| msc1099 |
Has anyone tried regular fuel in their MDX? How has performance and milage been effected.
The Honda Pilot has the same engine and power train, yet regular fuel is recommended. |
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| gshermy2 |
| I have used premium, mid grade and regular and found absolutely no difference. I will continue to use either regular or mid grade |
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| jj_mdx |
this has been discussed extensively before, i don't remember any conclusion being drawn but if you search for 'premium gas' you can locate at least three threads with tons of information regarding this issue...
have fun... |
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| paul123 |
| The engine is designed to run on high octane fuel, if you adjust the timing and computer chip then you could go to regular. If you don't modify these items I would stick with the high octane premium fuel. You could do internal damage upon hard acceleration with detonation within the engine. It could do valve damage and pushrod damage to the heads. If you drive very easy you will probably see no difference at all, but upon acceleration you can do alot of damage. The pilot has the same engine but has been adjusted for lower octane fuel, so there is no worry. |
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| EXCALIBUR |
quote:
Originally posted by paul123
The engine is designed to run on high octane fuel, if you adjust the timing and computer chip then you could go to regular. If you don't modify these items I would stick with the high octane premium fuel. You could do internal damage upon hard acceleration with detonation within the engine. It could do valve damage and pushrod damage to the heads. If you drive very easy you will probably see no difference at all, but upon acceleration you can do alot of damage. The pilot has the same engine but has been adjusted for lower octane fuel, so there is no worry.
Thanks for the warning. It is not worth the risk of damage to the engine to save a few pennies at the gas pump. Just curious, with the MDX tipping the scales at $40,000+, why are we taliking about running lower grades of fuel to save money? |
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| xcel |
Hi Msc1099:
___Your MDX brochure states 91 Octane (Premium Unleaded) is only recommended, not mandatory. Use whichever you want since the engine will adjust to it and the only item Acura has mentioned was possibly lower performance. Given the Pilot and Odyssey use almost the exact same engine and outputs the exact same HP at 200 – 400 RPM difference with 87 Octane (Regular Unleaded), I would say save the 5 – 15% in fuel costs. Than again, I don’t own the 03 X just yet but when I do, 87 is all she will receive.
___Excalibur, Acura doesn’t say you will be risking any engine damage using Regular Unleaded and irregardless of the $40,000.00 vehicle, saving money is well … saving money.
___Good Luck
___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net |
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| EXCALIBUR |
quote:
Originally posted by xcel
Hi Msc1099:
___Your MDX brochure states 91 Octane (Premium Unleaded) is only recommended, not mandatory. Use whichever you want since the engine will adjust to it and the only item Acura has mentioned was possibly lower performance. Given the Pilot and Odyssey use almost the exact same engine and outputs the exact same HP at 200 – 400 RPM difference with 87 Octane (Regular Unleaded), I would say save the 5 – 15% in fuel costs. Than again, I don’t own the 03 X just yet but when I do, 87 is all she will receive.
___Good Luck
___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net
Okay? Such being the case, shouldn't we all be using Regular instead of Premium fuel in our MDX's? If we could save 5-15% on fuel costs, then we would have more money left over to buy accessories from Hondacuraworld. |
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| xcel |
Hi Excalibur:
___Exactly :D
___Good Luck
___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net |
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| EXCALIBUR |
quote:
Originally posted by xcel
Hi Excalibur:
___Exactly :D
___Good Luck
___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net
Roger that.:5: |
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| paul123 |
quote:
Originally posted by xcel
Hi Msc1099:
___Your MDX brochure states 91 Octane (Premium Unleaded) is only recommended, not mandatory. Use whichever you want since the engine will adjust to it and the only item Acura has mentioned was possibly lower performance. Given the Pilot and Odyssey use almost the exact same engine and outputs the exact same HP at 200 – 400 RPM difference with 87 Octane (Regular Unleaded), I would say save the 5 – 15% in fuel costs. Than again, I don’t own the 03 X just yet but when I do, 87 is all she will receive.
