For those who have owner's manuals... what is the minimum octane that is recommended (if there is one)? 87/89/92

 

I do not have the manual but the recommended fuel is regular unleaded.

 

That brings to mind those people who are trying to determine whether or not they want to get a Fit now, or wait for the Civic Si... will the Si require premium fuel?? If so, then that car is looking much more expensive, and the Fit, less so...

 

#87 or higher. Recommends to NOT use MMT additives gas. Salesman said to avoid 10% blended ethanol, but manual says it is designed to run on 10-15% MTBE. All our stations here will someday sell gasahol.

 

willmax11,
The manual is the thing. I have always relied on it and it hasn't let me down.

 

The 2006 Si? The coupe already does; I can't imagine otherwise for the apparently upcoming sedan.

 

Yes, the manual is approved of by the engineers behind the car, while you can't trust salesmen for anything.

 

Yep. Or the service dept in most cases. When the '03 Accord was released, the manual recommended an oil change every 5,000-7,500 miles (or something like that). The shop manager said, "uh, we still recommend every 3,000 miles".... The shop's in business to make $$ just like everybody else!

 

the only honda cars that take premium fuel are the civic si and the s2k

 

...but given the fact that there's a knock sensor , isn't it possible to get a little extra performance or mpg with the use of higher octane? I know the 2.4 in my CRV runs great on 87 but I can get almost 1/2 mpg better with 89+!

 

Remember, "minimum requirement" is just that...minimum!

The manual also suggests changing gas stations or try another brand if you notice "undesirable operating symptoms".

 

Think about what you just said. Only 1/2 mpg better...and paying at least 10 cents a gallon more for the next grade up? Doesn't seem worth it to me...

 

It depends on how the engine is tuned, and how the knock sensor is mapped.

Typically the knock sensor means that a car designed for high octanc can retard the timing to use lower ocatane, but the reverse is not always true, at least not to the same extent. If the timing only advances so far it does not matter how much octane you have you won't get any more power.

 

lower octane fuel has more energy anyways.

 

I'm still amazed at how many people still "treat" their cars with 89+ like its a pet getting a bacon treat!
As I said, I go by the book and I've had some very excellent performing vehicles. If the book says 87, that's what it gets.

 

Yeah, putting anything higher than the lowest grade fuel for the FIT motor is simply wasting money.

 

I didn't say I did it on a regular basis...it is expensive BUT.... It also appears to increase performance too - like highway on ramp go go

 

95RON is the minimum quality fuel sold in Japan.

The car performs noticeibly better on higher grade fuels. The Australian Jazz is detuned to accept 91RON but the increased enjoyment provided by 98RON and 100RON fuel makes the extra expense worthwhile. It is able to take full advantage of higher octane fuels. Higher grade fuels in Australia contain cleaning agents not found in standard unleaded and are a different density. The fuel will give better performance than a lot of other expensive performance mods on this vehicle.

The US model has also been detuned to accept the lowest standard grade fuel sold in that market.

If your buying it as a bar fridge on wheels then put sludge in it. In fact why not buy a Toyota (famous for whitegoods on wheels) instead.

 

Does anyone have dyno sheets proving the benefits of using higher octane fuel?

 

in general, high compression engine does benefit using high octane gas.