efficient. if you start putting regular in the tank, it's going to start running less efficient and therefore, killing your gas mileage. so...yes, you can put regular in there, but you're going to be paying the same, possibly even more, because you're going to be making more trips to the gas station to fill up because you're not getting as good MPG.

also, the amount of gas i put in my car, is about 14-15 gallons usually so i'm going to assume that's the same for the second gen TLs. even though gas is high, the difference between regular and premium is so small that it wont make much of a difference. here in WI, prices for regular are $2.98 and for premium, $3.14. that's only 16 cents. if you do the math, that's only $2.32 more everytime you fill up your car. i remember when i was in college, money was tight but i could still afford $2.32 a week. if you think about it, it's really not much of a difference at all. basically, just buy one less coffee a week, and you're set...although sometimes the coffee was the only thing to keep me up during those studying nights.

 

I agree and made the same argument in a different post. If you can't afford $2.50 a week, then what make you think you can afford an engine replacement or engine repairs when something fails? Since you bought a high class car, treat it like one.

 

engine replacement? he's got a second gen TL so if anything's going to die it's going to be his tranny. i doubt it's under warranty, but hopefully it is, because replacing transmissions is not a cheap thing for a college student (or anyone for that matter), and the second gen automatic TLs are notorious for going through several transmissions (i've heard stories up to 5) in their lifetime. good luck.

 

Sorry about that, I thought I clicked the right forum. Hopefully an admin can move it for me.

About the transmission, I believe 99's were given an extended warrenty. I also believe reading a thread on these forums about if a 99 or a 00-02ish would have more transmission problems... it seemed as 99's aren't too bad compared to other years. Let's hope this is true

 

^ True. Later years had more problems, but it's also possible that since the later years saw the advent of the Type-S, they're pushing their cars harder. You must factor in the driver as well.

~Cheers~

 

The non-Type S 1999-2003 TL's can use regular gas with no issues.

 

Can anyone else agree?

 

If you fill up with 87 octane, you will get less performance out of it requiring more of your right foot to get the same result, your TL is going to drink up 87 octane, try and use at least 91 octane and refrain from flooring it on the highway, 93 octane is much more and it is what I use on my 07 TL-S

 

If you really want to save that little bit of extra coinage, do what you like. Fill it up with 50 % water and 50 % gas if you want to save even more coinage. It sounds to me like you already made up your mind to use the 87 octane, so go for it, its your ride.

 

Knock-knock-knock-boom-boom-knockity-knock.

~Cheers~

 

No I haven't made up my mind yet. The two times I have filled up since my purchase I have put premium in it. I was just trying to learn more about the subject.

 

moved to second gen..

 

This topic has been discussed many times. If you can't afford the extra gas, you shouldn't have bought the car. What you save at the gas pump, you will lose in gas mileage and performance .

I think someone even said you end up saving money using premium because of such a loss of mileage with regular gas.

 

KaMLuNg - Thank you.

KSuchdeve - Yep, I was just wondering if anyone could confirm that. Possibly a creditable website that I can read up on up.

 

Wrong. I understand you are a moderator, but dont you have both a 1st and a 3rd gen TL's? Different cars, different engines.
1st gen 3.2 had a C32A6 I believe. 2nd gen TL-P has a J32A1, and the new TL-P has a J32A3 I think. Either way, neither of your vehicles has a J32A1.


The honda engineers didn't recommend you use premium for best performance and economy, they did it because that is what the engine was designed to use, a higher octane rating to stay stable under higher compression. Nothing less.

People can argue all day that its the gas milleage and power are the issues thats are important here, but they arent.

If you run 87 in your car, you will has missfires and pre-detonation, due to the compression ratio inside the cylinders. Standard 87 octane isnt recommended for engines with a comp. ratio like the 2nd gen TL. Its the same reason that Integra LS's can run regular but GS-R's and Type-R's need premium, higher compression ratios.

How do I know? Research, and the fact that prior to knowing anything about cars I ran 87 in my tank for a month. Big deal right? Yes. Gaskets needed to be replaced, I was missfirign on 3 of my 6 cylinders, and I was getting about 9mpg. $460 issue, and not at the dealer.

Like Ksucheve said, just use premium. You save a whole $2.00 after putting in 10 gallons, so whats the big deal? Just don't go inside and buy a kit-kat and sprite, save your engine instead

 

And before anyone says "could you have gotten bad gas?" the answer is no. I always refilled at either Shell or Exxon. You also might ask "how would regular cause that damage in a month?" Its because I used 8 tanks driving to and from my military school and my house every month.

 

And before anyone says "could you have gotten bad gas?" the answer is no. I always refilled at either Shell or Exxon. You also might ask "how would regular cause that damage in a month?" Its because I used 8 tanks driving to and from my military school and my house every month.

 

but doesn't the TL come with knock sensor? And the computer can automatically retard/advance the timing of sparks or whatever it has to do do prevent knocking?

 

The TL can use 87 octane, but its not recommended. The Computer has to retard timing to keep it from detonating. You will achieve best performance and mileage running 91. Honestly your only saving like 2 to 3 dollars at teh pump, which you will waste in the the reduced mileage. This subject has been discussed many times, do a search for plenty of info.