Is regular gas ok for the engine?

 

LOL- where have I seen this one before? tl998- don't worry, i'm not making fun of you. Since your new around these parts, I'll forgive you. You can do a search on this subject. It comes up like once a month.
Oh- btw, I ONLY use premium in my TL.

 

somewhat, its been a highly debated topic here. Acura suggest premium because the motor is a very high compression one, and regular for extended amounts of time can cause damage (knocking)

 

Pay now...or pay later!

 

91 or above only

 

went 91 once, it drank it up like cold water in the summer, now I go 93 from sunoco or shell, nothing less

 

maybe it's time to upgrade to 93 as well: been using 91 & getting around 24/25 MPG overall ....

 

NOT AGAIN

USE Premium. Like BP 93

 

Man it's like a period...exactly once a month we get this type of question.

The TL requires 91 octane gasoline. Use 91 octane.

A-Train

 

HAHA, that's the truth. Use premium, when you do the math you're only paying like $2 more and your car will thank you for it.

 

I use hydrogen in my TL.

 

When I bought my TL a couple months ago the salesman said I could use mid-grade and said he uses it in both of his Acuras. My father has had a couple cars that say to use premium, but uses mid-grade without any problems at all. With that said, I'm going to stick to premium myself. For the $1.50-$2 difference per tank, I don't think it's worth going down to mid-grade in case I don't get the performance, gas mileage, etc. Also, I have only found 91 octane premium where I live. I moved about 1 1/2 years ago and the state I lived before seemed to have all 93 octane.

 

Damnit, I can never find 93 anywhere

 

check 76 or sunoco stations- they sell street legal~ish race gas too!

 

haha good shit

 

i just filled up my very first full tank of gas in my new wdp type s. i put in 89 b/c the acura salesman told me that i could do it without any problems. hmm...i wonder if i'll run into any issues.

 

I guess everyone else missed this

 

Add two more octane to that. Trust me you'll NOTICE a performance difference, I can only find 92 in MN (most stations) and rarely 93.

 

Because the salesman told you so???? Hmmm .... what does salesman do again? Down the road this salesman will introduce you to the service manager .... j/k I dunno I'm stupid I guess. I even put premium on my Honda Civic years ago wherein the manual specifically says use regular. No I'm not rich. I just feel the car runs better when it has premium gas or when it just got waxed.

 

Maybe it will and maybe it won't - cause a long term problem that is. But you with 89 you WILL:

- Lose mileage;
- Lose HP/Performance;
- Increase the Likelihood of Pinging (which some Type-S's, seem to be prone to even with 93);
- Increase the Likelihood of Carbon Deposits (because of the Pinging);
- etc, etc, etc.


Salesmen did not engineer your car for 286 HP and 11:1 compression. Engineers did. Who do you think wrote the gas spec: a Salesman or an Engineer?


It's your $35,000 car, you do what you want. But if you can't afford $2 or $3 more at each fill up, maybe you shoulda bought a Civic. :wink:

 

If someone told you they had a product that could give you a %10 HP increase, and reduce the wear on your engine for $83.20 per year, would you buy it? I sure would, and I do.

In my area (Southern Massachusetts) premimum is $.05 more than the mid grade, which is $.05 more than the low grade. So its $.10 per gallon difference. I use about a tank of gas a week, around 16 gallons total. Therefore, I am spending $1.60 more per week. Multiply by 52 weeks and its $83.20.

 

Use premium. Your car will run with regular but you would be stupid to run regular...plus there is at least one thread a week on this and always the same result. Everyone says that you are stupid and that you should use premium. Try searching and save yourself the beat down going forward.

One more thing, I don’t think anyone wrote this yet but your "savings" in buying regular instead of premium will be offset by your worse gas mileage...so that’s a wash. BUT THEN you have to account for the things already mentioned like loss of power, potential pinging, carbon build-up and increased wear on your engine...so yea...it sounds like it’s worth it.

