[AcuraTLTypeS02]

What kind of gas to use in a 2002 Acura TL Type S?

Hi there. I have a 2002 Acura TL Type S and I need some help in figuring out what type of gas to use in this car. I have read in other forums people saying that they use premium fuel with 93 or 94 octane rating. I really do not know where they are from but here in Sacramento, California, USA there are only 3 different grades available at the pumps and they are:

-87 (regular)
-89 (i do not know what this one is reffered to as, since I have never used this one)
-91 (premium)

I used to have a regular 1999 and a regular 2001 Acura TL (I sold the 1999 in 2008, the 2001 last year and bought this 2002 Type S this year). I had the user manual for the 1999 Acura TL and it said that I need to fill premium (with 91 octane rating) fuel. It also said something like "Premium Fuel Only" somewhere on the gauge cluster (so did the 2001). So I continued to fill Premium (91) in the 2002 Type S because I assumed that since the 1999 and 2001 regular Tl's used premium fuel so should the 2002 Type S. (especially since this 02 Type S did not come with a owners manual; so I wasn't sure as to what fuel to use, so I just continued using premium)

BUT today, while driving I realized that on the gauge panel of this car, it DOESN'T say "Use Premium Fuel Only" like my other TL's did. I called the local Acura dealer and they said to use Premium BUT I really do NOT care what dealers have to say. I have had a bunch of problems with dealers in the past (with my other cars) where they charged me thousands of dollars to fix a problem that they attempted but could not fix and later some local mechanic fixed it for a few bucks. I think that dealers don't know crap.

I strongly believe that a car should be used as recommended by the manufacturer because the manufacturer has designed and engineered it to be used that way. Out of all the cars I've had so far only 4 used premium fuel (my 1999 Acura TL, my 2001 Acura TL, my 1996 Nissan 300zx Turbo, my 1995 Honda Prelude VTEC) and all of them said to use premium fuel right there on the gauge cluster and so did my aunt's Acura RL, and one of my friends cars. To me, this means to use Premium only if it says to use premium only on the gauge panel by the manufacturer. And if it DOES NOT say that, then you should fill regular gas.

So I am assuming that I should be using regular gas in the 2002 Acura TL Type S. But I am not sure since I do not have the owners manual for this car and I do not wanna do anything to cause the car any harm/damage. And that is the reason I am here trying to see if there is any one who has the owners manual specifically for the 2002 Acura TL Type S and knows exactly what would be the correct fuel to use. Or if you an expert who has the answer to my question through your experiences and expertise, please let me know, I'd really appreciate it. Thanks.

 

[ecom1970442]

I'm in the same region as you are and I've been using 87 on my car since day one, when I bought it new. In reality the engine will modify the timing to adjust for the octane of gas being run. The only time it becomes a major issue is if you are running the car at the top end of both speed and rpm and/or putting big loads on the engine (mountain climbing, towing, etc). That is where you will see the performance difference between the 87 and the 91. But in normal day to day driving you can use 87 just fine and never notice any difference.

I know some people believe that using anything less than 91 will harm the engine and that is incorrect. I've talked to several engineers who say that it will not effect the engine. The reason Acura recommends using 91 is to get the performance that they spec out - such as 0-60 times, and top speed, etc.

I for one as a perfect example of someone using 87 in the car for the last 10 years and have never had a single problem in over 130K miles.

So my recommendation is go with 87 unless you're running on a track. Save the money!

P.S. 89 - is mid-grade

 

[TrustinHFDJ]

Well all of your logical analysis is wonderful and some of the facts accurate, however I would like to say; you guys do not really see the big picture. By that I am leaning towards the fact of how gasoline works in the motor, and the actual difference and meaning of octane. ***I think that is where you are missing the big picture, since no one has mentioned it.

91 Gas is always the best, generally speaking the highest in any of the 50 states on your "every-day" fuel pump would be 94. Any further up and you are going into specialized fuels, most of which need your computer to be tuned to run the fuel; unless of course higher octane gasoline. Some people go all out and try to seek jet fuel but that is actually the worst thing for the fuel system.

Now back to 91, and being the best, I speak in terms of actual power and energy function. Octane is primarily the rating at which the gasoline will explode, so it's not too far fetched to say you get more power out of 91 because of it's through combustion. Now I will just paint a really simple picture, none of which is actually true other than the functionality of it, let's just say that you have a 100% liquid fuel, but only 91% of the fuel is actually exploding which means nothing is left except "gaseous" exhaust which exits your vehicle; the other 9% is sticking to the inside of your motor. In comparison to to 87 octane, only 87% will combust, leaving behind 13% residue. Now this may not seem like a lot but in reality it is, your motor is constantly running this cycle; and over time will cause your engine to feel sluggish, dirty valves, clogging fuel lines, and more.

To the next point, yes it may be more expensive, but after my little explanation I hope you could come to the realization THAT IT SAVES MORE GAS than 87, especially motors that have PFI; which reduces knocking and ensure more perfect and even combustion. This is a law of physics, that no one can argue; or you could just waste your breathe.

So with that being said, and yes you will not feel a difference since your ECU is maintain function properly, but you are just wasting your money when your motor is actually made to run the fuel to the utmost perfect efficiency and that actually lasts longer and gets more power out of your motor. You are just blowing your money by putting crap in your motor because you will just go to the pump a lot more, plus loss of power inside your motor as your mileage increases.

From personal experience, and I only have owned multiple Honda's, I have always put 91 in my vehicles and even 93 when it use to be available in california; 95% have been 4 cylinders. I have never had a motor fail me, even after 300k! "That is what honda motors are known for", yes we know, but really the factor is no loss of performance as mentioned previously. Running like beauty and a beast =)

 

[AcuraTLTypeS02]

@TrustinHFDJ. Thanks but I already know what you are saying and my question has nothing to do with what you just spent your time and effort saying. Here's the thing...certain cars are designed to run on certain fuel types perfectly. Like for example 91 octane gas burns at higher compression then 87 and if a car is designed (engine compression wise) to handle only 87 octane gas, putting a 91 octane gas will only cause inefficient burning and may cause some kind of a build up which may cause hesitation and so on. Just adding a higher octane rating fuel simply doesn't increase horsepower and fuel efficiency in most normal everyday cars. And even if it does, I really do not care about horsepower and neither do I care about fuel efficiency bcuz the TL is good at neither (I got another car for horsepower that I use to race around once in a while which is modified to kick close to 600HP and another car that does close for 40mpg which I use to commute to work). My question was simply what fuel is optimum for the the TL-S as recommended by the manufacturer in the owners manual and I really wasn't asking for a logical explanation but more of a real life experience like "ecom1970442" answered...and by the way ecom1970442, thanks for your answer with your experience with your TL-S.

 

[koukii]

Honestly, any gas is acceptable but it's what you prefer. I personally pumped 91 octane though, but there were times when I had to be cheap and go with the 87.