93 octane?

[Mi6o]

I have a 04 civic ex. Is it harmful to fill up my tank with 93 octane fuel every time? Would the engine run smoother?

[GermanMuscle]

what compression does it have?

[Mi6o]

it's stock, i don't know!

[patrick4588]

what does the manual say? different cars are setup to run on different octane. my gsr has to take premium while an ls integra runs best on 87. (stock). i would guess yours if probably set up for 87...

[Mi6o]

it is set up for 87, but just wondering is it worth spending little bit more money at the pump in order to keep the engine last longer and run smoother or is it just waste of money?

[DJ Raijin]

if you can run 87 efficiently, then run it. save your money for mods or insurance or whatever you want. pity us who can not run anything below 93.

[gt4rcdude]

Run the cheapest gas that doesn't make your car knock or ping.

[Crazy Asian]

Your engine isn't really all crazy so just keep using 87. Unless your manual specifically says Premium then yah you definitley need that. Like Prelude I used 87 once and I flushed it out cuz it was pinging like crazy.

[allmotoronly]

the main difference between grades of pump gas (other than octane rating) is the amount of detergents and additives in it. 93 octane is cleaner, burns more efficiently, and has been said to cut down in valve deposits and keep injectors cleaner. I have never had a car that could run on regular, so I dont use it. I used to have a Z71, and It seemed to get a little better gas mileage on premium (about 1.5mpg more). I would use it anyway regardless if my car required it or not. Its not really that much more. If you fill up 10 gallons, you spend $2 extra... Whats an extra $2 when you are going to pay $27-30 for the fill up anyway.

[KevinT707]

Run 87 octane, anything higher will NOT make it any faster trust me.

[osnap]

sigh... 93 pride. lol

[myyellowspec]

if you can run 87 efficiently, then run it. save your money for mods or insurance or whatever you want. pity us who can not run anything below 93.

Tru lol

[BlkCD5]

unless you advanced the timing, you don't need 93

[Mi6o]

good reasoning...sounds like the smart thing to do

the main difference between grades of pump gas (other than octane rating) is the amount of detergents and additives in it. 93 octane is cleaner, burns more efficiently, and has been said to cut down in valve deposits and keep injectors cleaner. I have never had a car that could run on regular, so I dont use it. I used to have a Z71, and It seemed to get a little better gas mileage on premium (about 1.5mpg more). I would use it anyway regardless if my car required it or not. Its not really that much more. If you fill up 10 gallons, you spend $2 extra... Whats an extra $2 when you are going to pay $27-30 for the fill up anyway.

[Leadfoot_mf]

at first i was pissed when i read this then i realized you guys just didn't know any better so here is some help in understanding what u are putting in your car and why.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octane_rating

[Leadfoot_mf]

the main difference between grades of pump gas (other than octane rating) is the amount of detergents and additives in it. 93 octane is cleaner, burns more efficiently, and has been said to cut down in valve deposits and keep injectors cleaner. I have never had a car that could run on regular, so I dont use it. I used to have a Z71, and It seemed to get a little better gas mileage on premium (about 1.5mpg more). I would use it anyway regardless if my car required it or not. Its not really that much more. If you fill up 10 gallons, you spend $2 extra... Whats an extra $2 when you are going to pay $27-30 for the fill up anyway.

wow u are wrong read previous post.

[Mi6o]

wow u are wrong read previous post.

so what do u suggest?

[fatman169]

87 for the win!!!!

[i<3grnbeast]

Since I am an automotive professional, here is my opinion. take it or leave it, i suppose.

If your vehicle does not call for higher octane gas, then it is definitely a waste of money. I would suggest you read the wiki referenced a few responses above -- but if you find it too hard to read, the key is pre-ignition or pre-detonation. Higher octane = harder to burn. Engines with high compression should use higher octane. But your standard honda motor does no better with high octane. If you use cheap gas in a car that asks for 90 or better, you will actually get worse fuel economy and performance because the fuel ignites before it should. Most modern engines can compensate for this by retarding ignition timing -- in fact, earlier mercedes-benz vehicles actually were sent to the US market with a "reference resistor" that retarded ignition timing a few degrees to prevent preignition because the engineers figured us stupid americans were going to put cheap gas in our cars.

Again, bottom line, no, there is no benefit to higher octane if you don't need it. But if you do need it, you must use it or your will get reduced performance, gas mileage, and possibly cause premature wear / premature failure of componets, excess carbon build-up, etc.

[Mi6o]

i'll stick to 87...thanx for all the help

[fatman169]

well that \sums it up in a nut shell

[Leadfoot_mf]

Since I am an automotive professional, here is my opinion. take it or leave it, i suppose.

If your vehicle does not call for higher octane gas, then it is definitely a waste of money. I would suggest you read the wiki referenced a few responses above -- but if you find it too hard to read, the key is pre-ignition or pre-detonation. Higher octane = harder to burn. Engines with high compression should use higher octane. But your standard honda motor does no better with high octane. If you use cheap gas in a car that asks for 90 or better, you will actually get worse fuel economy and performance because the fuel ignites before it should. Most modern engines can compensate for this by retarding ignition timing -- in fact, earlier mercedes-benz vehicles actually were sent to the US market with a "reference resistor" that retarded ignition timing a few degrees to prevent preignition because the engineers figured us stupid americans were going to put cheap gas in our cars.

Again, bottom line, no, there is no benefit to higher octane if you don't need it. But if you do need it, you must use it or your will get reduced performance, gas mileage, and possibly cause premature wear / premature failure of componets, excess carbon build-up, etc.

very well put