Does anyone know if there are any issues with using 94 octane fuel? I find that my car runs better with it over Premium (91 octane), but want to make sure I'm not damaging my engine.

 

Low octane will cause early detonation and engine knock (a.k.a. ping). High octane fuel will not. The RL is designed for 91 octane. TX only offers 87, 89, & 93, so I ran 93. The RL does have an engine knock sensor that will retard timing (and performance) to accommodate low octane fuel. I am assuming you are asking about your ILX, and I cannot comment on the recommended octane or any protection modes in that car.

How are you quantifying that your "car runs better"?

 

for an ILX, i'd say you're just spending more than you have to, but if you feel it is better in some indescribable way, nothing is stopping you.

 

You'll be fine. 94 octane is meant for sea level. So don't bring a can of it with you to Colorado!

 

Unless you shaved seconds off of your 1/4 mile time on a track, it might just be all in your head. The same feeling you get when you throw on a CAI and it feels like your car is supercharged.

 

All Acuras run on high compression engines.
it would be better to run a higher octane than a lower one.

 

The K24Z7 in the ILX has an 11:1 compression which matches the K24Z3 in the 2008-12 Accord. Did the Accord require 91 or higher? That would seem counter-intuitive to the idea of making an I4 Accord.

 

Run premium is it says to run it. Accord run regular because they retard the craps out of the timing

 

It was probably designed to run on 93/94 octane (AKI) but the computer will compensate and pull timing for 91, especially in hot weather.

Some cars have improved performance and gas mileage with 93 vs. 91, but it varies. There are many, many more areas with 93 available vs. 91.

 

ECU tuning also plays a role.
I know the Acura's have more aggressive timing than their Honda counterparts.

 

Motortrend did an article back int he late 90's with an accord with the J30. Did dyno testing on 87/89/91

87 performed the best in terms of power.

 

^ Late 90s maybe but a Honda engineer said the J30 in the 7th gen Accords made 10 more hp using premium over regular gas.

 

Thanks for all the replies! I'm glad that the higher octane will not make a difference in terms of wear and tear (and may actually be better according to some). We have 91 and 94 available here and there is basically no price difference.

As for the quantification of the difference in performance… it's probably all in my head, but it just seems like my engine sounds like its not working as hard (i.e. running smoother) when I use 94.

 

His right and I have the article from them that prove it also