 

Thought I'd post this link. Found it interesting. http://www.quiktrip.com/gasoline/myth.asp

 

The article is true, given the engine etc.. For example, running 93 octane in my Suburban does nothing for the mileage or performance. I normally run 87 as per manufacturer recommendation, yet when pulling the boat I do get minor ping'ing thus I use 91-93 off and on in the summer. No difference other than a lack of ping etc..

Big picture,
Is running a lower octane rated gasoline "definitively" going to hurt your TL? No. Can it? You bet!

Does running 91-93 octane in a vehicle designed to perform with 87 give you "truly noticeable" benefits for your extra $2-$5 per tank??? Rarely - (my towing issue is definitely one however).

Overall, car manufacturer's do not recommend octane ratings to fill the refineries pockets.. They are specified to ensure the car/engine performs across the spectrum as designed. When it comes down to it, it's no different than any other operator requirement in the manual. We either follow it or not...

 

^^^Not completely true^^^ - that site a gimmick to convince you that they are good people and that you should buy their gas.

READ this for real results: http://www.caranddriver.com/features...r-premium.html

Specifically read the 3rd and 2nd to last paragraphs on page 2, that’s the results. The 2nd to last paragraph details the results of running regular in a car designed to run premium, one car's performance lost 10%!!

It does say that cars today are smart enough to make it possible to run regular without blatant issues but performance will suffer. So what it gonna be?

 

hight octan is for engines with high comprestion about 9:1 +. the tl has 11:1 so you should use premium (high octane). If you are worried about it, go to your local auto parts store and ask for an octane booster. They usualy boost it by 10 octane depending on the gas tank size. Im sure they can help you out as well.

 

The Quiktrip article is not telling you to put "regular" in your "premium required" vehicle.... Just the opposite if you read it. Also, it doesn't say anything about = performance with regular gas in a premium required car... Once again, it's just stating what most of us already know: A car designed to run on 87 doesn't need 93 octane to perform well. A car that requires 91 octane should use 91 octane or better.....

The Car and Driver article results in the same conclusion: Cars designed to run on regular octane have very little if any benefits (some negative) by using premium gas. And again, those that require premium fuel, perform as designed with it etc..

The last paragraph says it all:

"Our tests confirm that for most cars there is no compelling reason to buy more expensive fuel than the factory recommends, as any performance gain realized will surely be far less than the percentage hike in price. Cheapskates burning regular in cars designed to run on premium fuel can expect to trim performance by about the same percent they save at the pump. If the car is sufficiently new and sophisticated, it may not suffer any ill effects, but all such skinflints should be ready to switch back to premium at the first sign of knock or other drivability woes. And finally, if a car calibrated for regular fuel begins to knock on anything less than premium or midgrade, owners should invest in a tuneup, emissions-control-system repair, or detergent additives to solve, rather than bandage, the root problem. Class dismissed."


Buy what you can afford and drive your car accordingly

 

Haha, I agree & the OP didn't know. When I see these it makes me wish I would just take all my posts and condense them to my favorite reply and save them in a word document to copy and paste, haha.

So anyways, my thought is...they recommend premium, use premium. On average it costs $136 more per year, compared to regular (this is averaging 22 MPG, 15k miles per year, at 20 cents more for premium - (15,000/22) * (.20) = $136. What's $136 compared to $35,000 for the car?

Also, check out Top Tier Gasoline for info on specific gas stations. I have always used Shell, even before I read this. But, Acura does recommend using a "Top Tier Gas" Station.

Hope this helps...

 

My 700+hp Chevy Rat ran fine with 87 octane cruising around town.. Come race time it was 114 octane at $5+ a gallon! The difference was night and day.

