I have a company gas card, so running on premium isnt a problem for me financially, but i'd like to know for sure if its really helping my car to run on it or not. I drive a 2006 Acura RSX base model, 155hp 4 cyl auto. It isnt hurting my engine right?
2006-12-21 07:17:48 · 10 answers · asked by man_hands542 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Car Makes ➔ Acura
You are not getting any performance boost from running a higher than necessary octane fuel in your car. The RSX base model is designed to run unleaded gas. If you had san RSX Type S then yes you would need to add premium for optimal engine effeciency and power...but for the RSX base you are fine with unleaded...just make sure that you always get a good quality unleaded like Chevron and you'll be fine...
2006-12-21 11:01:20 · answer #1 · answered by iJ$ 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Premium Unleaded gas has a better octane level than regular or plus gasoline so performance is enhanced with Premium. Premium gasoline does not hurt your engine.
2006-12-21 17:52:57 · answer #2 · answered by Drive PZEV! 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not for that engine. I have a base RSX and it runs perfectly on regular. If it were an RSX-S, you'd need premium.
2006-12-21 17:13:37 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, it will improve your performance. I also drive an Acura (TLS). I notice that if I do not use the premium unleaded gas I will hear pinging and knocking; also I get better mileage with the premium.
Enjoy your Acura!
2006-12-21 15:26:55 · answer #4 · answered by Lodiju 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
In most of the U.S., regular gas has an octane rating of 87, midgrade gas is 89, and premium is 91 or 92. (Octane ratings are lower in the mountain west due to the effects of thin air on internal combustion.) Contrary to widespread belief, the octane rating doesn't indicate how much power the fuel delivers; all grades of gasoline contain roughly the same amount of heat energy. Rather, a higher octane rating means the fuel is less likely to cause your engine to knock or ping. Knock, also known as detonation, occurs when part of the fuel-air mixture in one or more of your car's cylinders ignites spontaneously due to compression, independent of the combustion initiated by the spark plug. (The ideal gas law tells us that a gas heats up when compressed.) Instead of a controlled burn, you get what amounts to an explosion--not a good thing for your engine. To avoid this, high-octane gas is formulated to burn slower than regular, making it less likely to ignite without benefit of spark.
The majority of cars are designed to run on regular gas, and that's what the manuals tell the owners to use. Higher-performance cars often require midgrade or premium gas because their engines are designed for higher compression (higher compression = more power), and regular gas may cause knock. If your car needs high-octane gas, the manual will say so.
Using high-octane gas in a car designed for regular accomplishes little except more rapid combustion of your money. Some refuse to believe this, claiming, for example, that premium gives the family Toyota better mileage or more power. These people are in dreamland. Others say premium is purer or contains detergents that will cleanse your engine of uncouth deposits. Likewise misguided thinking--government regulations require detergents in all grades of gasoline. (BP Amoco, I notice, asserts that its premium gasoline contains more detergents than legally required; if you think that's worth 20 extra cents a gallon, be my guest.) Some automotive types claim that using premium in a car designed for regular will make the engine dirtier--something about deposits on the back side of the intake valves. I've also heard that slower-burning high-octane gas produces less power when used in ordinary cars. Believe what you like; the point is, don't assume "premium" means "better."
Occasionally you get some genius who takes the opposite tack--he spends an extra 10 or 20 grand buying a high-performance car, then decides he's going to save three bucks per tankful using regular instead of premium as specified. He figures as long as the engine doesn't knock he's OK. Wrong, carbon monoxide brain. Car engines nowadays contain knock sensors that detect detonation and automatically retard the spark to compensate. The delay means maximum gas expansion occurs when the piston is farther along in its downstroke and thus there's more room in the cylinder head. This reduces peak cylinder pressure, eliminating knock but also giving you less power and poorer mileage.
You may ask: Don't knock sensors make it hard to tell when an old car needs higher-octane gas? Years ago, when your beater started pinging on grades or under acceleration, that was the sign that carbon had built up in the cylinders, increasing compression, and it was time to switch to high-test. Now the knock sensors compensate, which seemingly might conceal the problem. Don't fret--today's fuel injection systems precisely meter the fuel-air mix, resulting in fewer unburned hydrocarbons and less carbon buildup. If you're still concerned, I'd say it makes more sense to spend $6 on a bottle of carbon clean-out juice than an extra $150 a year on high-priced gas.
2006-12-21 15:26:35 · answer #5 · answered by kasstastrophy 2 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Yes It helps keep all the components of your engine clear of buildup so It runs smoother and has higher performance and is less likely to give you problems.
2006-12-21 15:23:30 · answer #6 · answered by JAMI E 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It will not hurt, neither will it help if it was not designed to burn high octane fuel. Look on the fuel door to determine the proper grade and use it.
2006-12-21 15:21:22 · answer #7 · answered by eferrell01 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Read the car manual! Every car is different! I messed my 85' Chevy Caviler engine up by running preminum gas into it!
2006-12-21 15:29:05 · answer #8 · answered by will 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
its just higher octane and has more cleaners in it to help with carbon deposits, injector cleaning Run what the factory owners manual suggests
2006-12-21 16:10:58 · answer #9 · answered by I race cars 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, in short. No. You are not getting any performance boost from running a higher than necessary octane fuel in your car.
2006-12-21 15:52:37 · answer #10 · answered by Latex 3 · 0⤊ 3⤋