Fuel Noob Question

[NJ2010Accord]

Got a 2010 Honda Accord i4 coupe. Been filling up with regular gas since I got it but was wondering if I would benefit from an upgrade in fuel quality? I actually have a 800 mile trip this weekend and was checking in to see what the benefits of spending a few extra bucks would be. I know this is a super noob question, but any advice would be nice. Thanks

[Dreamacre]

Your car was designed to run on regular gas. While you can, you will be throwing your money away.

[redlineaccord]

Originally Posted by NJ2010Accord

Got a 2010 Honda Accord i4 coupe. Been filling up with regular gas since I got it but was wondering if I would benefit from an upgrade in fuel quality? I actually have a 800 mile trip this weekend and was checking in to see what the benefits of spending a few extra bucks would be. I know this is a super noob question, but any advice would be nice. Thanks

I've wondered the same with my lx-s 2012 coupe manual trans. I wondered if a higher octane would help mileage keep the exhaust pipe less hot and help high rpm pulls.. I tried midgrade and don't notice a difference.. I'm sticking to top teir regular 87

[chuangandrew]

you get slightly better mpg using higher octane and the throttle is more responsive. nothing wrong with treating your car with better fuel once in a while

[glen e]

Originally Posted by chuangandrew

you get slightly better mpg using higher octane and the throttle is more responsive. nothing wrong with treating your car with better fuel once in a while

gotta link to support this?

[Danielc409]

Not sure why people would think you would get better performance from higher octane rating:

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/cons...tos/aut12.shtm

[ksills]

It's true, if your car was designed for regular fuel, you will not benefit from increasing the octane. That said, however, other factors will, such as the amount of ethanol and the amount of detergent. Usually premium gas has less ethanol and more detergent, but not always.

[chuangandrew]

Originally Posted by glen e

gotta link to support this?

no, just from my own personal monitoring of mpg and throttle response. I switch from regular to premium fuel from time to time when I feel like it. The differene can be seen/felt almost immediately.

Canadian fuels may be different than the US brands. I do know here in Canada 87 octane has higher EtOH content than 91 or 94 octane, which may explain the differences I observed.

Anyone can satisfy his curiosity by fueling up premium once to compare. Plus, US premium fuels are so much cheaper than Canadian pricings.

[ksills]

Originally Posted by chuangandrew

no, just from my own personal monitoring of mpg and throttle response. I switch from regular to premium fuel from time to time when I feel like it. The differene can be seen/felt almost immediately.

Canadian fuels may be different than the US brands. I do know here in Canada 87 octane has higher EtOH content than 91 or 94 octane, which may explain the differences I observed.

Anyone can satisfy his curiosity by fueling up premium once to compare. Plus, US premium fuels are so much cheaper than Canadian pricings.

Maybe because the US gallon is smaller than the imperial gallon. The difference in MPG is the ethanol as I stated before.

[coupe7]

Originally Posted by NJ2010Accord

Got a 2010 Honda Accord i4 coupe. Been filling up with regular gas since I got it but was wondering if I would benefit from an upgrade in fuel quality? I actually have a 800 mile trip this weekend and was checking in to see what the benefits of spending a few extra bucks would be. I know this is a super noob question, but any advice would be nice. Thanks

The octane number debate. I will state my opinion based on my experience.

Higher the octane number the quicker you're car will run and it actually lasts a little longer.

For those non believers, don't be cheap and try just 1 full tank of 93 and you will see a difference in performance immediately. Do you're own research and report back you're findings.

Good luck.

[ksills]

Originally Posted by coupe7

The octane number debate. I will state my opinion based on my experience.

Higher the octane number the quicker you're car will run and it actually lasts a little longer.

For those non believers, don't be cheap and try just 1 full tank of 93 and you will see a difference in performance immediately. Do you're own research and report back you're findings.

Good luck.

