View Poll Results: Owners, do you fill up with premium or regular fuel?
Premium
43
69.35%
Regular
19
30.65%
Voters: 62. You may not vote on this poll
Premium vs Regular fuel
06-24-2018, 04:59 PM
#2
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Another such thread? Why?
06-24-2018, 05:34 PM
#3
Its a never ending topic and once again the recomended not required issue.. The dealer filled the tank with regular and 3/4 gone im at 22.8 semi pampering it. I hope it gets better as it breaks in but i will probably consider Prem since here in Puerto Rico the temp is in the 90’s. On a side note, my 2016
06-24-2018, 06:07 PM
#4
Suzuka Master
Personally I read somewhere that there is some thought about just selling Premium and that it would simplify things and I thought it said it would allow manufacturers to push engines further without getting the “premium required” stigma. I actually think it would be a great idea if it stops these threads ;-)
06-24-2018, 06:58 PM
#5
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Not a very good idea; Premium fuel is not as efficient as Regular fuel in low compression engines.
06-24-2018, 09:45 PM
#7
There are four lights!
My adage goes, if you can afford a premium vehicle, you can afford premium fuel.
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06-24-2018, 09:55 PM
#8
Personally I read somewhere that there is some thought about just selling Premium and that it would simplify things and I thought it said it would allow manufacturers to push engines further without getting the “premium required” stigma. I actually think it would be a great idea if it stops these threads ;-)
06-24-2018, 10:40 PM
#10
Team Owner
Personally, I'd only be putting diesel in. Because I'm a rebel without a cause. And little more.
06-25-2018, 04:02 AM
#11
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Proposed by some of the automakers. Their jobs become easier when they don’t need to accommodate 87 octane. With a minimum of 91 octane, they get better fuel economy with little to no investment. I’d support such a move myself if it would only add 10 or 15 cents a gallon. But you can bet the oil companies will charge more than that. Mid-grade is an extra 30 cents a gallon here, and premium is at least 60 cents extra.
06-25-2018, 05:42 AM
#12
The engine is 9.8:1 which is somewhat of a lower compression but due to the forced induction you are essentially raising compression. Higher octane prevents pre-detonation which not good for any engine.
06-25-2018, 06:33 AM
#13
But high compression engines are more efficient. The risk of detonation from low octane fuel in higher compression engines is precisely what GM and others are trying to avoid as they chase better EPA ratings.
06-25-2018, 06:37 AM
#14
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Understood, but if a switch to 93 AKI nation wide was made, there would be many millions of engines which will suffer as a result.
06-25-2018, 07:40 AM
#16
Azine Jabroni
I am usually a Premium only guy, but I was in Illinois recently and Premium at some places was almost a dollar more expensive. At some point, the efficiency hit isn't high enough to justify that high of Premium price.
So, basically, I'm going from "Premium always" to "Premium if you can afford it"
06-25-2018, 08:06 AM
#18
Burning Brakes
Likewise here on the price differential. This morning prices are 2.71, 3.01, & 3.31 for regular, plus, & premium.. That's a bit over 22% increase between regular and premium and I will bet my life savings that neither fuel economy nor performance will improve by anywhere near that - if at all.
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06-25-2018, 09:29 AM
#19
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06-25-2018, 10:01 AM
#21
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By the way, what I forgot to mention was, the Double Wasp ran 100/130 (basically 100LL AvGas) after the war, during the war it ran 115/145, which allowed higher output numbers.
06-25-2018, 11:44 AM
#22
mrgold35
I put +40,000 miles per year between my RDX (18.5 mpg avg) and MDX (17 mpg avg). It comes in handy having a Sam's and Costco club card for gas. The 91 octane prices at the clubs are usually around the same as 87 Octane at corner gas stations. I can find one or the other during my hwy runs out of town (bonus of clean restrooms and cheap snacks also). I've saved way more than the yearly $45-$55 membership cost on gas and other items. It really hurt paying $83 to fill up my MDX in Santa Barbara last month because they didn't have a Sam's club.
Last edited by mrgold35; 06-25-2018 at 11:50 AM.
06-25-2018, 11:55 AM
#23
Drifting
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I'm not touching the octane topic.
But opening up another can of worms - Gas Brands. Costco is a licensed Top-Tier fuel but Sam's Club is not. If you're a believer in Top Tier fuel then I'd steer toward Costco rather than Sam's.
