One of my friends at work has a Honda Pilot. His dealer told him that if he uses Premium gas and there are engine problems, it can void the warranty since the engine doesn't require it.

I think this is total BS because in every single car manual I have seen, it always says a Minimum of 85/87 octane and never has said anything about a limit to what octane you can use.

I'm just curious if anybody knows anything about this.

 

I've heard of the opposite, but not this. If your care requires 93 or higher octane and you put in 87, you can be nailed for that... but never heard of 87 requirement and you dump in 93. Sounds like a dealer trying to milk things.

 

[sm=bs.gif] That's what ya get for buying Jap Crap. The lady at home Depot said I would void the HOT DOG WARRANTY if i used Grey Poupon mustard, intead of Cisco????

Premium is not going to hurt anything, but if your sake sucker's computer isn't programmed to take advantage of the cooler burn, why would you pay for it? Too much octane can lead to hard starting when a car that isn't mechanically of electronically set up to burn it, but that is like Turbo Blue 106, NOT 93/94. When I say hard starting, I mean only while you have it in your tank, not permenantly. Sheeeoot, I had a boat with Gale Banks Big Block Chevy's that had to burn Aviation Gas....110. Pump gas isn't gonna do anything.

 

Doc Olds is right. Honda engines are more tempermental and they usually say to NOT use 91 octane because the engines aren't calibrated for that octane and won't burn it efficiently. So basically, all you get for 24 more cents per gallon in the Honda is higher pollution, not higher performance.

 

Yeah a huge missconception is that a higher octane fuel will give you more power when it doesn't. the higher the octane the more stable the gas is so you can run a higher compression and add power adders without having detonation. When i first built the 347 stroker in my mustang i had to run it on 100 octane because it was detonating with 93 octane do to the timing and compression. I now have a custom tune on it and run 93. If i had tuned it for 100 octane i could have pulled a little more power out of the engine by advancing the timing more and giving it a more aggresive tune. OCTANE DOESNT ADD POWER.

 

my old dodge runs on 87 octane, making in the 490-500hp range...im only running around 8.5 to 1 compression.

when a modern vehicle "requires" a certain octane, it is because the engine computer is programmed to perform at its optimum level with that octane, without detonation. running low octane in a car that "requires" higher octane, will often make slightly less power as modern, stockish vehicles have things like knock sensors, which adjust the timing based on a variety of readings by the computer...but in most cases it will not hurt anything, but that is provided that the octane difference and the changes needed by thecomputer are within the adjustable parameters of the system. for instance...if you put 87 octane in a modified new GT500, it will most likely "knock" (detonation) and with detonation, you have increased heat levels and over time, that will cause hot spots in the piston, and eventually engine failure...this problem is especially serious with forced induction engines.

say that you had a "tune" or hand programmer for your H3, and had it set to make its power with something like a "93 octane tune", and you instead run 87 octane, it could eventually cause a hot spot, but on a vehicle with something as simple as a tune on a stock, NA vehicle, it will not be a sudden thing, unless there are other problems..

we have a performance computer in amanda's truck, and it requires 92 octane or higher. if we run cheap gas, it will knock under load, and overtime, that knocking could cause a problem, but if i were to swap back in the stock computer, that same engine will safely handle 87 octane.

 

Sake Sucker..... Nice.... very classy to boot I might add.

 

Yeah yeah. Rice burner. Tokyo toilet. I got hundred's of em. I'm from suburbia DETROIT. I have two family members retired from GM, others still work there. I'd like them to be able to retire too.

If foreign diluted america keeps buying jap crap, maybe we can flip burgers and sell insurance for a living? How'd ya like yer burger sir?

importliller isn't even on par with me on that one. [sm=americanasmiley.gif] I feel better. Now what kind of insurance did ya need on that weedhopper?

 

Hey now ... I'm proudly diluting the American gene pool thank you very fricken much! LOL!

 

I know about the minimum premium requirements, but his car requires 87. I don't think he realizes premium doesn't mean luxury. Oh well.

I had my PCM programmed for 87 through 93, so I can use whatever I want. The engine runs so much smoother on 93 then it does on 87/89. It's noticably smoother and quiter, so I choose to use that. I did the math, and for $100+ dollars a year more to use better fuel in my only car, I think it's worth it

We've had alot of debates about this and Linus Gump is the ultimate gas expert since he has the inside info on it. BUT, I don't think anybody has ever asked the question about using Premium in Regular and it voiding the warranty.

I know everybody says if your computer is not programmed for 93 and you use it in your car, you can get carbon building in the engine. Wouldn't this void your warranty, since it's your fault?