vipvop

I needed gas, was running late, and the gas station only had 87 octane available (was out of 89 and 91), so I filled my car up on it. Did a lot of driving on freeways at decent speeds (over 90mph) and didn't really notice a lack of power or anything, but I ended up getting great gas milage - 335 miles when I finally got gas again, and I still had some miles to go. Usually if I do a lot of freeway driving I have to get gas around 300, and if I drive around town it's more like 260.

I'm wondering if the 87 octane made my car run leaner, so I got better gas milage (at the expense of some HP)? I got another tank after that with 91 this time, and once again I'm at 330 miles and still have some gas remaining. Not that I'm complaining, but has this happened to anyone else? Think it's related to use 87 octane gas? I was thinking the ECU got used to 87 and now my car will be running leaner for a while, but now that I have 91 you'd think it'd go back to normal...

as a side note, got a speeding ticket on sunday - my first in 4.5 years (and over 100,000 miles). Was doing 88mph in the carpool lane, following a couple of other cars in my lane on a mostly empty freeway so I wasn't looking too closely for cops, and got rolled by highway patrol. At least he wrote the ticket for 84, so it's less money than if he wrote it for 88 (20mph over the limit and more increases the fine I think). This sucks, can't get a ticket for another 18 months now (well can't get one and not have it show up on my record), but it's hard not to speed when you're used to it...

fsttyms1

i had to run 87 acouple times and i couldnt stand the way the car ran

bkzjimmy

87 isnt pure enough...when u open ur gas tank label reads...premium only for a reason....that 87 shit is watered down

GoldTL

93 for me...v-power

samkws

if you put 87 in, the computer recognized it and will adjust the Air fuel ratio so it won't knock

and our car is a V6 with 225hp, so you won't notice the power loss of 5-10hp

vipvop

Yeah I don't plan on using 87 octane, but I'm wondering if that was the cause of my great gas milage. And we don't have 93 octane out on CA, 91 is the highest...

samkws

91 is more than enough

if you insist on more octane, octane booster is way to go

but again, tests and researches proven higher octane will not improve on regular engine that needs lower octane

Ken1997TL

Well on my '03 I've run regular since day 1 and its been fine and I get 32 or even 33 mph on the freeway at 75 mph.

On the Type-S however, definitely put premium on it.

vipvop

32 or 33 mpg?! I was happy that I got 23 mpg this weekend, which is great for my 99. I have a theory that our cars are meant to be driven fast (over 90), and perform better overall at those speeds, but maybe it's just wishful thinking (since your gas milage 0wns mine).

I can say without a doubt that when it's really hot outside my AC is much better once I reach 90mph, but that doesn't really reflect on gas milage.

SilverIce2000

so even tho the manual says nothing lower than 91, you can still use 87?????

hmmm i live in NY where the gas price is outrageous... that can help if it wont screw anyting else up

badazzTL

i was debating putting 89 in my car cuz i'm soooo poor right now and i need gas. i've never put anything lower than 93 in there and honestly i don't think i could bring myself to going lower. i'd be too paranoid.

fsttyms1

you really arent saving that much money by putting in 87 over 91-93. yea teh car may seem to run fine but the computer is workig so hard to make it run right its not good. MT did a test on honda's oddysse mini van awhile back and between 87 and 93 it ran 1 second slower with 87 in the 1/4. also its a good way to cause problems in the long run. they way i look at it if you had the $$ to afford a 30k car spend the extra few and put the recomened in. try being me whee i have to fill up almost every day! you guys got it made

tfinsel

I've used 87 octane in my 99TL (non S type), since it was a wee baby (the day it was purchased). Never had an issue, and I now have 98,000 miles on it. The computer is made to compenste for this issue. Run 87 and enjoy the ride.

DiegosAnotherR1

You shouldn't be running 87 in your car If you run 87 in your car,the dealer said you will need to lube your muffler barings more often. Also, the fuel rod pivot joints will need to be tightened every month or so. Even the oil lines to your radiator fan could get clog. O'yeah, one more thing......it will also screw up your alignment, and you will wear out your tires faster. its all in the manual on page 256. so just stick with 91

CJITTY

That's da good shit right thur. I use that too

Pure Adrenaline

iTrader: (2)

Actually, it would adjust the timing to prevent detonation. A/F ratio won't be affected much, if at all, since the same amount of fuel and air are coming in. It's just that the lower grade octane gas ignites before higher grade octane gas, hence the reason for adjusting timing.

Computers these days are smart enough to compensate for 87-93 octane, but there's a reason why they specify a certain grade of gasoline. Our cars have a high compression ratio, so we need the higher grade octane gas; especially the Type-S.

Pure Adrenaline

iTrader: (2)

I think it would be entertaining to see you own a high-compression, high-boost turbo vehicle and get cheap on gas.

Yeah, the PCM is capable of compensating, but why knock everything out of spec just to run 87 and save a buck at the pump? You do realize that the timing on your car is most likely advanced constantly, right? Why put the unnecessary strain on the engine?



