Hello - i'm looking at mid 2000's (2003-2008) Acuras for my daughter. They mostly all say Premium gas recommended. Is this really necessary? What if you use regular gas? How do you know if the prior owner used premium instead of regular?
Thanks for any answers.
From what I've seen premium fuel is "recommended" by Acura but only "required" for the Acura NSX.
For most modern cars where premium is recommended the engine control system will adjust to whatever grade of gasoline is used, and will just deliver less power and a little less gas mileage with regular. That matches my own experience with a turbocharged vehicle where premium gas is recommended. It definitely is zippier with premium fuel but does not complain if regular is used.
https://www.acura.appletreeautomobiles.com/manufacturer-information/does-acura-require-premium-gas/
Since it says premium gas recommended and not required, you could put regular gas in it and the car will run fine. But, you will get the best gas mileage and performance if you use premium, since that’s what the manufacturer recommends for the car. I would suggest to use premium since that’s what Acura has recommended. It’s not that much more expensive than regular gas and you’ll get the full efficiency and performance out of the car.
I disagree that premium is not much more expensive than regular....that really depends on where you live (used to be only 20 cents more, but not anymore)....Here in NC premium is nearly $1 more per gallon than regular. So for a 10 gallon fill up that's $10 more. Over time that adds up quick.
If the Acura doesn't have forced induction (turbo or supercharer) than regular is fine...or split the difference and go mid-grade.
On a car designed to take advantage of the higher octane you'll get a bit better gas mileage with premium fuel but not enough to make up the difference in cost. When gas is relatively cheap I use premium, but will go down to mid-grade when prices go up, and have used regular when prices were really high. In my case there's only a small difference in performance with mid-grade but it's quite noticeable when using regular.
I have a 2000 Acura TL and I have always put regular gas and its still running to this day with no problems. On some Acuras you might have "engine knock" if you don't put premium. Premium should only be used when you want maximum performance. If you don't want transmission problems you should stay away from the 2000 to 2003 5 speed automatic transmission models as they have transmission problems, Had to get my transmission rebuilt 2 times. There still great cars. As far as I know the 2004-present models don't have major transmission problems. Best of luck.
Regular will not hurt your engine
The car will run most efficient and have the best performance with premium, but modern cars could also run on regular but with decreased efficiency and performance.
It's worth running premium gasoline in an engine that recommends it. But if it requires it, then ONLY use premium. We've discussed this topic many many times on here. In my opinion it's worth the extra 10-20 cents for premium if it's recommended. There is a reason they recommend/require a certain octane rating.
Premium gasoline Recommended is just a marketing baloney which gives you an illusion that your Acura has real luxury engine.
