i used to own a honda, and i received this article a while ago from honda newsletter. i thought that it's pretty interesting and some of u might like it. i don't know how many of you will change to regular gas, but for me, i'll still stick to the premium.

here's the link:
http://www.imakenews.com/hondaseattl...6SCtW,b9LN7b8T

 

Im gonna stick to premium too. Plus cali gas sucks already

 

Premium is my choice, per manufacturers recommendation.

 

interesting reading but do i care? *yawn* Chevron super for me

 

The article is correct when it states that a car that using premium in a car designed for regular is a total waste of money.

Where the article gives bad advice is when it tells you to use regular in a car designed for premium, and explains it away with this:

"Modern engines with advanced computerized engine management systems rapidly adjust their ignition timing at the first indication of knocking."


I dunno about you, but I'd rather the engine -never- knock, rather than the engine cutting back on timing every time it does knock.

Modern ECUs and knock sensors will keep you from destroying your engine in short order with lower octane than the engine needs... but it's still doing a little bit of damage each and every single time...

The ECU is programmed for 91 in the 2IS for example. That means if it detects knock it'll pull timing. Then, after a programmed amount of time, it'll add the timing back toward what it's -meant- to use... and it'll knock again. Then pull timing again. And so on, in an infinite cycle of slowly ruining your engine.

Now, if your cars are disposable and you change em every couple of years, you'll probably never get to the point this damage catches up with you, that'll be the problem of the poor guy you sell it to. If you keep cars for a while you're shortening the life of the engine, period.

Me, I'll pay the extra buck or two a tank and NOT hurt my motor on a regular basis, even if it's in a small way each time.

 

I agree. Even if the car is disposable and they all are at some point, I paid for 306hp in my IS350 and I want to get the full effect and maximum efficiency everyday. So top-tier premium (Chevron) is the only gas it gets.

I'm not spending extra by filling with premium, when I purchased the car I knew it required premium, therefore no surprise.

 

He sorta makes up for it in the next sentence but I doubt people will read it carefully

"For this reason, using Regular will not void your manufacturer’s warranty unless, in the rare case, your car’s owner’s manual states that Premium grade gasoline is REQUIRED"


I'll continue using premium on my smart. I'll need all 71hp!! hahahahaha.

 

Since my RX has mods, it wants Premium and I've been giving it Chevron. I tried regular one day and the RX just hated it when I'd gun it, plus the bad experiences I had running Pemex Magna (that's the high sulfur 87 octane regular in Mexico) when I lived there on a few occasions when Premium wasn't available where I was at, really put the zap in me.

 

great to read most here will follow the mfr's and use premium to get the most out of their lexus. sure it will run on less octane, but only by retarding timing to avoid knocking and detonation at the cost of less power.

on the miata forum i hang at sometimes there's tons of people who refuse to put premium in the NC (latest gen) Miata even though the Mazda says that's what it requires (being a somewhat high strung engine). those owners are cheap, always looking to save a buck and insist it makes no difference. of course, they're usually the same people who send used oil away for analysis and change oil very often and use 'german' castrol or royal purple.

 

eww, what's regular...

 

Interesting. You're premium fuel is 93 octane? That's strange. I use regular unleaded fuel here in the ES which is at Shell rated 95 octane if I remember correctly. At Caltex, the regular unleaded is rated at 92 I believe. If you use premium, that is 98 octane fuel which is usually about 20 cents a litre more expensive than the regular 95. For a while, Shell here, was also offering a ultra-premium fuel at the local gas station which was rated at 100 octane. I never tested it, but I wonder how much difference it would have made.
So I stick to regular on the ES (it's not a race car by all means), and regular is well, by the looks of it premium to you guys?

 

Well I believe that is the important part. I did some research on it awhile back. Using premium gas in some cars that reccomend regular can run poorer. My Legacy does, which I always thought was odd because my previous Legacy (same engine with a lower compression ratio) was a dog unless it had 89 octane. Even some Porsches should not run higher than 87 as it can cause knocking. So follow your manufacturer's rec.

 

Regular: $2.15/gal
Premium: $2.33/gal

On a 16-gallon tank that's $34.4 for regular and $37.28 for premium, the difference is $2.88. Assuming one drives a lot like me so he fills up 5 times a month then the difference is $14.4 between regular and premium for ONE MONTH!

If one can afford a $40k+ luxury car I am sure he/she can fork over 15 dollars more a month for the gas bill...

 

Yep, the math is simple and so is the choice of gas for these premium cars.

 

Anyone know how much different is grade 87 compare to 89?