on 87 octane gas for 3 fill ups.

I really don't think there is going to be a difference and if there isn't anything noticable other then a very lil drop in power then 87 it is.

What do you guys think?

 

I have a TL-P and I fill it up with 89 regularly, if gas is inexpensive that evening, I usually fill it up with 91 or 93.

 

do it and keep us posted. i'm curious to see if there is a mpg and noticable hp difference by droping it to 87 octane. GAS PRICES ARE REDICULOUS!

FYI: i had an 04 toyota tacoma w/trd supercharger and that thing ran like a dog when i accidently put in regular gas. it was HUGE difference putting in regular from premium. then again up here in the mile high city, our regular is 85 octane! (premium is 91)

 

ive been puttin 87 since i got the car a month ago doesnt seem any different...runs mint

 

If you can afford a Tl than you can afford 91 and up octane gas

 

 

I've been pumping 89 gas since I got my 06 TL in May. On my 3rd tank I accidentally hit 87 out of habit from my old car and filled the whole tank with 87 (didn't realize I did that until I left the gas station) and the car drove just fine. I'm no car expert but I didn't really feel any difference in the way the car drove. I'll keep pumping 89 for now until someone convinces me that I have to do 91 or can go 87. What does everyone else put in theirs?

 

Its only like a 3 dollar difference between a full tank of 87 and 93.. come on now, if it was like $10-$20 I would understand

 

, I will def. pay that extra 3 dollars for the obvious increase in performance and mpg. Just use the search function, people have tested all kind of gas, and 91+ gives the best mpg (hence, saving you money in the longrun)

 

I agree...don't be cheap....buy an echo is your cheap

 

$3.00 a fillup is not worth a $2000 engine reapir bill

 

Exactly! dont be cheap, put in what honda recomends.

Also You wont "see/Feel" a huge difference. The computer will compensate for it. I noticed a reduction in responsiveness and mileage but thats it (on the 2-3 tanks that have ever been in my car) Also if you have a type s this is something forsure i wouldnt do. Also do a search on this. dont needd to keep people "updated", this subject has been beat like a dead horese

 

So are you sayign there is going to be an engine problem?

Lets say $3.00 extra for every fill up and the way I drive I'll fill up every 2 days.

So lets say I fill up 3 times a week. Making it $9 extra a week.

$9 x 52 weeks = $468

So what does $468 buy you? Lack of engine problems? Much better performance?

The question is does the difference in performance from 87 to 91 make up for the $468 difference?

Considering a fill up is $56 with 91 oct... and 3 times a week * 52 weeks = $8736 (wow)

$468 is not much of a difference now is it...


***BTW this is my situation where I drive about 175 km a day.

 

lack of performance and possible catalytic issues. Not worth it. You bought a 30-35K car. Spend the money to keep it running right

 

***BTW this is my situation where I drive about 200-220 km a day.
My car will go for 400-500km a tank... I drive mostly highways so I might even see 550km sometimes if I'm lucky.

 

Well I put in 89 in my TL, and seem to get same mileage as 93. The nearest pump that has 91 is about 7 miles away or so, because every other gas stations has 87 - 89 - 93. Is that alright though if I put in 89? Thanks

 

Ok and lets look at it this way. When i ran it i got about 60 miles less per tank. Lets say that gas is 3 dollars a gallon. Per tank, i would have been spending more on gas running 87 over 93. There was no cost savings, actual loss. Ok now on the side of engine stuff. Yes there is a performance loss, and to me its not worth it. Plus there will most likely be more carbon buildup in the engine (causing trips to the dealer)
Some havent noticed a difference some have. I was one that noticed a difference, and it wasnt worth it. I have to fill up almost every day so i would be loosing ALOT of money, i put 220+ MILES a day on on average.

 

better then 87 but still under the 91 rec. The way I see it if you are going to keep your car for a long time then dont worry about it. If you are then I wouldnt run anything under 91

 

You can use 93 octane, that's what I use.

 

Like someone else said, if you can afford a TL (Luxury Vehicle with a touch of performance), you can afford to put the proper gas into it.

 

Amen brother.......the Ford Pinto forums are on a different site

 

w3rd stop being cheap guy.

 

Put the performance aside, I believe the timing on TL (especially Type-S) engines can be retarted to cope with 87 Octane only in light load driving pattern. If you are going up the hill or merging in the traffic where you need to put more gas on the throttle, the engine will start pinging or "knocking". This is where the damage starts to occur. If you keep hitting this scenario over and over again, be prepare to spend big bucks on repair bill(s).

Just my $0.02

 

I'm surprised some people say they can't feel a performance difference when filling up with anything other than premium fuel. I've filled up numerous times with mid-grade fuel and felt a big difference. I really wasn't expecting any difference either!

I recently filled up my mom's RX330 with midgrade fuel (lexus recommends premium, but they say even regular is fine), and I could feel a difference in performance too.

I get the feeling that a car manufacturer recommends premium, they do it for a reason. I mean if the car would drive the same anyway, why would they tell you to use premium fuel? They don't profit off gas sales...

 

It will probably not be soemthing you notice with just a tank, but the quality of the fuel will take its toll over time on the engine. Seriously though, how much more is Premium like 3-4 dollars a tank full? if you are stressing about 4 bucks a tank your debt to income is too high, sell the car and get a civic.

 

I noticed a difference in power between 89 and 92 octane. So, I really doubt I'll try 87 (this is in a Type-S). You can really only feel the difference under heavier acceleration, which to tell you the truth is why I bought the car in the first place.

