I know 91 Octane fuel is recommended, but has anyone tried using 87 Octane Fuel? I was wondering exactly what would happen if you used 87 Octane?

 

Just about every automotive expert says, with todays modern engines, high octane is not required.

Your milege may decrease slightly and instead of 270 horse power, you'll probably get a pathetic 265 horse power. And who can live with that?

Most TL owners, including me, continue to use high octane gas because...I don't know why, we just do.

 

Engine pinging and the like. Don't use it, don't be cheap. Filling your tank up with Premium instead of Regular only equates to a few extra bucks when its all said and done. This isn't directed at you, but more anyone who drives a TL, why buy a 35k+ car and then mess it up using cheap fuel?

 

I've used lower octane fuel in my 10-year old Integra on highway trips when I don't plan to need VTEC. No noticeable difference, but a bit less power. I have heard reports of worse fuel mileage with lower octane gas (only in cars that prefer to sip the high-test), but I can't confirm it.

The car's computer will adjust for lower octane gas (which you might get after all, even when you think you're buying premium). Less performance is the result. Perhaps, oxygen sensors or other emissions stuff might get damaged by low-test over time? I seem to remember the dealer suggesting that you at least go with mid-grade when you're feeling cheap (not his words!)

 

sandborn99 -

I've posted previously on this issue. Here's some fuel for thought.

I can't advise you strongly enough to at least use Premium for your first few tankfuls until the engine is broken in a bit. After you've done that, you can experiment with putting lower octane fuel in for a few tankfuls and get some detailed MPG readings (Total Milage / Gallons to refill, not from the MID).

If you experiment, post your findings here on the MPG difference. I'm sure we'd all be interested ...

 

I have had an acura tl-s and now a new tl== about 90K miles total. I always run 89 octane(middle grade). In each car I have used a couple of tanks of 87 and it runs well. The computer sensors sense the lower octane and make the neccessary adjustments. Ed Wallace on 570am radio is a car expert and he said the only reason a few cars must have the premium fuel is because it's a numbers game. When the tl advertises it has 270hp. that is on 93 octane prem. fuel. On 89 or 87 it would be less like maybe 240hp. People (like me) tend to go by the specs when they select a car. So, back to the 87 octane. Personally I would use the middle grade fuel. The car runs great, never pings or knocks and you save a couple of pennies on gas. The other people are correct to when they say use premium. If you take the 50K miles and compute, by the time it gets a couple of mpg nmore on premium and do the math, for each 50K miles driven it only costs a few bucks. As some correctly state, the savings to them are not worth it.

 

This topic cracks me up. Anyone who can afford a $35,000 car can certainly afford to pay a few pennys extra to use the proper grade fuel. I've heard all the arguments about the computer adjusting down the timing to keep the engine from pinging, but it wasn't designed in the first place to run lower octane fuel...it's only a "patch" that the computer does to protect the engine from damage. Our engines have 11:00 compression ratios, and any engine with that high compression should always use premium fuel. Yes the computer will compensate...but that's the word..."compensate"....it's not designed to run constantly with low octane fuel. Why buy a high performance engine...then settle for low performance to save a few pennys. If you want to save money on fuel, buy a Primus or some other "tree hugger" type automobile and really do your part to save our enviroment, but I think since I purchased a high performance type engine, I'll pay the extra cost for the fuel it was designed to run with.

 

This hasn't come up for a while, so I will share my experience with a brief resume of my use of 87 octane.

I figured I would try 87 octane once to see what happened. It wasn't good. I found out that the computer would not allow the engine to exceed 4,000rpm in 2nd gear. I don't remember if I tried other gears, but one gear was enough. It also would not downshift from 3-2 in SS above 4,000. So quick starts or added power for passing were not available.

My conclusion from this is that the use of 87 octane, while possibly not detrimental to your car, will surely affect your safety, because there will come a time when you desperately need some additional power, and it will not be there. Not to mention the fact that you won't have as much fun rowing through the gears.

 

While I started out with all Amoco 93 gas, I have found I can alternate tanks of premium and regular with no noticiable affects. I use a system where I let the car go to about 1/4 and then fill with 93 octane and before it is below 1/2 I fill with regular. This way I get an average around 91 octane and still save a little. Whenever I run really low I always put in premium.

For what it it's worth - one of the best mileages I ever got was on the interstate just after a 1/2 tank fill of regular - 33 MPG (calculated)

 

Why? I just don't get it. You're going and buying a 35,000 dollar car and then cheaping out on gas. Whats the point? Its 5 bucks extra.

 

maybe some tl owners could barely afford the car from the start and are just trying to keep the car from being repo'd. my stupid friend did that was 350z. he had it 6 months before the repo man came for it.

 

I can't think of one time in my life that I was DESPARATE for more power. I don't know about you but where I live I dont find myself having to outrun thugs trying to steal my car. More power is a luxury not a necessity - safety or otherwise. If more power was a safety issue, then wouldnt all cars be required to be finely tuned machines before they are road worthy?? This issue is about costs vs. damage and has nothing to do with safety.