___Excalibur, Acura doesn’t say you will be risking any engine damage using Regular Unleaded and irregardless of the $40,000.00 vehicle, saving money is well … saving money.
___Good Luck
___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net
They recommend it because the timing and engine computer chips are different in every model. The MDX is designed for higher octane. Ask your service manager to confirm this. If you accelerate hard and hear that ping, ping sound you know your in trouble. If you drive like grandma, it will probably will not be a problem. If you drive like me with a lead foot go for the premium fuel, it's worth not having the problems in future. Lets face it, look at how much you spent on this vehicle is regular vs premium going to kill you. I doubt it if you could afford this vehicle. If your leasing and going to turn in a couple of years, go for the regular, but if you purchased and are going to keep don't try to save such a small amount it's not worth it in my opinion. The octane affects the horsepower and efficiently of the vehicle. |
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| EXCALIBUR |
quote:
Originally posted by paul123
They recommend it because the timing and engine computer chips are different in every model. The MDX is designed for higher octane. Ask your service manager to confirm this. If you accelerate hard and hear that ping, ping sound you know your in trouble. If you drive like grandma, it will probably will not be a problem. If you drive like me with a lead foot go for the premium fuel, it's worth not having the problems in future. Lets face it, look at how much you spent on this vehicle is regular vs premium going to kill you. I doubt it if you could afford this vehicle. If your leasing and going to turn in a couple of years, go for the regular, but if you purchased and are going to keep don't try to save such a small amount it's not worth it in my opinion. The octane affects the horsepower and efficiently of the vehicle.
Q: So, what say you? Less filling or tastes great? Regular or Premium? I think your point makes sense. I think I will stay with Premium. Just want to be sure. |
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| paul123 |
quote:
Originally posted by EXCALIBUR
Q: So, what say you? Less filling or tastes great? Regular or Premium? I think you point makes sense. I think I will stay with Premium. Just want to be sure.
Tastes great, Premium!!! |
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| EXCALIBUR |
quote:
Originally posted by paul123
Tastes great, Premium!!!
From this day forward, it shall be Premium. And they lived happily ever after. |
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| xcel |
Hi Paul123:quote:
They recommend it because the timing and engine computer chips are different in every model. The MDX is designed for higher octane. Ask your service manager to confirm this. If you accelerate hard and hear that ping, ping sound you know your in trouble.
___Have you ever heard the Ping Ping Ping with 87 Octane? I haven’t heard anyone here that has while using it but I have not been around that long either.
___As for the timing and chips being different, are you sure? I have not read this myself but if you have more information, please provide the link. It is probably here somewhere … Given the three engines (MDX, Pilot, and Ody) output the same HP (240 HP) at almost the same exact RPM (5300 vs. 5400 vs. 5500) at the exact same compression ratio (10.0:1) and almost the same exact torque (245 vs. 242 although different torque curves), what makes the MDX so different as to need $ 0.20/gallon increase ($1.39.9 vs. $1.59.9 this evening in my locale) in fuel cost over the Pilot? If you drive your X for maybe 115,000 miles, your speaking of $1,000.00 in excess costs for fuel that is more than likely unnecessary. That is until proven otherwise. Than again, why did Acura recommend or design the X’s engine to use Premium given it has the same pulling capacity as the Pilot? If you say gas mileage (23/17 vs. 22/17), remember the Pilot is 3” taller and much more boxy on the highway so I can see the 1 mpg loss in aerodynamics alone. In the city, they are exactly the same. Only while towing > 3500 pounds does Honda recommend that you use Premium unleaded fuel in the Pilot …
___As for recommending Premium, which is all it is, a recommendation, if it’s not mandatory, why use it? Than again, if you like to throw money out the window, please feel free to throw some my way. I can think of a number of accessories from Tim that would come in very handy with what you throw away at the pump during each and every fill up ;)
___Good Luck
___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net |
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| EXCALIBUR |
Uh oh...it seems that the jury has gone back into deliberation on this one.