Honestly, every time this gas price issue comes up, it just amazes how some people can go out and buy an Acura, then get cheap on gas. I'm surprised some of you don't filter the used oil and put it back in to save money.

fsttyms1

keeena

Different octanes identify gasoline's detonation properties. The higher octanes just have additives in order to prevent igniting prematurely in engines with higher compression ratios, tempuratures, boost, etc...

You are right that the TL specifies premium for a reason...but that reason is because it has a high-compression engine that will knock if you use gas that ignites too easily. Not because lower octanes are 'less pure'.

What fsttyms1 and P.A. are saying in their posts is right on the money.

suj220

As far as our engines are concerned.

93 octane - more horsepower...less mileage....should not have any knock problems at our 9.8:1 compression ratio.

91 octane - gives you the horsepower and mileage as dictated on yellow sticker/manual when you bought the car.

87 octane - less horsepower....more mileage....occasional knocking which may not be audible.

xboarder

i use 93 all the time and get 23 mpg city and 32 mpg highway in my 99. the key is to get your fuel injectors cleaned, and put that stuff in your gas every once in awhile that cleans it.

fsttyms1

id use 91 but we dont have it. we have 93!.
i get 350-450 to a tank just about every time (depending on wether its 2 lane hwy or interstate) the few times i have had to use 87 i got very poor mileage

samkws

Protect your investment

use 91~

patrick

You fill up almost every day? What the heck do you do you do for a living?!? That's a lot of driving!

Pure Adrenaline

iTrader: (2)

He drives a taxi for a living.

ou sig

23MPG?? hopefully that was around town...I never get less than 28 on the highway, and I dont try to conserve gas by any means.

your AC may be better because the RPM's are higher.

one cool thing...did you guys notice when you floor it the compressor turns off but the fan keeps blowing? pretty cool

slikz

before when i got the car (i`m 2nd owner) i used 87, i didn`t know 91 was recommended =( but when i found out about this forum, and found the gas mileage post, it said 91 was rec. so i went with 91 (Shell V-Power), but i`m still getting bad gas mileage. i use STP gas treatment on every fill-up (used it 3 times already) and i`ve used STP fuel injection and carburetor cleaner once, cleaned the throttle body, but no gas mileage increase =( what is going on

ou sig

stay out of the VTEC range (4000RPM +) that does more than anything, I got like 16 MPG one time when I was haulin ass everywhere on one tank - now with normal driving I get 21 MPG

unlemming

Uhm, using the cleaner on EVERY fillup is BAD. That stuff is meant for every 3000 miles (oil change timing, basically) and it seems to reduce your mileage for the tank you use it in. I guess it depends on the product, but they seem to boost the octane as well. I'm wondering, is 89 octane sufficient for the TL-P? Seems like the TL-P would require less octane than the TL-S. Shrug, I just put the highest available.

unlemming

Oh, and I get shitty gas mileage in my car, less than 20 city and mid 20's on the highway.

ou sig

obviously 89 is ok, but why? save 1 or 2 bucks/tank...and the manual says 91 BTW.

like I said before watch how hard your accelerate, that should help alot.

slikz

i don`t use the CLEANER on every fillup. i use the Gas Treatment on every fillup, the direction says use on every tank fillup.

SHINY TL-13

i'm a big fan of Sunoco 93 octane. I used to run 94 until they got rid of it

deye

The compressor robs u of horsepower when it is on, so when you floor it the compressor shuts off so that u get more ponies to haul ass!!!

fsttyms1

it doesnt matter my driving style i get the same almost nomatter what (winter time its about 10-15% lower than summer) im not easy on the gas pedal and im always at 300 or better

fsttyms1

im an appraiseri live out of my car

avs007

Does the TL have a knock sensor? I just looked in my Helms manual, and could not find any mention of a knock sensor in the index. I looked in the helms manual for my other cars, and both show the knock sensor, and even describe it as a piezo-electric device mounted on the engine block to measure vibration caused by engine knock, etc etc.

This could by why the TL requires premium, and says not to use 87, wheras my other cars also require premium, but say it's ok to use 87 if necessary at the expense of loss of power.

And as for not having anything greater than 91 in California.... Where in cali are you? When I lived there, there was a 76 in Pasadena that sold 103 octane racing gas
Oh yeah, stay away from octane boosters. On other boards, I read about problems with those things leaving red residue everywhere. Residue is probably the wrong term, but I can't remember the exact word. All I remember is the spark plugs turned bright red, as did the valves. The owner sent mail to the octane booster company as well as GM, and Booster company said that is a normal side-effect, GM said the only fuel additive approved for use in any GM engine is Techron, and to discontinue use of said octane booster.

chrisandro

Trade in your Acura for a Ford Taurus and use 87 octane fuel. Seriously I think octane is only a factor with our cars at higher engine speeds not regular driving around town.

suj220

in all honestly, acura's technology is so good that even if the knock sensor adjusts the timing for the 87 octane, it won't really degrade the engine ...but why the heck would u spend so much money for a car and use fuel that doesnt give you the horsepower you PAID dearly for.

chrisandro

3.2 sohc TL engine does NOT have knock sensors.