Hello. Thanks for the great content Scotty! I have the option to buy a 2012 Acura TL V6 with the advanced package. This vehicle has 150,000 miles on it currently. I've seen that the vehicle instructions "Recommend" that it uses 91 octane fuel. My question is do I really have to use 91 octane with the current gas prices. I live in the state of Iowa and we have regular, an ethanol blend and then premium. Currently the premium prices are about .75 cents more/gallon. I'm looking at purchasing a vehicle like this for better fuel economy than what I currently have and this size and type of vehicle fits my needs. I've seen some people say that not using 91 octane in the Acura engine will damage it. I'm just looking for professional advice regarding this subject. Thank you in advance.
From page 468 of the owners manual: "Your vehicle is designed to operate on premium unleaded gasoline with a pump octane of 91 or higher. If this octane grade is unavailable, regular unleaded gasoline with a pump octane of 87 or higher may be used temporarily. The use of regular unleaded gasoline can cause metallic knocking noises in the engine and will result in decreased engine performance. The long-term use of regular-grade gasoline can lead to engine damage. You may hear a knocking noise from the engine if you drive the vehicle at low engine speed (below about 1,000 rpm) in a higher gear. To stop this, raise the engine speed by shifting to a lower gear."
This is probably where the 'only premium' claim comes from. The important thing to notice is 91 octane is 'recommended' but not 'required'. If it said 'required' then the answer would be "no".
Using gas with a lower octane rating won't hurt the car's engine. Yes, your gas mileage will suffer, but not enough to offset the high price of premium gas.
You can dl the manual here: https://mygarage.honda.com/s/owners-manuals
Thanks Hixster. I really appreciate the fast response!
You're welcome