Q: (Back on the table for discussion) Regular or Premium for the MDX? |
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| xcel |
Hi Excalibur:
___Let’s watch the outcome of this post for a definitive answer …
___Good Luck
___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net |
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| mogur |
All modern cars have knock sensors and computers that will adjust the engine timing if there is any knock, long before you can ever hear it. In fact, the most efficent operating point of a gasoline engine is at the point where it just starts to knock and many engines will constantly adjust the timing to stay near this point. You will absolutely NOT do any damage to the MDX engine by running regular fuel. The only possible downside is somewhat reduced performance due to slightly less ignition lead. If you ever DO hear a ping, it is an indication that you have a problem in the ECM or KS...
Tom
[QUOTE]Originally posted by paul123
[B]
If you accelerate hard and hear that ping, ping sound you know your in trouble. If you drive like grandma, it will probably will not be a problem. If you drive like me with a lead foot go for the premium fuel, it's worth not having the problems in future. |
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| ndahbar |
Has ANYONE heard knock with their own ears on a late model car these days?! I highly highly doubt it. That's stuff from the Michael Jackson and Reagan era!
Of course 91 is not mandatory, that's rediculous.
Look, as an example I will give you the new BMW 3.0L inline 6 cylinder engine. It outputs almost 228 US SAE horsepower (231 Euro DIN). In the US though, they rate it at 225. The reason is the gas available. At very high rpm (over 5500 I would say for that engine) torque is diminished slightly. Ok 3 horses is not much, but there is your proof. In 90-something percent of the country, 93 grade is the highest. In Europe, the Middle East, Asia, etc. they have 98 readily available. The engine is designed to go on ITS ENTIRE LIFE just fine on 87 grade, because the computer adjusts timing and firing for it, albeit with reduced efficiency (torque output at some/few rpm ranges). It is designed to adjust between 98 and 87 all day, any day, as many times as you want.
If you ever buy a turbocharged or supercharged engine, use the highest you can get, always. Especially if you live in Texas, LA, Vegas, Miami, etc. |
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| Casique |
| I used mid-grade on my 01 X with no adverse consequences that I could notice in performance or mechanical (noise) for two years!:1: |
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| jurincie |
| I have had two tank fulls of regular unleaded through my '03 and have not heard a single knock. My RX300 & ES300 Lexus' on the other hand both knock very loudly at full throttle with regular unleaded and they do not recommend the use of premium. It appears that the knock sensor on the engine (both 3.0 liter) is not sensitive enough. |
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| DaleB |
| I ocassionally run 89 around town, with no difference really noted. For the long hauls I always fill up with 91. |
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| mystic |
quote:
Originally posted by EXCALIBUR
Thanks for the warning. It is not worth the risk of damage to the engine to save a few pennies at the gas pump. Just curious, with the MDX tipping the scales at $40,000+, why are we taliking about running lower grades of fuel to save money?
You hit the nail right on the head. At a difference of, say, $.20/gal (I don't think its that much), and 20 mph for 15K miles/year, that's only a difference of $150.
I think this is a conservative estimate. |
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| vicpai |
........the additional 20 cents (you can find some places where the difference is as little as 16 cents) does not make that much of a difference in cost.
That said, another important point should be noted:
Acura claims reduced performance using lower octane fuel. However, they do not define "reduced performance". It could be reduced power & torque or reduced fuel economy or both. I'm inclined to believe the latter. So, if you're going to get lower gas mileage by using regular, then it comes down to the same thing and doesn't make any sense to use the lower octane fuel
.............Just some food for thought! :) |
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| DaleB |
quote:
Originally posted by vicpai
........the additional 20 cents (you can find some places where the difference is as little as 16 cents) does not make that much of a difference in cost.
That said, another important point should be noted:
Acura claims reduced performance using lower octane fuel. However, they do not define "reduced performance". It could be reduced power & torque or reduced fuel economy or both. I'm inclined to believe the latter. So, if you're going to get lower gas mileage by using regular, then it comes down to the same thing and doesn't make any sense to use the lower octane fuel
.............Just some food for thought! :)
Actually, regular burns slightly more efficiently than premium fuel.