Z

 

because some of us have more than one car, families, countless bills and financial responsibilities and may not necessarily keep the car past 4-5 years when problems start to arise.

I for one own a '90 300zx and dont cheap out on gas EVER, but I can see where others who arent obsessed with maximum performance would not be afraid to put low octane gas in every 2nd or 3rd fill in light of the fact that new car manuals only reccomend high octane fuel and dont require it like my '90 Z.


Z

 

I think you missed my point, and also the point of owning a TL.

I didn't mean you need more power to outrun thugs, or to get away from people with road rage. I meant that someday, considering the sporting nature of the TL, you will be passing a car and find out you misjudged the distance or speed or whatever of the car approaching, and you would like to downshift so you can pass and get back in your lane without the inevitable head-on collision occurring. This is where the safety part comes in.

Also, most of us drive in a normal manner most of the time, but, again, considering the sporting nature of the TL, we like to let it out, row through the gears, hear the VTEC kick in, and otherwise just enjoy all that power. Pity the people who save some money buying 87 octane, and thus will not get the chance to hear that VTEC roar because the computer says you didn't pay enough for gas so I won't let you get into the rev range you need.

 

It bothers me when I see people asking about adding cheep gas to a car that recommends high tests. Geez, you're only saving about $3 per tank. If $3 is really going to tear your world apart, then perhaps you should have bought a Civic instead. Geez, put the good gas in and save that $3 elsewhere. Don't buy a pack of smokes one day, avoid getting that snickers bar snack at mid-day, order water instead of coke when you eat lunch/dinner, opt out of going to a movie one night (that's worth 3+ fill-ups there), etc.

If you're not willing to take care of a car in the recommended way, then don't get it. Before you know it, you'll start trying to dilute your gar with water thinking your can stretch those pennies even further.

 

well said!

 

While I agree there will be a performance difference between 87 and 93 octane gasoline, I am having some trouble believing that it translates to 30 horsepower. If that were the case all we would need to do is fill our TL's with 100 octane high test to get to the coveted 300hp mark!?!?!



For the record I use 93 only (Regardless of price)

 

why can't you just put in the god damn 91 fuel and forget about the 87 ?

 

Funny, I've heard the opposite, i.e., going to lower octane has increased mileage. I've seen this both on acura-tl.com as well as on the Altima forums. I'm not saying it makes sense, as I'm pretty puzzled by it if it's true.. I don't think I want to be the one to find out if it's true, though...

 

You know, when you change your oil... I believe you can get away with only putting in 4 quartz instead of the full 4.5. Also, when your tire goes flat.. don't bother fixing it.. instead just drive around on the baby spare. When your air filter needs replacing, just use an old T-shirt instead. That should help you save some pennies as well!

Rock on! Taking care of you car is for suckers. Right? right? Get some 87 octane, save that $3 and go buy yourrself some Armor All... BLING!

 

Everybody tells me it makes no difference what gas you put in. Dealers, family, friends... I even heard the rumor from a friend the only thing different between the octanes is the Premium is from the top of the big gas-tank trucks compared to 87 being from the bottom of the gas tank truck?? i think this is a bunch of hogwash..

I always get my gas at Costco (being a CostCo member) cause I know I get the best price for trusting gas. My cars before my TL were shitty $1500 cars and I've always put the cheapest gas I can find into them so it has become habit to press that "Regular" button. I have 5500 miles on my TL now and have accidently hit that Regular button 3 times and noticed I hit the wrong one after I filled up. I was like:

I never noticed any difference in loss of power or loss in gas mileage though when I did this.. But for peace of mind, I am trying to make sure I hit the Premium button! No possible harm done to my engine for accidently switching right??? I don't mind spending the extra few bucks for that peace of mind with this car.

 

Well said man.

 

Geez, people get worked up about the tiniest crap.

So a few people want to save some money by giving up a bit of power with no chance of any damage to the car. I repeat, No chance of any damage to the car.

Whats the big deal?

(Before you flame my ass, I'd like to point out that I also put in premium)

 

So if I ACCIDENTLY put in Regular, nothing to worry about? I'm not adding to the wear and tear of the car (dirtying it up quicker? ) I didn't notice any decrease in performance / power, etc.. But like I said before I'm sticking to premium simply for peace of mind. All my life I've always hit that Regular button.. takes some getting use to hitting the Premium button everytime now..

 

The compression ratio is the main factor in the higher octane requirement as JetJock mentioned. That 11:1 compression ratio requires a higher octane fuel to be able to produce efficient combustion. Using a quality 87 octane fuel (like Chevron) and a fuel additive (like Techron) can reduce the octane requirement for the next couple of tanks but it's not a permanent solution. The manufacturer knows best. They stand to gain nothing by requiring 91 octane or better. Don't second guess all of the time and money that went into engineering the fine engine that Acura placed in your cars.

