What problems, if any, would be created by using regular gas in an Acura TL?
In fact a friend just bought this exact car a week ago and we talked about this very subject. The salesmen told him he could use regular gas…his performance/acceleration might not be as good with regular unleaded gas. The salesmen also said not to constantly switch between grades of gas…just use regular and stick with it. The reason for this is the cars computer adjusts to the regular gas and you do not want to keep forcing it to adjust back and forth. Here is a good article from a reputable web site. I would read the article and take their advice…basically they say with modern engines as long as the car does not “knock” when you use regular you should be absolutely fine. http://www.edmunds.com/advice/fueleconomy/articles/106293/article.
The TL, like many other cars, recommends premium gas, which runs from 91 to 93 octane here in the States. Regular gas is around 87 octane. By contrast, back when we had lead additives in gasoline, premium gas was typically 100 octane or higher. Running regular in an engine that needed that stuff would guarantee problems. All modern engines have programmed fuel injection systems – computers – that control both the air/fuel mixture and the ignition timing. When you run an engine that’s designed for high-octane gas on regular, the system compensates by adjusting both, but it’s sub-optimal. Regular gas actually burns faster than premium, so one of the things the PFI system does is retard the ignition timing – the spark comes later in the piston stroke. This results in a loss of horsepower, but it prevents “pinging” or “knocking” that would otherwise occur. If you accidentally fill up your TL with regular gas, you might not even notice a difference if you don’t drive in a way that makes dem
They recommend 91 octance premium gas. You could run lower octane, but I would call the dealer and check to make sure it won’t void the warranty. It shouldn’t but you never know. You might have some issues with performance and knocking. You could buy an octane booster to add to regular fuel, but then you’re paying basically the same price (20 cents/gal more for premium vs $3.00 for a bottle of booster, 15 gals of premium would be same price as regular AND bottle of booster). When you buy a higher end vehicle, you have to use higher end fuel. Hemis, Caddies, and others require premium too due to their higher compression. Sources: http://www.acura.com/index.aspx?
In fact a friend just bought this exact car a week ago and we talked about this very subject. The salesmen told him he could use regular gas…his performance/acceleration might not be as good with regular unleaded gas. The salesmen also said not to constantly switch between grades of gas…just use regular and stick with it. The reason for this is the cars computer adjusts to the regular gas and you do not want to keep forcing it to adjust back and forth. Here is a good article from a reputable web site. I would read the article and take their advice…basically they say with modern engines as long as the car does not “knock” when you use regular you should be absolutely fine.
They recommend 91 octance premium gas. You could run lower octane, but I would call the dealer and check to make sure it won’t void the warranty. It shouldn’t but you never know. You might have some issues with performance and knocking. You could buy an octane booster to add to regular fuel, but then you’re paying basically the same price (20 cents/gal more for premium vs $3.00 for a bottle of booster, 15 gals of premium would be same price as regular AND bottle of booster). When you buy a higher end vehicle, you have to use higher end fuel. Hemis, Caddies, and others require premium too due to their higher compression.