 

Not sure about better gas milage as I'm at 31 MPG on this tank of 87 vs a 25 on the last several taks with 93. I think milage has more to do with acceleration and down shifting to slow down the car. I've been driving like my car does not have brakes and coast to a stop, when I can. I found that pushing in the clutch and coasting down hills really makes a big difference as well as making sure I shift around the 3k rpm. I'll try 93 next tank while maintaining the same driving habbits and I'll be very suprised if I'm able to make 32 or 33 mpg

 

I dont understand what the big deal is. Its usually about a $.10 difference between 91 and 93. If I put 16 gallons in my TL, thats only $1.60 more for 93. I'm not gonna cry over $1.60, that cant even buy me coffee here.

 

This question drives ME NUTS. NOT AGAIN. BUY 93 and be done. SHIT. Pack your

lunch 1 DAY A WEEK, and save enough to get 93 octane. THIS IS SO OLD. If you

can't AFFORD a few extra dollars, you should of bought a NEON........................

 

When I took delivery of my TL, the sales guy tried to tell me that "with the dual knock sensors, you can do just fine putting in 89 Octane and save a few bucks!" I still filled up with 92 Octane when they bought my first tank of gas for me, and I still put in 92, as that's the highest available at the nearby gas station.

I'm an engineer, so I know all about following recommended ratings (and why one should), but I'm also a wise consumer and I understand economics and opportunity cost. If an extra $100 spent on gasoline every year over the ten years I expect to own this car will save me from spending $1001 or more on an engine repair, then I have made a wise choice to go with Premium Gasoline.

 

^^ I say we need to have one of you Engineering types do the calculus on this and give us the most economical way to get 91 Octane.

Assume:

Premium is $0.15 more than Regular and
Mid is $0.10 more than Regular.

Premium = 93 Octane;
Mid = 89 Octane;
Regular = 87 Octane.

Run the car till Range = 0 = 3 Gal left;
Add 13 Gal at each re-fuel.

Which mix of the grades listed will give the lowest cost and a weighted average Octane of 91?

 

whatever you mix is. 2/3 of 93 Octane and 1/3 of regular will give you 91 octane at the lowest cost, based on situation. Many people assume the fact that the car will burn equal amounts of fuel, premium or regular, which is incorrect. Modern engines are tuned, so if a lower than desired octane is used (knocking sensed), more fuel will be injected to create a rich burning environment in attempt to raise activiation energy of combustion. Also, an inefficiency has occured. The general idea is: if knocking is sensed, you will use more gas, and the engine is less efficient, so you will have less power. In terms of cost/mile driven, I believe sauceman did a test on his TSX. his summary is used the recommended octane. the cost of extra fuel used will cost more than the price difference between regular and premium

 

Yeah, my coworker and I originally envisioned this as a 3D Calculus problem, but then I simplified it and plugged numbers into Excel, and found that 4.3 Gallons of 87 Octane and 8.7 Gallons of 93 Octane (1:2 ratio) gives 91 Octane final, and has a lower cost than using Mid Grade and Premium mixed.

If you only have 92 Octane available, you need to put in 2.6 Gallons of Regular and 10.4 Gallons of Premium to obtain exactly 91 Octane.

We didn't do the three way mix because mixing three types of gas is impractical, and mixing 87 with 89 doesn't push you any closer to 91 octane alone, so I'm not sure there's a real value in mixing the two when mid-grade has only a marginally lower cost than premium.

 

That would impose some sort of linearity on the octane ratings, and I do not think fuel octane ratings are linear.

 

- I knew some of you guys would work this out - like a mini brain teaser.

Since we have to read these threads every few weeks, thought I'd throw something different out there.

I did the "2D" version, but wondered if there was a "3D" version that was better.

Thought about building a spreadsheet with a "goal seek" added to account for different cost differentials and Octane availability. But I do enough spreadsheets already.

 

If you can afford a TL you should be able to afford Premium Gas. If you dont wanna buy premium gas trade your car in and get yourself a civic or something. The manual specifically says atleast 91 octane.

 

I get an average of 35/36 MPG going 55-65 MPH