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Premium Gas in Regular recommendation?

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  #1  
Old 05-28-2009 | 02:07 AM
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Default Premium Gas in Regular recommendation?

is it possible to use premium gas in a regular recommended car?..ive heard it boosts power by maybe 3hp but im going more for a better burn...any help is appreciated.
 
  #2  
Old 05-28-2009 | 08:06 AM
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No. The only performance improvement comes from your wallet being lighter.
Maybe 10 years ago I saw a test where an Accord got worse mileage when filled with premium. The difference was very small, probably within the experimental uncertainty. And it wasn't a V-6. But still...

Anti-knock rating indicates (among other things) a faster or slower burn. Not "BETTER". Not "WORSE". So your combustion chambers are designed for burn SPEED of regular gas.

I'm gonna move this to General Tech, because it's not really about the operation of the WEBSITE.
 
  #3  
Old 05-28-2009 | 08:38 AM
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Just to play on what Jim said, if your car requires REGULAR then that's ALL you put in it. Which brings up the subject of the middle gas...who even uses that?

/ramble.
 
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Old 05-28-2009 | 09:59 AM
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Read the owner's manual. It probably specifically tells you not to use premium.
 
  #5  
Old 05-28-2009 | 11:41 AM
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Originally Posted by 00AccordLX5spd
Read the owner's manual. It probably specifically tells you not to use premium.
I'm almost 100% sure that all USDM Accords take 87 octane fuel.
 
  #6  
Old 06-02-2009 | 08:35 PM
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Which is the best gas station to get your fuel from? I've heard Shell and Sunoco are one of the best.
 

Last edited by efiggz; 06-02-2009 at 08:37 PM.
  #7  
Old 06-03-2009 | 10:17 AM
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I always go to the cheapest one. In my opinion...gas is gas. I'm sure I'll get flamed for saying that though.
 
  #8  
Old 06-03-2009 | 09:52 PM
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Originally Posted by 00AccordLX5spd
I always go to the cheapest one. In my opinion...gas is gas. I'm sure I'll get flamed for saying that though.
I'm not gonna flame you but I try to avoid the cheap gas stations around Miami like Cupido or E-Gas. Besides cheap ones like those, yes gas is gas lol.
 
  #9  
Old 06-03-2009 | 11:39 PM
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Originally Posted by Sweagle02
I'm almost 100% sure that all USDM Accords take 87 octane fuel.


Now here is an interesting question, for the Accords made in the US, but exported to other countries, did they use exactly the same engine, with the same ECU maps and compresion ratio?

I have an Ex Japan, US made, '96 Accord Wagon.
The Japanese use very high octane fuel in thier domestic market, so all the cars made there, for that market, tend to have slightly high compresions ratios than cars sold in the rest of the world.
About 70% of the cars here in NZ are used Japanese imports, and I have owned a couple. They ALL run better on higher octane fuel (96 or 98). They usually run so much better, that it more than off sets the extra cost.

However, there is nothing wrong with running higher octane fuel than you need, with in reason. It won't gain you anything, but you won't lose anything either (other than the cost).
So it is plausible to think that the US made accords, sold in Japan, can run on a low octane fuel.
Would love to know, as it would save me a few dollars.
 
  #10  
Old 06-04-2009 | 07:48 AM
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Couple ways to answer Moppie's question...

Doesn't matter what country the car is built in, it will be built FOR a specific market. JDM, EDM, USDM, doesn't mean the car is built in those countries, it means the car is built FOR those countries. So a JDM Accord might be made in USA, but it will have the Japan Domestic Market engine & equipment. Or a USDM Accord might be built in Japan, but that doesn't make it a JDM car.

OK, for gasoline...
There's many different specific procedures for measuring ant-knock index ("octane") of gasoline. 2 common ones for cars are "motor octane" (MON) & "research octane" (RON). The exact same gasoline might measure 84 on the MON scale, and measure 90 on the RON scale.

In USA the average of the 2 is posted on the pump (MON+RON)/2 which comes out to 87. But in UK & Europe I think they post the RON number, which is 90 for that same gasoline. So part of that "better gasoline" idea is a myth. Japan may have higher "octane", but part of that is probably just from posting the RON number or some other scale that's customary over there.
 



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