| Octane - What do you pump?
- Click HERE for Original Thread
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| CarolinaGirl |
| I noticed the manual recommended fuel octane of 91 or better. Do you use top grade gasoline every time you fill up? |
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| Our MDX |
i use 93 always
Daniel |
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| eurohazard |
In city driving I have noticed no difference in gas mileage between 87 and 93 octane. For this reason I have used regular unleaded. It is way cheaper also.
For my upcoming road trip to Seattle, I will likely go back to 93 octane. |
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| nightguy |
87 for me unless the high grade happens to not have ethanol in it as will be the case at a particular station on my road trip this weekend.
Do a search on this. Lots and lots of bandwidth has been used on this topic. :4: |
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| CarolinaGirl |
| Thanks NightGuy. I'm still learning. I didn't realize I was only showing threads in the past thirty days. I took your advice and did a search and found the other threads on this topic. Sorry for the duplicate thread. |
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| perk |
quote:
Originally posted by CarolinaGirl
Thanks NightGuy. I'm still learning. I didn't realize I was only showing threads in the past thirty days. I took your advice and did a search and found the other threads on this topic. Sorry for the duplicate thread.
Hey Carolina Girl. Did you buy at Hendrick Acura in CLT? That's where I bought my '03 back in Nov. '02. Ahhhh...seems like yesterday. |
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| nightguy |
quote:
Originally posted by CarolinaGirl
Thanks NightGuy. I'm still learning. I didn't realize I was only showing threads in the past thirty days. I took your advice and did a search and found the other threads on this topic. Sorry for the duplicate thread.
Hey I wasn't yellling at ya ! Just saying it's not only been a popular topic, but a controversial one as well. :)
And welcome ! |
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| CarolinaGirl |
quote:
Originally posted by perk
Hey Carolina Girl. Did you buy at Hendrick Acura in CLT? That's where I bought my '03 back in Nov. '02. Ahhhh...seems like yesterday.
Hi Perk! I did buy my MDX at Hendrick Acura. Such a small world, isn't it? |
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| crmsnidol |
| 87 most of the time. |
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| perk |
quote:
Originally posted by CarolinaGirl
Hi Perk! I did buy my MDX at Hendrick Acura. Such a small world, isn't it?
In the deeply moving, sentient, and amazingly universal words of Hank Hill ... yyyyep.
On the same note, it truly is a small world and I plan to make DC one person smaller in Dec. when I move back to CLT. |
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| frostyra |
quote:
Originally posted by eurohazard
For my upcoming road trip to Seattle, I will likely go back to 93 octane.
Why? I've been using 87 for almost 3 years, and cannot notice any difference except during WOT (wide open throttle) acceleration -- and then it's minor. Save $3 or so per fillup, and buy a few Dr. Peppers now and then:4: |
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| nightguy |
quote:
Originally posted by frostyra
Why? I've been using 87 for almost 3 years, and cannot notice any difference except during WOT (wide open throttle) acceleration -- and then it's minor. Save $3 or so per fillup, and buy a few Dr. Peppers now and then:4:
Ah Dr. Pepper. The easiest way to test Mrs. Nightguy's patience with the most gutteral belching ever ! Well worth the $ saved on gasoline. |
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| MSUSpartan |
| 87 for over four years now. Still runs great and still gets same mileage. 18-20mpg. |
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| DaleB |
87 'round town.... 89/91 (a mix usually) if towing (rarely), hard driviing road trip (over the 'grapevine, etc.') :cool:
Mileage (with 40K on vehicle) ranges 17-24.5 |
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| G. COLTON |
No. Depends upon the mood I am in.
