Who doesn’t love the sedans and SUVs made by Acura, right? They offer incredible driving experience along with utmost comfort. Acuras’ cars are luxurious cars that are engineered to excite the minds of everyone.
That being said, before purchasing your desired Acura car, you must be wondering if it needs premium gas or not. Let’s find out which Acura cars require premium gas to run smoothly.
Does Acura MDX require premium gas?
Your Acura MDX will run just fine on regular gas. However, using premium gasoline of 91 octane rating or above is recommended to enhance engines’ health and boost overall performance. The premium gas will also provide the expected gas mileage for your Acura MDX SUV.
The Acura MDX is a luxurious yet cost effective SUV. It ensures a comfortable and pleasant driving experience. This vehicle is not only engineered to run on premium gas. It can run perfectly on regular and mid range gas.
However, the SUV will perform better on premium gasoline. This is due to the fact that the octane rating of the premium gas is 91 to 94 and it is smoother than other types of fuel.
Have a look at why you should use premium gas on your Acura MDX:
Good Mileage
Regular gasoline has an octane rating of 87 and there are impurities in it. The impurity level is much higher in the low quality regular fuel and it is very tough to determine the quality of the gas without a lab test.
The Acura MDX comes with multiple fuel filters to remove the impurities from the fuel. With the impurities, some of the fuel is also filtered out and drained out from the vehicle.
As a result, if you use regular gas, your Acura MDX won’t be able to provide the gas mileage up to its potential.
Better engine health
The premium gasoline is much smoother than other fuel types. It also has avery low amount of impurities in it.
Thus, to combust the fuel, the engine won’t have to function up to its maximum potential. It will make sure that the engine of your MDX SUV doesn’t get worn out.
In addition to that, by using premium fuel you can ensure that the engine doesn’t combust fuel without using spark plugs. It will significantly extend the engines’ life.
Can you use regular gas on Acura MDX?
Acura MDX is engineered to run perfectly on regular gas. Its engine is capable of functioning even with the 87 octane rated regular gas.
This SUV is also equipped with multiple fuel filters to filter out the impurities from the regular gasoline and prevent them from damaging the engine.
In addition to that, the compression ratio of the Acura MDX is medium. So, the engine will be able to ignite and combust the fuel effectively and efficiently even when you will use regular gas.
That being said, the manufacturers recommend using premium fuel on your Acura MDX. This is because there are different grades of regular gas available in the market.
If you use low quality regular gas in your SUV, it will damage the engine and reduce its lifetime. The low quality regular fuel will also hamper the fuel filters of the vehicle.
Even if you don’t use premium gas in your Acura MDX SUV on a regular basis, you should do it once in a while. This will reduce the engine’s workload for a short period of time and will make the engine’s pistons function better.
What is premium gas?
Any type of fuel that has an octane rating between 91 and 93 is considered premium gas. The most common types of premium gas have an octane rating of 91 and 93.
The premium gasoline that has an octane rating of 93 is not only known as premium gas, they are mostly known as super-premium fuel or ultra premium fuel.
Since the octane rating of the premium gas is high, its ability to withstand the internal combustion engines’ compression without shattering is very high. The texture of the premium fuel is also very smooth and it has the minimum amount of impurities.
What is the difference between premium and regular gas?
There are numerous factors that differentiate regular gas from premium gas. The factors include octane rating, impurity level, performance, and more. Let’s find out the difference between premium and regular gas.
Octane rating
The octane rating of a fuel is basically how much compression it can withstand without setting off in an internal combustion engine. The higher the octane rating of the fuel, the better the fuel performance will be.
The octane rating of premium fuel starts from 91 with 93 being the highest. Whereas, the regular fuel has an octane rating of 87 in general.
Impurity level
Every type of fuel has some form of impurities in it. The impurities are usually natural minerals and chemicals.
These impurities are filtered out through the fuel filters. If the impurity level of the fuel is high, it won’t be able to provide the desired gas mileage as some fuel will also be filtered out.
The impurity level of the regular gas is quite high and its texture is also a bit rough. On the other hand, the impurity level of the premium fuel is quite low and its texture is also very smooth.
Can you use premium gas in any car?
You can definitely use premium gas in any car. It won’t impose any risk to your vehicle’s engine or your vehicle itself. In fact, using premium fuel in your car will improve the performance and also increase the fuel efficiency.
Since every vehicle on the road will run fine with an 87 to 89 octane rated fuel. Using an octane rated fuel of 91 or above that is the premium gas is even better. It will make the car reach its desired and expected horsepower.
What are the benefits of using premium gas?
As the name depicts, the quality of the premium gas is much better than other types of fuel. This gas has an octane rating of 91 and higher. There are numerous benefits of using premium gas. Let’s take a look at the benefits of using premium gas.
Environmental friendly
The premium gas is comparatively more environmentally friendly than other types of gas. This gas reduces the emission of carbon dioxide when the car is accelerating and working hard.
Boost overall performance
The premium fuel has a higher octane rating. So, it has the ability to tolerate compression without erupting in an internal combustion engine. As a result, with premium fuel, the overall performance of the car will get boosted.
With premium fuel, a vehicle will be able to provide power up to its maximum potential. A vehicle will also be able to reach the expected horsepower when premium gas is used.
Reduces engine knock
The main function of a spark plug in an engine is to ignite fuel. When the engine combusts fuel without using spark plugs, it is known as engine knock. It happens mainly due to improper timing of combustion due to the low quality of fuel.
This engine knock can be very harmful to the engine and can significantly reduce its lifespan. By using premium fuel, you can reduce engine knock from occurring immediately.
What happens if I don’t use premium gas in my Acura?
Most of the cars and SUVs made by Acura work best with premium fuel. The manufacturers even recommend using premium gas if you want the best performance and driving experience from the vehicles.
Various issues can arrive in your Acura car if you don’t use premium gas. Have a look at what happens if you don’t use premium fuel in your Acura.
Bad fuel performance
Regular gas and midrange gas have a lot of impurities and dust in them. When you refill your fuel tank with these fuels, it goes through a fuel filter which takes out the impurities. Along with those materials, some fuel is also filtered out.
If you don’t use premium fuel that has a very low impurity level, a lot of fuel will be drained out of the car. As a result, your Acura will give a very bad fuel performance if you don’t use premium fuel in it.
Unoptimized power
Most engines of Acura require premium fuel to work at their full capacity. It reaches the maximum horsepower only with premium fuel.
If you don’t use premium gas in your Acura car or SUV, you won’t be able to get the desired power. The car will also accelerate a bit slower if you don’t use premium gas.
Heavy engine knock
Regular gas will cause engine knocks at regular intervals in your Acura vehicle. This happens due to the smoothness of the fuel and the texture of regular gas is quite rough.
So, your Acuras’ engine will face heavy engine knocks if you don’t use premium gas in the car.
Final Thoughts
Although most of the Acura sedans and SUVs work quite well in regular gas, it is recommended to use premium gas. The premium gasoline helps the Acura vehicles to accelerate smoothly and offer better fuel mileage. This premium gas also helps cars reach their full potential in terms of power.
I am an automotive enthusiast and have been interested in cars since I was a little kid. I have worked in the automotive industry for many years and have extensive knowledge of vehicles and their engines. I am a father of two and I love spending time with my family.
Read more about the author here.