 

Well I agree with both sides: "MOST" cars do NOT gain ANY benefit from high Octane gas... the general rule is: Use the minimum recommended Octane rating as specified by manufacturer. . As it turns out for "MOST" cars this rating is 87 Octane (R + M whaterver method ) - Having said THAT I will strongly agree that if the manufacturer states: Use 91 Octane that you SHOULD use it. The engine has been tuned to perform optimally with a certain grade of fuel... while computer can compensate for it on the long run using higher octane gas on a car tuned for lower octane is a waste of money and using lower octane on a car tuned for higher octane is an equal waste of money (long term repair risks, higher upfront purchase costs for performance, etc)

Now can someone tell me who the hell sells 93 Octane gas? That definetly sounds like overkill as Ive yet to see a car that is factory tuned for any octane higher then 91. Or is it 93 Octane using some other funky method other then the R+M/2 thingy?

 

This has been hashed out OVER and OVER again. Offical studies have shown that you CAN put non-premium fuel in a car and the only thing that will suffer is fuel economy. Of course, it will suffer dramatically. So dramatically in fact that all the cost savings you THINK your getting from the cheaper fuel is consumed by the SHITTY fuel economy results of putting a lower grade fuel into a car DESIGNED to burn a higher grade of fuel. In other words... THERE IS NO POINT IN USING 87 octane in a 91 octane vehicle. IT'S JUST PLAIN STUPID!

 

If minimum requrement is 91, please use it.

Ppl should know this $$ factor before buying this car. If worrying about rising gas price, please don't buy the car OR buy the car with 87 octane gasoline without worry. It's your car and up to you.

As many ppl said above, besides you may get worse fuel economy, you may not be able to enjoy any spirit driving anymore (meanwhile, you "might" see more MIL on in many different occassions). ENJOY.

 

I was less concerned with the pennies and more concerned with paying for something that you get no value for. As many people have pointed out, it appears as if there is value in using the high octane, so high octane it is.

 

I tested the mileage theory recently...

87 octane rendered 26 MPG on a tank

93 Octane rendered 29 MPG on a tank


Driving conditons were the same....mostly HWY @ 62 MPH.

YMMV.

RB

 

That was a very intelligent and helpful post. It has no business in this forum

So, on a 12 gallon fillup, you lose about 36 extra miles and but save about 3 dollars.
A dollar buys you about 24 miles.

So even though mileage is poorer, you still save money.

Filling up once a week, you'll save around $100 per year.
If you keep your car 10 years, you'll save $1,000 dollars over the life of the car.

Is $1,000 worth that extra little zip you get when you put your foot down?

Tough call.

 

Sunoco sells 94.

 

here's some more data.
http://www.acura-tl.com/forums/showthread.php?t=89432

 

Save the $3.00.....you can get a Starbucks to steady your nerves for the savings....screw the car!!

Better yet, get a Civic next time...you'll be able to use regular gas and not worry, and save enough money on the purchase to buy all the Starbucks you want!!

Geeze....this topic is stupid!!!

 

Does anyone pay for their XM that is "saving money" on cheap gas? Might wanna weigh those options. Just a thought...

 

Have you tried 91? I think you'd notice a similar (if not the same) figure as 93. I always go by the minimum recommended by the manufacturer.

 

My wife recently filled it up with 87 octane (still maybe 3 gallons of premium left in tank). I wondered why I had a hard time pulling past a motorhome going up a grade in 5th on the highway (6 MT). The next day I found the gas receipt. The engine was noticeably more sluggish off the line (similar to a hot day, but it was in the 60's). The engine could be heard pinging for about 1/2 second upon accelerating from a stop, and the highway mileage went from 31 mpg to 27 mpg (at same 75 mph indicated). So my wife saved less than 10% on gas price, the mileage dropped more than 10%, and the performance was noticeably worse.

 

LOL, pettydw, good trial. I think those not believing the difference between 91 and 87 should try it.

Maybe some guys only drive regularly in local would be fine, not only local/city driving shows the insignificant difference in MPG, but also you have less chance to perform spirit driving which specially requires higher octane.

 

I think its pretty nice how you ask a question to maybe gain a little insight and try to learn something and most of the replies flame instead of answer the question. You never said you were using or were going to use 87 you were just wondering what the deal was. Thanks for asking the question I did find an answer mixed in with all the other BS posts!!

 

No, the 93 is (R+M)/2. Most gas stations on the East Coast sell 93 octane as their highest grade, except for Sunoco which sells a 94 as well. The standard used to be 92 octane back in the late 1980s/early 1990s, but 93 gradually became the norm. I haven't seen 92 in a long time, come to think of it.

The reason that the manufacturers quote 91 octane is that apparently you folks out west don't have anything higher than that available for some reason.

My brother's 1974 Beetle seems to run best on Sunoco's 94 octane for some reason, but that stuff sure is expensive.