G |
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| Ceenit |
| I had historically been one of those hold outs on sticking with Premium as Acura recommends. With the gas prices lately though, I switched to midgrade(89) about 2 months ago. I have seen no drop off in performance or gas mileage. We mainly use the gar to take the baby around town and get groceries, so we don't drive it that hard. If we towed a lot or carried heavy loads, I would probably put Premium back in the tank. |
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| HARDROCK |
quote:
Originally posted by DaleB
Mileage (with 40K on vehicle) ranges 17-24.5
Why is my mileage only 13 city/17 hwy using 91 octane? I have 46K on my '02 and have never gotten the high mileage some others claim :confused:
I know - discussed many times before but I just needed to vent. |
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| G. COLTON |
quote:
Originally posted by HARDROCK
Why is my mileage only 13 city/17 hwy using 91 octane? I have 46K on my '02 and have never gotten the high mileage some others claim :confused:
I know - discussed many times before but I just needed to vent.
Without riding with you I can only say that it is possible your style of dirving. Even a slightly heavy foot will cut the MPG.
G |
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| cycler15 |
| With gas prices in Cali so damn expensive, I've been using 87 octane since I got the X. City driving I get around 16-17 and freeway driving I get around 19-21. |
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| anjan |
Aha. The ghosts of octanes past visits us again :D In the absence of of political thread, this is the most bickering we can get amongst ourselves.
I guess you will find a huge range here - from Dr. Pepper to kerosene to rocket fuel. Suit your fancy....and have a happy reading in our dedicated thread on this "religious" issue. ;) |
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| EXCALIBUR |
| With gasoline prices here in Hawaii at $2.71/gal. for regular, it's hard not to like the 87 octane stuff.:roadtrip: |
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| DaleB |
quote:
Originally posted by HARDROCK
Why is my mileage only 13 city/17 hwy using 91 octane? I have 46K on my '02 and have never gotten the high mileage some others claim :confused:
I know - discussed many times before but I just needed to vent.
Most my daily driving is on country roads, with few stops, avg. speeds 40-55...
Freeway typically brings 22-24, level ground, on a long trip...depending how the wind is blowing.
I rarely go over 70 except to pass. |
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| Sinecure |
quote:
Originally posted by HARDROCK
Why is my mileage only 13 city/17 hwy using 91 octane? I have 46K on my '02 and have never gotten the high mileage some others claim :confused:
I know - discussed many times before but I just needed to vent.
A couple of thoughts. First, remember that our gas here in CA is crap! You will get less mileage out of a gallon of CA gas than a gallon bought outside CA. They put all that crap in it to cut emmissions and as a result, we get worse mileage while paying a premium. Second, consider shutting off the AC. Did you know that the AC runs the whole time if you have the car set to Full Auto for temp control? I notice a big difference in mileage if I turn off AC, which I can do much of the time since its rarely super hot where I live.
A couple of other thoughts: Do you leave your ski rack/roof box on all the time? This will cut 1-3 mpg. I assume you aren't running big nobby tires, but that would also cut mpg. City driving and/or SoCal Freeway traffic (might as well be city with all the stop/go plus AC running) will kill mileage.
Oh, I run premium. I'm starting to re-think that lately. I burned up an oxygen sensor in the early days of my MDX after running 87 octane. Much of my driving involves driving up the hill to Tahoe where premium makes a difference. Perhaps I'll switch to mid-grade when not towing my bike or hauling kids to Tahoe.
On the octane subject. Just curious if anyone has ever put 100 octane in their MDX? They charge like $5/gallon, but you can get it at race tracks (and a few local gas stations). At our normal pumps in CA, the most you'll get is 91 (none of that Sunoco 93 in CA). It seems absurd to me to put 100 in, but I just was wondering if anyone had tried. Heck, I don't even put it in my track bike (the darn thing goes to f'ing fast on regular gas). |
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| Dr. Ken |
| I use 92 all the time. For about $180 per year extra, I figure it's worth the extra $. Perhaps this is a waste of money, but I think that the car is happier with the extra octane. Besides, it says "premium fuel only" on the filler cap door. |
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| DaleB |
quote:
Originally posted by Sinecure
On the octane subject. Just curious if anyone has ever put 100 octane in their MDX? They charge like $5/gallon, but you can get it at race tracks (and a few local gas stations). At our normal pumps in CA, the most you'll get is 91 (none of that Sunoco 93 in CA). It seems absurd to me to put 100 in, but I just was wondering if anyone had tried. Heck, I don't even put it in my track bike (the darn thing goes to f'ing fast on regular gas).
