[r.johnson]

manual says 91 "recommended", but not required

salesperson told me to use 89 when i pick up the car

i asked if i can do 87, salesperson said it will not break the engine and that's what most people who are leasing will use since the car goes back to the dealer in the end, but told me that since i am keeping the car i should not go for 87 and its better for my engine if i go higher

anybody tried fuel higher than 91? any differences?

i tried fueling half the tank today with 93, and good lord its $50CAD for only half a tank of gas

 

[Summest]

manual says 91 "recommended", but not required

salesperson told me to use 89 when i pick up the car

i asked if i can do 87, salesperson said it will not break the engine and that's what most people who are leasing will use since the car goes back to the dealer in the end, but told me that since i am keeping the car i should not go for 87 and its better for my engine if i go higher

anybody tried fuel higher than 91? any differences?

i tried fueling half the tank today with 93, and good lord its $50CAD for only half a tank of gas

Since it is a new car, and even though I am leasing, I am using Premium Unleaded. I am not sure of the octane rating, but it is the highest I can buy commercially in my area. I get different answers to no answers on the web about octane numbers. Next time I am at the pump I will check and then I will vote in the survey.

The last year I had my 2011 TSX I switched to using just regular unleaded and I didn't see any difference in performance or mileage. So from what your salesman said, it is okay to use mid-grade unleaded?

 

[r.johnson]

i dunno what mid-grade unleaded translates to in terms of octane number, but seems like it. granted, its a V6 and not some turbo engine for the SH-AWD. so i wouldn't be surprised that it will be the case too for the weaker 2-litre engine on the TLX. my salesperson told me that pumping higher octane will make the engine more quiet and give better mileage. maybe next time u go to the dealer ask what fuel grade should be used for the TLX

my previous car was a 2000 acura EL which is basically a civic or the ILX a decade ago. for the past few yrs i have been pumping only with the cheapest fuel and the engine didnt break down, though the full tank mileage kinda sucked at below 500km.

 

[willy18]

As far as I know, if you use a lower octane gas, the computer should be able to detect it and adjust timing accordingly. Theoretically, there should be a sacrifice in performance but it's up to you to know if you can feel it. With my 05 TSX, it's got a custom tune and if I don't use 94 octane, the engine knocks. A stock factory car should be forgiving though.

 

[whatmeworry]

Salesman told me Premium recommended but not required. Something about car have some anti-knocking technology. I guess they use that as selling point now.

Matt Hargett from Acura did mentioned in Autoline Q&A session it's recommended not required. Acura's Game-Changing TLX - Autoline After Hours 262 - YouTube

But if a car is rated mileage based on Premium, will one still get the same mileage with regular gas?

I personally would just stick with Premium. If I wanted really good mileage I would have bought a hybrid.

 

[J233]

higher than[/B] 91? any differences?

Running now on full tank of 93 and thus far have seen no difference in performance as well as mpg numbers comparing to the previous tank with 91 octane gas.

 

[typeess]

I read into this before to see if using a higher grade than require and what benefits it would have and there has been proof that it doesn't increase power, not sure about any other benefits this could have.

Might end up being a waste of money.

 

[r.johnson]

so i see that someone voted 87

can that brave soul tell us what kind experience and mileage you are getting?

 

[willy18]

Using higher than 91 octane will only improve performance if you can tune the ECU to take advantage of the higher octane.

 

[tino]

If anyone gets a chance it would be interesting to see the fuel mileage compared between say Regular and Premium... hint, hint pretty please

 

[SameButDifferent]

I'd probably go with 89. I like to listen to what the manual says but it costs so much more to use 91 octane. What are the actual things that will happen to your engine over time if you use lower octane?

 

[dchase]

When the manual says "recommended," it is safe to use regular.
Numerous sources say no difference whatsoever in performance or mileage.
I drove my 2006 MDX 242,000 miles on regular despite the recommendation for premium without a single engine problem. Modern engines, that is, since at least my 1993 Legend, self-adjust to the octane used.

 

[Summest]

Welcome to the Forum!

When the manual says "recommended," it is safe to use regular.
Numerous sources say no difference whatsoever in performance or mileage.
I drove my 2006 MDX 242,000 miles on regular despite the recommendation for premium without a single engine problem. Modern engines, that is, since at least my 1993 Legend, self-adjust to the octane used.

Welcome to the Forum! I see this is your first post.

Glad to hear we think a like.

 

[r.johnson]

oh i think we all know its safe to use regular; the TLX isnt using a turbo engine or anything, nor is it a german car

but what we want to know is: is the higher cost of using 89 or 91 fuel for the TLX worth the extra mileage, if any?

i guess you also have to take into account of gas station loyalty or rewards points too if you use higher grade fuel

 

[TeeElX]

If anyone gets a chance it would be interesting to see the fuel mileage compared between say Regular and Premium... hint, hint pretty please

If anything there's a chance mileage could be worse due to the higher octane, it might burn faster.

 

[Esrever]

oh i think we all know its safe to use regular; the TLX isnt using a turbo engine or anything, nor is it a german car

but what we want to know is: is the higher cost of using 89 or 91 fuel for the TLX worth the extra mileage, if any?

i guess you also have to take into account of gas station loyalty or rewards points too if you use higher grade fuel

LOL. I think that if you buy higher octane fuel to get loyalty points, you are playing right into the gas station's hand.

 

[r.johnson]

LOL. I think that if you buy higher octane fuel to get loyalty points, you are playing right into the gas station's hand.

well i dont think i will use 87 fuel on my V6 SH-AWD either regardless of type of rewards i may be getting. just saying the points are another bonus, not the sole purpose

i mean, if you are close to getting a free plane ticket, i dont see why not going for a higher grade fuel to get more points. better for your engine, better mileage, get your free plane ticket sooner, why not?

now of course, once you get that free ticket, then re-evaluate lol

 

[Brains]

Once this tank of mid is gone I am going to see the difference regular makes. I've not seen any difference switching down from premium to mid grade.

 

[r.johnson]

page 26 of the owner's manual (not the little booklet):

Q:
Unleaded gasoline with a
Pump Octane Number
(PON) of 91 or higher is
recommended.
Is it possible to use
unleaded gasoline with a
Pump Octane Number
(PON) of 87 or lower on
this vehicle?

A:
Unleaded gasoline with a Pump
Octane Number (PON) of 91 or
higher is recommended.
Use of lower octane gasoline can cause occasional metallic
knocking noise in the engine and will result in decreased engine
performance.
Use of gasoline with a pump oc
tane less than 87 can lead to
engine damage.

 

[DavidsTLX]

On the 2.4L the compression ratio is 11.6:1. The 3.5L V6 is rated at 11.5:1. These are fairly high and on most cars having a ratio higher than 10.0:1 will typically call for premium fuel or at least the midgrade.

If you choose to use a lower grade, the car probably won't experience much pinging because the computer will pullback the timing but this isn't optimal for performance. I'd say the average driver won't notice much difference but if you're a car enthusiast like many of us on this forum and notice every detail of your car, you probably will.

If you drive 12,000 miles a year at 27.5 MPG (midpoint of city and fwy epa rating) and consider that 91 vs. 87 is $0.20 different, you're only saving $87 a year. I'd opt for the premium. Finally its in-line with the owners manual.