Hi Scotty,
I heard you say that premium gas is a waste of money, however, when I put 87 in my ‘09 Acura TSX it knocks like crazy.
Suggestions?
Premium gas is not a waste of money depending on what your engine takes. People are misunderstanding the word "premium" for gas. There are three tiers of gas: regular, mid-grade, and premium. It has nothing to do with the QUALITY of the gas. It's all about the octane rating. Regular is 87 octane, mid-grade is 89 octane, and premium is 91/93 octane depending on where you live. If your engine knocks like crazy with 87 octane, then try a higher octane. After all, octane rating is the measurement of gasoline's anti-knock index. The higher the octane, the more resistant the gasoline is to knock (compression and heat before igniting). You can't put whatever octane you feel like. You can't say "Oh I feel like pumping regular gas today" when your engine requires 91/93 octane.
Now if your engine requires a MINIMUM of 87 octane, then yes, using a higher octane will be a waste of a few dollars. Sometimes it provides a noticeable difference, and sometimes it doesn't. Newer engines are being programmed to use different octane rated gasolines. For example, Mazda's new turbocharged engine can use 87 octane without any knock but at the cost of power loss, but you can opt to use 91 octane to utilize the engine's maximum horsepower output.
I always hear this "premium gas is a waste of money" phrase, and it just makes no sense if you know a thing or two about gasoline and octane.
Thank you for saving me from typing out a long, detailed comment on this again. Lol.
@mod_man
A never ending story lol.
owner's manual
The knock might have been occasional when the car was new (you didn't provided mileage), but after 11 years it's probably not in top shape anymore. An "italian tune-up" might help get rid of some carbon deposits, or a professional cleaning if you really feel like it (but that might end up costing more than using the premium fuel).
It depends per car. Some cars require higher octane. Some don’t. Use what your car needs.
That's right. Some manufacturers will "recommend" a certain fuel type, and say that the engine "might" knock if you don't use it. But it doesn't mean you can never use regular fuel.
Some car manufacturers will tell you that you MUST use certain fuel. For those cars, you don't really have a choice. But I suspect that applies to exotic Lamborghinis and stuff like that.
Check the inside of your fuel fill door. Does it have an OEM sticker saying, "Premium Fuel Recommended"? Examples I sampled had those stickers on, … all manuals.
Anyway, TSXs are pretty racy sedans, … higher tuned than an average Honda out of the factory. If yours is in pretty good shape, you will actually get a bit better efficiency with premium fuel, … that is, if you don’t flog it! [ … very, very hard not to do!]
F.S.
- Hey Scotty, I have a 2019 Honda Accord Sport 1.5T, recommended octane is 87, do you think I’d get more MTE or DTE (Miles till empty/Distance till empty) if I put 91? Also would it affect the car (sometimes I hear you can get more power out of the car on higher octane as well), I seen some videos but I know certain cars with a turbo can run better with 91 or higher octane in general even though it only recommends 87
no. But please don't hijack questions. Start your own. You can copy+paste.