So a couple of octanes numbers,
91 down to 89 is not significant.
I seriously doubt you will see a change in mpg unless you constantly run 87 octane or run with regular under high loads. Only then will the engine begin to ping causing the timing to retard and efficiency to drop. Of course no one knows exactly where the 'ping' point is for a given grade of gas. Most pinging is not heard.
But running 91 octane all the time is not a bad idea if in doubt. |
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| JTM |
93 Octane~~~ All the time....
Local Costco Gas station is $1.419/gallon for 93 octane as my last filled up.
But local exxon/mobil/shell is running $1.679/gallon for 93 octane or $1.479/gallon for 87 octane.
So... what did I do? Go to Costco for 93 octane gas with $1.419/gallon. :2: :D :p |
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| xcel |
Hi All:
___Worm posted some real good info about the difference between the 240 HP 03 Pilot and the 240 HP 02 X about two months ago. There is a 3 profile cam in the 02 X and a 2 profile cam in the 03 Pilot. They both produce the same max HP and have within 1% maximum Torque using the exact same bore/stroke/compression ratio … They do have different intake manifolds, exhaust setups, and KS’s although I am still not sure why you would need a different KS in the X vs. The Pilot? From my reads, cam profiles would not cause a change in octane but the pre-programmed timing plot from the onboard computer will. That being said, if you advance the timing just to the point of detonation and back off a small amount to allow for varying RPM’s, loads, and ambient air temps using a particular Octane fuel, the engine for all intents and purposes will not knock if its engine management HW does not degrade. If you advance the timing for maximum output in a particular area and install a KS to retard as soon as it senses knock, you can maximize performance in that particular area (range of RPM’s) and allow the KS to pull back timing upon detonation thus saving the engine from long term damage. The reason for higher Octane fuel is that it actually burns slower (slower flame front) thus allowing a more aggressive timing plot. It does not ignite the fuel as early as a lower Octane fuel before the Piston hits its most efficient height (degrees before Top Dead Center – TDC). It’s when the ignition comes far enough ahead of the piston hitting that sweet spot (a few degrees before TDC) when Knock occurs.
___The one item I always wondered about is why the Pilot with the same engine using different intake/exhaust manifolds/KS’s and supposedly outputs almost the same amount of maximum Torque and HP receives an 87 Octane recommendation? Only when towing loads does the Pilot get the Premium recommendation. With that, the Pilots timing may not be as advanced vs. the X to avoid the KS from retarding at a particular load on a particular warmer day. The real question than is does it hurt an engine when the KS backs off the X’s timing advance under very short duration high load conditions? I would say not. You could time the X with a less aggressive timing profile from the start to avoid knock at all RPM’s/ambient air temps/and only lose an almost un-measurable amount of HP/Torque in the process (ie. Honda Pilot). If there is no timing retard, you will probably not see a difference in performance since the engine did not change anything. The other wild card is emissions. Unburned fuel by backing off advance can be a problem if driven to far. The 03 Pilot appears to be in the same league as the 02 X in regards to its emissions (ULEV rating) using a possibly less aggressive timing plot so I don’t believe this to be a problem either? When entering the 03 X’s 260 HP motor however, there was a change in emissions and some amount of this could possibly be explained from a more aggressive timing plot but more than likely, the all new free flowing exhaust system gave both the HP increase and emission decrease. As for the highway mileage differences (17/22 vs. 17/23) between the Pilot and X, the Pilot not only has what appears to be a higher coefficient of drag (boxier look) but has a larger frontal area with a significantly taller profile.