NO!!!! Using a higher octane rating will only make your money go faster.
Here is the science. As I said before, ethanol varies in percentage between grades and brands of gas and that WILL impact power and mileage. But if you want to believe otherwise you are entitled

[coupe7]

Originally Posted by ksills

NO!!!! Using a higher octane rating will only make your money go faster.
Here is the science. As I said before, ethanol varies in percentage between grades and brands of gas and that WILL impact power and mileage. But if you want to believe otherwise you are entitled

I have read that wikipedia article before. It is very interesting. But i will not quote articles and other forum arguments. This is a really simple one.

Next time you're tank is empty, try 93 octane then report back.
If you don't try it , then you really don't know. Just a suggestion, if not you can go ahead and quote wiki and other articles, arguments and debates.
Thank you, and good luck.

[2010couper]

I don’t know the answer to this either way, but I remember when I was like 12 me and my dad did a school science experiment on my go-cart. We filled up with 87 and ran several 0-30 and 8th mile times. We then let the go-cart cool off totally, emptied the tank and filled with 93. We then ran several of the same 0-30 and 8th mile tests. The numbers were identical. Now I know this is a go-cart we tested, that's why I did state “I don’t know the answer either way”

I will say I fill up with 93 from time to time and always think my car is more responsive. I will also say I'm pretty sure it's in my head.

[chuangandrew]

here's the math and debate for ethanol.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethanol_fuel

"Ethanol (E100) consumption in an engine is approximately 51% higher than for gasoline since the energy per unit volume of ethanol is 34% lower than for gasoline"

and

"The higher compression ratios in an ethanol-only engine allow for increased power output and better fuel economy than could be obtained with lower compression ratios. In general, ethanol-only engines are tuned to give slightly better power and torque output than gasoline-powered engines."


the math:
lets make the assumption that octane content doesn't influence total energy output, but the amount of ethanol does.

in 100 units of "regular gas -87 octane", 10 units is maximum ethanol and 87 units is octane. because ethanol burns 50% faster, 10 units of ethanol is equivalent of 10/1.5 = 6.7 unit of octane

so total = 87 + 6.7 = 93.7 units of octane power for regular gas

same idea for other grades
89 octane = 95.7 units of octane power
91 octane = 97 units of octane power
93 octane = 97.7 units of octane power

so overall increase from gasing regular to high end premium (93) is 4 units of octane power, which is 4/93.7 = 4.3% increase in overal fuel power

from experience, regular gas runs me about 600km per tank, and i noticed a 20-30 km increase when i run 94 premium, that's 3-5% increase in MPG.

so if premium gas cost 3-5% more than regular gas, fuel up.
last time i'm in the states (2 weeks ago), regular is $3.89/gallon and $4.09 for premium fuel. That's $0.20/$3.89 = 5.1%

In canada, currrent prices are $132.8 for regular and $152.3 for 94 premium. This is 14.7% more expensive

So yes, US has it good.

also, ethanol additive in fuel is more of a recent phenomenon, which is standardized to E10 (10% ethanol) as of 2006. So what happened 10-15 years ago doesn't apply as gasoline composition has changed over the years. Plus, the earlier link for not using premium gasoline was dated 2003, clearly not reflecting the gasoline of today.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_...5.2C_E7.2C_E10

"Other common blends include E5 and E7. These concentrations are generally safe for recent engines that run on pure gasoline. As of 2006, mandates for blending bioethanol into vehicle fuels had been enacted in at least 36 states/provinces and 17 countries at the national level, with most mandates requiring a blend of 10 to 15% ethanol with gasoline."

[thatkellenguy]

Originally Posted by NJ2010Accord

Got a 2010 Honda Accord i4 coupe. Been filling up with regular gas since I got it but was wondering if I would benefit from an upgrade in fuel quality? I actually have a 800 mile trip this weekend and was checking in to see what the benefits of spending a few extra bucks would be. I know this is a super noob question, but any advice would be nice. Thanks

As you can see the response to your question isn't simple. I would say, if you have extra money buy the higher octane or intermittently buy it, if you are pinching pennies, buy the cheap stuff. I know the owner's manual says that 87 octane is fine so I wouldn't fret over it either way.

I personally use plus (89/90 octane) because it gives me piece of mind. It's a little bit more spendy but I don't drive a hoopty so in my mind, its worth it.