 

I didnt buy a Type-S so I think 89 holds up alright for my TL-P. I fill up once every week, I can put about 425km a fill from full till the light comes on.

 

You guys are full of shit.... Telling someone if they can afford a TL they can afford the gas. Sorry to burst your bubble, but ACURA is NOT a high end car... It ain't no Mercedes... An '03 TL goes for about $15K CDN, NOT EXPENSIVE.

I've been running 89 since I got my '03 in December. NO MPG LOSS AND NO NOTICEABLE PERFORMANCE LOSS. I tracked it all in a speadsheet, etc...

Get off your high horse and relax a bit...

Deep

 

So we are all full of shit Ok i forked over 29k brand new for the car as have many of us, To me at teh time that was expensive, it doesnt have to be a 100k merceded to be an expensive car. Not every one buys 2nd hand cars either. I CAN AFFORD PREMIUM and wouldnt put any thin but in it. Lets put it this way then, IF you CANT afford to put premium in a car that asks for it DONT buy it!!!!

Many of us Including myself HAVE noticed a difference in the lower grade as far as performance and mileage. Not every one will have the same results. driving style and location can all change the results.

 

if someone has purchased a used tl and is complaining about gas prices on higher octanes, he or she should have bought an Accord...just my opinion. When you purchase a luxury or higher end vehicle (let it be new or used), you have to deal with extra costs for gas, maintenance, insurance, etc.

putting in lower octane gas than what the manufacturer recommends might not give you problems right away but it might in the near future..such as blown o2 sensors, engine knocking, etc.

It happens all the time @ the dealers. Someone brings in their car with a check engine light or knocking noise and the tech questions the owner of the car about the octane gas he/she uses, and a lot of times, there using 87 octane on a car that requires 93 octane.

Everyone is entitled to what octane gas they want to use in their vehicles. (I've even seen people pump 87 octane in a brand new STi and S class Benz!) If he/she chooses for lower octane than what the manufacturer recommends, then it will be he/she who will have to deal with it.
As long as MY car doesn't blow up or break down, I'm straight. I can careless what another TL owner is pumping in his/her car, let it be water, gasoline, or w/e.

 

I bought a Type S for 18k CDN. Not too much. I'm not strapped for cash but I just like to try to keep a tab on all the money I spend and ways to cut it efficiently. Now I'm not sure if $9000 CDN a year on gas is good. I think that is way too much but since I drive so much it makes sense.

So far I have 250 km on a half tank, I think that is fairly well. 500km/tank

I think ive sense some different things with 87 gas and a total of $400-500 more a year to fill it up with 91 might be worth it.

 

I'm with fsttyms1 on this one.

With my 1G it was cheaper per mile to run a higher octane fuel. I also had a noticable drop in performance (a lack in smooth power when I would downshift to pass someone on the highway)

 

Does anyone actually know someone that HAS had a problem(engine problems) with running low grade?

 

Acouple of the techs ive talked to says its one of the reasons they see cars come in with clogged egr ports.. You shouldnt really see any problems come up from running it because the ECU will retard the timing enough to make sure that you dont get any knocking.

I dont know i just dont get why or how some people really think they are saving by putting in regular in something that calls for premium? Just like how people listen to the oil change commercials that sya every 3k when the manufacturer recomends something higher. Dont you think the guys building the motor know more about what the motor really needs than the guys making the oil?? why not just follow their recomendations

Im done in here. Do what you guys choose. i know i lost money trying regular and wont use it

 

Super or regular?

 

I put 87 in once and my car bitched and moaned until it was all gone, will never do that again.

 

There was a recent discussion on this same topic at alt.autos.acura. Here is a verbatim quote, which is enough for me to cough up the extra $3.

============
The question of using regular 87 octane fuel in Honda cars that are
placarded as requiring premium (91 or higher octane) has been
discussed many times in this group.

Honda (Acura) firmly recommends premium only except in cases of
emergency, when regular can be used for a short period to get to a gas
station and a fill up with premium. The car must be driven "gently"
to reduce risk of detonation onset while regular is being used.

The issue here is compression ratio's and the very real risk of
detonation if a high compression ratio engine runs on a fuel with too
low an octane rating. There is no guarantee that detonation sensors
(sometimes called "knock sensors") will catch detonation and retard
fuel amounts and timing fast enough to save an engine when detonation
occurs. Detonation can destroy pistons, rings, valves, connecting
rods and rod bearings, basically trashing the engine and this damage
can occur in fractions of a second.

The cost of an engine replacement or rebuild would far exceed the
small additional cost of premium fuel over the life of the vehicle.

Finally, it would make no sense to put a fuel in a performance
oriented car which would then require you to drive it extremely gently
and at risk of blowing the engine at any moment.

I'll leave it to others to address the fuel mileage issue.
===============

Your results may vary.

 

Excellent post/quote.

I too wont bother to get on the issue of mpg issues between regular and premium, or the better detergent packages that most premium fuels have over the regular blends.

I run my car hard, but I maintain it well, skimping in the fuel to me is just like skimping on any other routine maintenance on the car.

This post has been beaten to death like all the other regular vs premium gas threads. Feel free to post your results, but this thread is done. If anyone feel the need to read more posts, pull up one of the hundred+ posts like this that have been made over the years.

Thanx Guys.

P.S. Deep TL, your argument makes no sense. Even used Mercedes can go for 15k, just give em enough time. A used cars values, and a cars value as new are completely different things.

 

Great Post/Quote