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Re: Replacing 9000CSE???Maybe....
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Posted by Ari [Email] (#2847) [Profile/Gallery] (more from Ari) on Wed, 16 Jan 2008 06:50:55 Share Post by Email
In Reply to: Replacing 9000CSE???Maybe...., Wasabi, Wed, 16 Jan 2008 05:04:23
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All the modern cars have a variety of was to control knock. The Acura VTEC turbo engine has variable vane turbo (which is similar to how Saab controls boost), variable cam timing, and everything else. So they've got a lot of knobs to turn to keep the engine out of knock (which is all octane relates to). Compared to simply retarding the timing (like the bad old days), the power hit of lower octane gas should be less.

So you should be able to run the car on 87 octane and the car won't be damaged, explode, or otherwise not work. 91 octane should provide the full rated power of the car (at sea level, your mileage may vary). How much of a power hit will you take going to lower octane? No way to know. Not only does it depend on the engine and engine control, it'll depend on the particular engine you get in that particular car. Due to production variation, some engines are looser, some tighter. And that changes with time. So the octane needs of a particular engine are unique to that engine.

Also, it will depend on how the engine control operates, and on how much power you use on a regular basis. Maybe that 91 octane limit is only hit on hot days at high RPM. Or maybe it bumps up against that limit all the time on normal driving. If you're looking to squeeze every ounce out of the car, you may need 91 octane. If you are rarely going to tap into the 240 hp, you may not need to run higher octane.

Normally, I'd say to drive the car with lower octane fuel and see if (1) you notice the difference, and (2) care about the difference. If no, then use the lower octane fuel. However, you usually can't do that until after you've bought the car, and I doubt the dealer will allow you to put in a tank of 87 and take the car on an extended test drive, especially with an eye towards hot weather driving.


So yes, you can use regular, but assume that's a bonus. Budget based on running 91, in case the performance hit of lower octane is unacceptable. Look at it this way - premium is running 20 to 30 cents more a gallon. Assume the worst, and you're talking about a 10% price premium for premium. You're already looking at a 20 mpg vehicle at best. So it's like a difference between 18 and 20 mpg. If you've made the choice to get a 20 mpg vehicle instead of a 25 or 30 mpg vehicle, that's a much bigger cost delta than going to premium.



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