KATIN

Hey everyone, just a quick question. What kinda Gas do you use for your TL? In the manual it states use Premium Grade, but I was just curious if you guys use Regular or Plus. Let me know and explain how bad it would be to use Plus or Reg in TL.

Thanking you guys in advance

erdoc48

You can use the lower octane fuels, but because these cars are designed to run on 91 octane fuel, the timing will be retarded somewhat (automatically as the computer in the car detects pre-ignition), diminishing the performance and the mpg. Usually, buying the cheaper fuel doesn't save you much as performance and mpg suffers.

Basically, octane is a flame retardant of sorts (it's not a perfomance chemical as is commonly believed- heptane is the combustible part of gasoline). If a car has a high compression ratio (as I believe the TL does), lower octane gas will ignite more readily (pre-ignition). A higher level of octane in the gas prevents the pre-ignition, and allows the explosion in the cylinder to occur in a more controlled manner (allows the spark plug to ignite prior to the fuel combusting, whcih is the normal sequence of events).

TL= higher gas prices. It's a fact of life.

DMZ

Having a V6 instead of an I4 = higher gas costs....Fact of life.

And that includes the Accord V6 Hybrid which Consumer Reports determined to get only 1 MPG better than the standard V6 model making the Hybrid not worth the price difference.

SouthernBoy

Yes, you're right. Octane acts to delay the onset of pre-ignition (ping) by reducing the tendancy of the fuel/air mixture to detonate (explode) rather than perform a controlled burn. The fuel/air mixture in an internal combustion engine burns.. it does not explode. You do not want an explosion occuring within your engine.

The mechanical compression ratio of the 3G TL engine is 11.00:1, which is fairly high, so it really does need a higher grade of fuel to perform properly.

VT06TL

A Gasoline discussion comes up every couple of months. If you want some in depth information use the search feature. This subject has been discussed in depth many times. The answers you have gotten so far are very good and as you read the other discussions come to the same conclusion. You gotta run premium gas.

lusid

Use premium.

91+ I dont see why you wouldnt, as annually you'd only save 150-200~ a year in using one regular vs premium, as the prices are ALMOST always 20cents more per gal.

lusid

Desert_TL

Oh for god's sake.

A quick search would have revealed that this comes up like once a week and there are probably hundreds of threads on it. Prepare for

Directly from the acura owner link web site:

"Refer to your Owner's Manual for the pump octane number recommended for your Acura. Use of a lower-octane gasoline than recommended can cause a persistent, heavy metallic rapping noise in the engine that can lead to mechanical damage."

Bottom line: if you can afford a $35k car, you can afford the extra 20 cents a gallon for premium, period.

ggesq

iTrader: (1)

Atrain

Right Southern Boy?

erdoc48,

I concur. You sumed it up more or less. Bottom line is the higher the octane, the less volitile the gasoline.

A-Train

KATIN

Thanks guys for your feedback, I was just curious. I was going to start putting Plus in but what's 10cents more.

1995hoo

Depending on where you live, you might even save a penny or two off that. Here in the DC area, the Sunoco stations usually have four grades of gas (87, 89, 91, and 93) and the 91 is usually about 2¢ a gallon cheaper than the 93. I've tried both and the only difference I've noticed is that the mileage often seems a tad lower when I'm running 91, but it's hard to tell whether that's because of the gas or because of other factors such as traffic variations. I guess the best way to decide would be to fill up with Sunoco 91, drive up to Albany (all highway miles; Albany is as far as I can get without having to refuel), fill up with Sunoco 93 at the station north of town just off the Northway, then turn around and drive home. But that's such a big waste of time and money that I'm not going to do it.

SouthernBoy

I see you're new to the site. Please bear with us.. we get this same question over and over again, it seems. So if we appear to come on a little caustic, that's the reason.

First off, as someone has already stated, if you can afford a $35,000 car, you can certainly afford to feed its engine what it is supposed to burn. This is not being hard or nasty.. it's the truth, plain and simple. You have purchased a good car with a good engine. Treat it accordingly and both you and your engine will be happy and content.

If you burn a lower grade of fuel, as in 87 octane, your engine's ECU will have to compensate for this. It will retard your timing's initial advance and the rate at which the spark is allowed to advance under load/throttle position conditions. This, in turn, affects the engine's ability to produce its rated power output at any given RPM, and conversely, its fuel economy. And under more extreme conditions, your engine may suffer preignition or worse, detonation, though that is not too likely.

So feed your engine what it was design to injest. Burn high quality fuel of at least 91 octane, and you'll do just fine.

datmrman

^ Nice post SouthernBoy!


Welcome aboard KATIN. We have a few threads that newbies like yourself should get acquainted to. Our main FAQ thread is called the The 3G Garage. You will find that it covers a vast majority of topics that new (and returning) members might have questions about. If you can't find what you're looking for there, please perform a search before posting.

Again, welcome and enjoy!