___On the cost side of things … How many of you drive to your local gas station and throw $3.00 or $4.00 on the ground? Not buy anything but just throw it on the ground? Do you go to the local Grocery or Hardware store and do the same? In my locale, Premium (91 Octane) is almost always $0.20 more than Regular (87 Octane). Over a 10 year life span, you can purchase a lot of accessories/groceries/hand tools with that $1200 - $1500 … I don’t care if the X cost $10,000 or $50,000, throwing money away is throwing it away in my book. Since this has been discussed in great detail previously, could someone please hook up a portable Analyzer and look at the timing plot at various RPM’s using the two different fuels. You might as well look at the fuel trims for an idea about gas mileage as well which I highly doubt will change given the timing is only retarded at sense of knock and probably only occurs when the motor is close to its maximums. Gas mileage is thrown completely out the window with your foot in the floor as anyone will attest.
___To summarize, will the retard of maybe 1 to 3 degrees when you have floored your X cause long terms problems? IMO, no. As long as the KS pulls that timing back from knock, the engine is going to be fine even over a 10 – 15 year engine lifespan. This engine was designed for this. If there is not timing retard at the RPM ranges you drive in, there is probably not going to be a loss of performance or mileage … The real problems IMHO come from achieving maximum HP and Torque on a frequent basis over your X’s life span. Having an engine produce a particular amount of HP and Torque at WOT is great for the drag races but an almost un-measurable loss of maybe 5% max at WOT (reduced performance) is not going to effect an X owner one way or the other. In other words, anyone pushing any engine to its max on a frequent basis will achieve a much shorter vehicle life span and much lower fuel economy irregardless of what fuel they use.
___Anyone have an OBD-II Laptop Analyzer yet?
___Good Luck
___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net |
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| ndahbar |
Some readers may get the wrong idea. Octane DOES NOT control the speed at which the gas burns, it is simply a measure of how resistant it is to any given temperature before combustion. Looking at the extreme, take a highly modified turbocharged engine. When you floor it, the air allowed into the engine increases DRAMATICALLY. The airflow sensor tells the ECU to get DRAMATICALLY more fuel into the engine PRONTO. Obviously, you must retain an appropriate ratio of gas to air, so you can't go overboard, nor can you skimp. Regardless, the temperature increase inside the piston chambers increases DRAMATICALLY too. Guess what. Your fuel needs to be able to behave itself until the pistons are in the correct position (as described briefly in the above post), that is, not combust due to high temperature prematurely.
Your MDX is no different of course, except it's not this extreme, and that is why most of you cannot tell of any power or fuel efficiency losses. Now, I dare any of you to take such a race-bred car like the Acura NSX to a racetrack on 87 grade gas and tell me that you feel no power loss at any RPMs !!! That's crazy VTEC going on there.
See it all depends. I am sure that even the Honda S2000, even with such a small engine, 2L, won't be working exactly as optimally designed at 8000 RPM with 87 grade gas.
MDX...I bet the engine computer is compensating at some degree for the 87 grade gas (especially for those of you in extreme ranges of the temperature scale found in North America). From basic physics we know that there is no free lunch. This compensation must have an equal and opposite reaction. That is, slightly reduced torque output at high RPM and perhaps 1-2 mpg drop depending on how hard you drive her. Very casual and "good citizen" driving is expected to show near zero difference, explaining what most of you are confessing to. |
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| jurincie |
My $.02 - - -
Run 91 octane if it makes you happy and you aren't worried about the cost. I will run regular unleaded unless I hear noticeable knocking under heavy load / hard acceleration which can damage the engine. Since I am not hearing knocking, either the fuel is fine for the programmed ignition curve or it is being retarded automatically by the computer before it is audible - either way it is not hurting the engine. I may be loosing a few horse power but it has been several years since I spent my spare time racing at the drag strip, and if I decide to do it again it won't be in the X.
I have never heard anything about premium fuel increasing the gas mileage as suggested here. I would think if it were true, the gas companies marketing departments would be all over it. The higher octane does not help when you are cruising, only when you are accelerating or under a heavy load.
I feel better now. |
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| ndahbar |
A couple of points of clarification:
1. Higher octane gas certainly does not improve gas mileage, as you stated. But it is required for maximum output and efficiency. So it's backwards...that is to say, if you compare it to an engine designed to optimally run with 91 grade and you use less, then yes, it DOES improve it, especially when high RPMs are involved.