I could be wrong, but I doubt the engine will run anymore efficient than it does with 91 octane. That's what it is designed and tuned to.
Older cars that had excessive deposit build-up due to less sophisticated fuel systems and motor oils could often overcome problems of pinging, etc. by burning higher than recommended octane.
But on those vehicles human hands were tweaking ignition settings, not computers. And they could be over-advanced for such fuels often to the detriment of the engine.
There were stories of valves burning up with the addition of aviation fuel to the same cars. That's another time, but the principle should be the same. You might have more latitude with your bike, but I would not go against the manual recommendations, with the possible exception with the advice of an experienced racing mechanic. |
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| ardvarkus |
quote:
Originally posted by Sinecure
On the octane subject. Just curious if anyone has ever put 100 octane in their MDX? They charge like $5/gallon, but you can get it at race tracks (and a few local gas stations). At our normal pumps in CA, the most you'll get is 91 (none of that Sunoco 93 in CA). It seems absurd to me to put 100 in, but I just was wondering if anyone had tried. Heck, I don't even put it in my track bike (the darn thing goes to f'ing fast on regular gas).
$4.29 a gallon just around the corner in Redwood City. (In Sacto it runs $5.49...) I use it in the M5 when I go for serious drives. You definitely can feel the difference, especially once the engine/fuel management system maps out for the new octane. You can also blend it- I get the feeling that over 95 is a waste unless you change the engine programming.
never tried it in my wifes MDX... she'd likely have trouble keeping it under control...
:)
A |
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| Hazelmn |
Instead of posting a new question, I did research on the other posts and revived this one.
I'm assuming that with the summer and fall gas crisis, more people had to try the cheaper gas. Curious how it went.
For me, I've found a nice comprimise. The mid-range stuff at Holiday stores is 90 octane, and seems to run just fine. A good option for those of you in the north central or north western USA. |
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| ardvarkus |
I think the concensus on many sites on the question
"Can I run lower octane" is this:
Yes, knock sensors will retard timing to protect the engine
The retarded timing will hardly be noticeable power wise, but the engine will run a bit hotter, and mileage will be reduced.
Net sum is pretty close to a fix price PER MILE.
My impression...
A |
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| shootist |
But I have to say: I don't care. Here's why-
I drive the MDX 17,000 miles a year at 20 mpg average. That's 850 gallons of gasoline. If the difference in price between 91 and 87 octane is 20 cents, that amounts to $170 PER YEAR.
We all drive MDX's. We can all afford $170 per year, especially since it's spread out to so many little payments of $3.
IMHO. |
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| tommyleon |
Hey gang,its been awhile since I've been on this forum.
When I signed on back in 2002,this was a hot topic.I read pages from folks that seemed to know what they were talking about.I mean they were throwing out words that sounded like medical terms.The general consensus then was 87octane would work fine.
Everytime I would complain to the SM at Gary Force Acura,Carl would ask if I was running premium.I would say NO,and he would say there's your problem.So I switched to 93 octane(premium here in TN)and my mileage seemed to go up from 14 in town to 16??and from 20 to 22 on the road.I didn't think that was worth the extra 5to 7 bucks a tank,so I went back to 87.
I was in the other day to get the 30,000 mile service done and Carl told me not to run CHEAP gas,from Costco,Sams,Pilot,Cone etc.He also said if I ran 87 it would carbon up the EGR ports and that would run $400 or $500.
I think Carl is full of Sh-- but since I haven't pulled any intake manifolds off lately to varify this,I can't be sure.
Any advise would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Tom |
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| Pauls MDX |
| I always use whatever is called "SUPER" is good for me. Best is $2.49 a gallon and I have to travel 7 miles to get otherwise at $2.60 a gallon in town. |
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| HARDROCK |
| For the small difference in money between 87 and 91/93, I would use what is recommended by the manufacturer. Listen to Gary.... |
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