1st time Acura Owner 2016 RDX
 

Just bought a used '16 RDX Tech today, loving it so far. It was an off-lease vehicle with 31K on the clock shipped in from NY to CO. I'll be poking around for info on getting and programming a second key, trying to figure out the intricacies of the dual screen Tech system, and just having fun carving the canyons west of Boulder. You can check out a pic of the new ride in the "What did you replace with the RDX" thread in 2nd Gen RDX. Looking forward to learning and sharing on this forum!

A couple of questions to get started:
I've had a great ownership experience with Honda's for many years just following the maintenance minder and doing tranny fluid changes a bit more often than recommended. Is that a good strategy for a 2nd Gen RDX? It's more or less a glorified CR-V with and Accord V6 engine and tranny, right? :wink:

Owner's manual says premium fuel is recommended but not required, and lower than 87 octane might damage the engine. I live about a mile high and regular gas here is 85. Should I give that a try or stick with mid-grade and above to hit that 87 number?

Welcome to the forums.

Since this is a topic/technical issue which will require replies and discussion, this thread has been moved from the New Member Introductions forum to the model specific forum.

I always use premium gas.If You can afford an RDX,You can afford premium gas.
Uh -Oh, wait for the comments that this will cause!

The owner's manual indicates that engine damage could result from running fuel with an octane rating <87...If I were you, I would believe what the manual states and never run any fuel with an octane rating lower than 87.

The fuels where I live are typically are rated 87, 89 & 93....85 is not even available. Having said that, I always tell my wife to fill up with mid or premium and I do exactly that on those occasions I fill up the RDX for her...my suspicion is she fills up with 87 pretty much all of the time without any engine knocking or other discernible ill effects on those rare occasions I do get behind the wheel.

I wonder if anyone has put it on the Dyno with different octane fuels? I know the 2019 Mazda CX5 turbo charged engine can run both regular and premium fuels with differing horsepower generated.

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your new ride.
We don’t have any objections if you want to call your RDX a glorified CRV. However CRV owners won’t be happy if we call that a stripped down RDX (which it obviously isn’t). Even though the RDX started off as a luxurious CRV, it’s has evolved quite a bit to be different enough. What components are shared between the 2G RDX and corresponding CRV... engine, transmission, suspension, interior or exterior panels....?
I guess sharing of chassis frame and some interior components could be considered as much as calling Audi A4/A6 a glorified VW Jetta / Passat. No objection there either.
Now for the newer 3G RDX, even the chassis is not shared. So that’s where we’re at.
Enjoy your new car, and let us know if you have any questions.
I usually fill it up with mid grade fuel, unless I’m going on a long trip when I use premium (but don’t ask me if I find any difference in driving manners or fuel economy). I presume it gives some extra driving range during those times which is all I care about.

Thanks everyone for the advice on the gas octane and all! I found the "Regular vs Premium" thread and we're going with mid-grade top tier gasoline for now. Yeah, we could afford premium but we're kind of frugal in general. Hence the 3 year old off-lease RDX.

We're really enjoying the RDX in general and loving the the tried and true V6/6AT drivetrain... so much smooooooth power!