2. Regarding racing the MDX, of course! :D But ECUs, even those back from the 1980s and perhaps 1970s, when they detect premature detonation (DONT read this as a "bad" thing! Remember, the computer adjusts as fast as necessary as so that no damage whatsoever is done), they adjust the timing of the spark plug firing, valve timimg mgmt, etc. and they KEEP this alternate mode of operation for XXX miles, REGARDLESS of whether or not you fill her back up with the best stuff on Earth or not at your next refill. For example my Mitsubishi had a 300 mile interval between "checks". As soon as the ECU senses premature det., it goes into alternate mode, and stays in it regardless of what you do, for 300 miles. Then at 300 mark, it goes back to default (optimal).
So yes your MDX may be experiencing maybe I dunno, .5, 1, 1.5, or 2 mpg drop in efficiency over its life since you are using regular gas. Don't worry, the engineers aren't going to make the difference like night and day, it's just over-engineering. That is to say, they make the "alternate mode" sufficiently different just in case you decide to floor the car with redline shiftpoints and towing a house on wheels. They just make sure it's plenty safe enough with the gas you are feeding her that is not as resistant to detonation before the optimal time to do so during the compression/decompression cycle(s). Lastly, don't worry, the engine is designed NOT to allow so much sensitivity in when the gas ignites, so that's why the different ECU mode is only slightly different from default, it's only 1-2 (at most) mpg loss, and only a coupla horses lost in power (high rpm almost exclusively).
You may indeed be saving I dunno, 50, 100 bucks a years overall by sticking to regular gas, so it may be sensible in an economist's viewpoint! :2: |
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| jurincie |
I find it interesting that your Mitsubishi only checks every 300 miles.
All of the GM cars I have owned back to my 1985 Trans Am were programmed to run max advance whenever the throttle was above 70% until it detected a knock. This was done to verify that the knock sensor was working among other things. It continually adjusted the timing from the base curve to keep the engine at the verge of knocking when at full throttle which is where the best performance is.
I am surprised that the computer in the Mitsubishi is so much less flexible. I sure hope the computer in the MDX is at least as good as what GM was building 17 years ago. Every other part of the MDX is better than what GM is building today! I guess I will need to order one of those expensive service manuals for the MDX to find out. |
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| DaleB |
Another factor, albeit not a major one in today's cleaner burning vehicles is 'age'.
Typically vehicles have a greater need for higher octane with old age due to the accumulation of deposits with a greater propensity for hot spots and pre-ignition.
Although I can't remember the last time I started using premium fuel in an older car not requiring it.
Of course, they always got regular maintenance, and the pistons and valves were usually moving too fast for any deposits to settle on them. :D |
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| miro |
Wow, tough crowd!!! Way too sophisticated for me...
By the way I just opened a fuel door on both of my cars:
2000 Mitsu Diamante: "Premium Fuel Recomended".
2003 Acura MDX: "Premium Fuel Only".
I use premium on both and try to save money on soda.
:) |
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| DaleB |
quote:
Originally posted by miro
Wow, tough crowd!!! Way too sophisticated for me...
By the way I just opened a fuel door on both of my cars:
2000 Mitsu Diamante: "Premium Fuel Recomended".
2003 Acura MDX: "Premium Fuel Only".
I use premium on both and try to save money on soda.
:)
When all else fails, common sense prevails! :6: |
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| TopDog |
quote:
Originally posted by miro
Wow, tough crowd!!! Way too sophisticated for me...
By the way I just opened a fuel door on both of my cars:
2000 Mitsu Diamante: "Premium Fuel Recomended".
2003 Acura MDX: "Premium Fuel Only".
I use premium on both and try to save money on soda.
:)
Once again is the better approach! Why is everyone spending so much time 2nd guessing the engineers on this issue anyway. Our TL gets mostly premium, and if I get the MDX, it will as well. |
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| pdempsey |
quote:
Originally posted by ndahbar
Has ANYONE heard knock with their own ears on a late model car these days?! I highly highly doubt it. That's stuff from the Michael Jackson and Reagan era!