I used to use Costco but since I started driving for Lyft I switched to Shell. If you drive for Lyft and do at least 175 rides every three months they offer a discount card to Shell for $0.25 off per gallon. Better than the deal I was getting at Costco and although I'll probably get some crap for saying it - I'd swear the car runs better on Shell. I don't believe it's a placebo effect because I wasn't hoping or attempting to notice any change. But both the power output and mileage has seemed better with Shell. I drive a lot, about 3000 miles per month and it seems to be consistently better since going with Shell.
Some have said that gas brands can affect engines differently - that one brand may positively affect one type of engine while another brand may be better for another. In other words, there may not be a one-size fits all (if there's actually any difference at all). Since the 3G RDX is a completely different animal than the J-series V6 in every way possible (forced induction, # of cylinders, compression ratio, fuel delivery), Shell may not necessarily be the super-awesome-uber fuel that I find it to be in my 4G TL
But opening up another can of worms - Gas Brands. Costco is a licensed Top-Tier fuel but Sam's Club is not. If you're a believer in Top Tier fuel then I'd steer toward Costco rather than Sam's.
I used to use Costco but since I started driving for Lyft I switched to Shell. If you drive for Lyft and do at least 175 rides every three months they offer a discount card to Shell for $0.25 off per gallon. Better than the deal I was getting at Costco and although I'll probably get some crap for saying it - I'd swear the car runs better on Shell. I don't believe it's a placebo effect because I wasn't hoping or attempting to notice any change. But both the power output and mileage has seemed better with Shell. I drive a lot, about 3000 miles per month and it seems to be consistently better since going with Shell.
Some have said that gas brands can affect engines differently - that one brand may positively affect one type of engine while another brand may be better for another. In other words, there may not be a one-size fits all (if there's actually any difference at all). Since the 3G RDX is a completely different animal than the J-series V6 in every way possible (forced induction, # of cylinders, compression ratio, fuel delivery), Shell may not necessarily be the super-awesome-uber fuel that I find it to be in my 4G TL
Last edited by losiglow; 06-25-2018 at 11:58 AM.
06-25-2018, 12:42 PM
#24
Burning Brakes
...- I'd swear the car runs better on Shell. I don't believe it's a placebo effect because I wasn't hoping or attempting to notice any change. But both the power output and mileage has seemed better with Shell....Some have said that gas brands can affect engines differently - that one brand may positively affect one type of engine while another brand may be better for another...
06-25-2018, 01:40 PM
#26
Drifting
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Yeah, I know, was just taking poetic license. I can’t see the chin on that Hog to tell if there is that little radiator there that the -4 had.
Last edited by Madd Dog; 06-25-2018 at 01:47 PM.
06-25-2018, 11:16 PM
#28
Team Owner
How little do you drive? 
06-26-2018, 06:41 AM
#29
Burning Brakes
2 - At $.60/gal difference and 10K miles a year at 24MPG average I'd spend an additional $250 for premium. If I'm going to p1ss away that much money I rather do it by recycling a few gallons of LaBatts.
3 - A number of studies have been done showing that burning premium in cars that only recommend it's use returns no mileage benefit, and any performance benefits are realized only when pushing the vehicle to it's limits if at all.
06-26-2018, 09:56 AM
#30
mrgold35
I really think it is about saving money overall instead of saving at the gas pump only. Doing little things like changing your cell phone plan, taking your lunch 3-4 times a week, adjusting your home thermostat, or making coffee at home instead of Starbuck everyday can save you more $$$ per month compared to switching to 87 octane. I knew my RDX and MDX suck ass when it came to mpgs and what was the octane requirement; but, I wanted max performance and longevity on the back end. I'm saving $$$ because of not having a car payment saving me +$500 per month per car (+8yrs TSX, +6yrs RDX, +2yrs MDX with +410,000 miles between them).
06-26-2018, 01:11 PM
#33
Very few gas stations around me have 91. I tend to use 89 in my TL and the car has been great with it. In CT the 91 and 93 right now are topping $3.50/gal and I drive about 26,000 miles each year. I think for me it is not about saving money, but not wasting money. My car performs just fine with the 89, so I see no need to pay more.
06-26-2018, 08:30 PM
#34
I hit the 20k+ miles per year as well. I actually did a spreadsheet with different MPGs and gas prices to understand the financial impact. If I don’t see a significant difference in MPG or performance from 91 I’ll likrlt drop to 87.