Haven't tried regular in my X yet, but the 2002 T-Bird will knock on 87 Octane when under load. |
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| xcel |
Hi TopDog:quote:
Why is everyone spending so much time 2nd guessing the engineers on this issue anyway.
___I don’t believe anyone is second guessing anyone else IMO. The X Manuals all state Premium unleaded is only a recommendation and that is the way most should read it … As for more threads on the subject, this one was a doozy.
___Good Luck
___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net |
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| mdx_kid |
| We have been using regular for a while now with a tank of premium every 5 regular gas tanks 'cause we use it mostly to commute to office and back and haven't noticed any big reduction in mileage (22mpg :D with 70%hwy 30% city) or performance but mind you that there is no load other than me or my wife. I would definitely use premium when going to mountains this weekend with all the cargo. |
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| TopDog |
quote:
Originally posted by xcel
Hi TopDog:___I don?t believe anyone is second guessing anyone else IMO. The X Manuals all state Premium unleaded is only a recommendation and that is the way most should read it ? As for more threads on the subject, this one was a doozy.
___Good Luck
___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net
Instead of saying that it is ONLY a recommendation, I think it would be more fair to say that it is STRONGLY recommended. It's apparently the same wording of that in the TL owners manual. FWIW, I think if I get an MDX, I'll keep it on mostly super unleaded as we do our TL. Thanks for the comments. |
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| xcel |
Hi TopDog:
___No, the manual, online information, and even the X’s gas cap doesn’t say anything like what you suggested. If the X’s engine runs fine on Regular Unleaded, why would you “Strongly Recommend” anything else? I have seen posts regarding Premium use when driving in the mountains. It is in higher elevation areas with lower air densities when higher Octane fuel to prevent knock is needed even less …
___Fortunately, we all have the choice of fuel we decide to use when we fill up. Given all I have read, Regular Unleaded is more than just fine, it is a savings that many X owners can enjoy without loss of longevity and with only the possibility of losing maximum performance.
___Good Luck
___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net |
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| TopDog |
quote:
Originally posted by xcel
Hi TopDog:
___No, the manual, online information, and even the X?s gas cap doesn?t say anything like what you suggested. If the X?s engine runs fine on Regular Unleaded, why would you ?Strongly Recommend? anything else? I have seen posts regarding Premium use when driving in the mountains. It is in higher elevation areas with lower air densities when higher Octane fuel to prevent knock is needed even less ?
___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net
The TL says premium unleaded only on the fuel cap. From the owners manual: "your Acura is designed to operate on premium unleaded gasoline with a pump octane of 91 or higher."
"Use of a lower octane gasoline can cause occasional, mettalic knocking noises in the engine which will result in decreased engine performance."
"we recommend gasolines containing detergent additives that help prevent fuel system and engine deposits."
So, I guess this is different wording from the MDX owners manual.... Or everyone ahs a different interpretation of it..... (And the argument goes on..
:2: ) |
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| DaleB |
quote:
Originally posted by TopDog
"your Acura is designed to operate on premium unleaded gasolinewith a pump octane of 91 or higher."
"Use of a lower octane gasoline can cause occasional, mettalic knockingnoises in the engine which will result in increased engine performance."
"we recommend gasolines containing detergent additives that help prevent fuel system and engine deposits."
I think you meant to copy down DEcreased engine perfromance.
In any case, I think it's been established that all modern fuels contain additives, even regular. Which only makes sense for cars that never need premium. And some of those vehicles are luxury coaches.
Also, modern engine systems with knock sensors will detect detonation before you ever hear it.
I think they are trying to convey a concept, if not an accurate statement. |
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| TopDog |
D'oh!!! Good catch! :eek: I edited the post.
The last line about the argument raging on will have to stay. Some will always use premium, and others will only use it under certain circumstances. I think I fall into the former rather than the latter category. Good points by all sides though... Thanks! ;) |
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| msu79gt82 |
quote:
Originally posted by mdx_kid
... but mind you that there is no load other than me or my wife.
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