I leased an Infiniti Q50 and I remember the sales manager telling me to put 87 in - which I did most of the time.
Since I will buy the RDX, I may approach it differently.
I leased an Infiniti Q50 and I remember the sales manager telling me to put 87 in - which I did most of the time.
Since I will buy the RDX, I may approach it differently.
06-27-2018, 03:57 AM
#35
Suzuka Master
Wow, the Infiniti 3.7 required premium at least in the M37 and the manaul said so and warned of engine damage if prolonged use of regular. It said at most 1/4 tank of regular and then drive lightly until you could get premium in there.
06-27-2018, 09:40 AM
#37
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I said I wouldn't touch it but meh. I Can't help it.
Here's my logic:
1. If there's any chance that premium will increase performance by decreasing knock, I'll use it. It's a scientific fact that higher octane decreases knock (in certain engines such as high compression setups).
2. If there's any chance the regular will potentially cause engine damage over time due to increased knock, I'll use premium.
But I'm the type that changes synthetic oil every 5K miles and transmission fluid every 10K miles with the goal of pushing my car to 300K miles. And I've spent $4K on mods, lightweight components and tuning to increase performance. In my case, it would be stupid to do all of that then purchase regular fuel. If I purchased a new car every 50K miles, didn't care about performance, or had a lease, I might not see it that way.
Here's my logic:
1. If there's any chance that premium will increase performance by decreasing knock, I'll use it. It's a scientific fact that higher octane decreases knock (in certain engines such as high compression setups).
2. If there's any chance the regular will potentially cause engine damage over time due to increased knock, I'll use premium.
But I'm the type that changes synthetic oil every 5K miles and transmission fluid every 10K miles with the goal of pushing my car to 300K miles. And I've spent $4K on mods, lightweight components and tuning to increase performance. In my case, it would be stupid to do all of that then purchase regular fuel. If I purchased a new car every 50K miles, didn't care about performance, or had a lease, I might not see it that way.
06-27-2018, 10:07 AM
#38
Team Owner
The thought of using regular has crossed my mind, after being an advocate against it for so long.
But... premium is in/around $5.67/gal here, right now
Regular is about ~$0.75/gal less, here.
My TL is 12 years old and is far from being a show car... little stuff going on it, here and there... but stuff I just no longer care to fix, such as the "leather" starting to crack on the seat bottoms. I figure if regular fuel kills the engine over the next year, so be it. Even that seems doubtful, as it seems there are people who've been running regular for years and years. Less performance? Meh. Most of my driving these days is just cruising back and forth on the highway for 11 minutes in each direction, to and from work. It's rare for me to push the TL anymore... just doesn't interest me like it used to (no idea why). That, and I still have my Nismo (at least for the time being) for when I do want to have fun.
It will be a very difficult day for me to pull up to a pump and push the "regular" fuel button. Haven't done it yet. But thinking about it more and more....
But... premium is in/around $5.67/gal here, right now
Regular is about ~$0.75/gal less, here.
My TL is 12 years old and is far from being a show car... little stuff going on it, here and there... but stuff I just no longer care to fix, such as the "leather" starting to crack on the seat bottoms. I figure if regular fuel kills the engine over the next year, so be it. Even that seems doubtful, as it seems there are people who've been running regular for years and years. Less performance? Meh. Most of my driving these days is just cruising back and forth on the highway for 11 minutes in each direction, to and from work. It's rare for me to push the TL anymore... just doesn't interest me like it used to (no idea why). That, and I still have my Nismo (at least for the time being) for when I do want to have fun.
It will be a very difficult day for me to pull up to a pump and push the "regular" fuel button. Haven't done it yet. But thinking about it more and more....
06-27-2018, 10:20 AM
#39
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06-27-2018, 10:26 AM
#40
Team Owner
Canada
I'm in Alberta... we have plenty of oil refineries here, and we pull the oil out of the ground here too. And yet our gas prices are through the roof. I believe we are generally a bit cheaper than the rest of Canada also, though I haven't looked into it recently.
I'm in Alberta... we have plenty of oil refineries here, and we pull the oil out of the ground here too. And yet our gas prices are through the roof. I believe we are generally a bit cheaper than the rest of Canada also, though I haven't looked into it recently.