Honda Car Forum

Can I put regular gasoline into a 2002 Acura RSX Type-S and simply get less performance and not damage the engine?

You can not legally get regular / leaded gas in the US. In fact that engine has a catalytic convertor which means it is physically impossible to handle regular gas. 87 octane unleaded will suffice for any engine of any car sold in the US. On some high performance engines you might lose about 3-5% HP if it calls for higher octane. But when you have over 300 HP you barely notice the difference.

no if you have a good car liek that, put good gas in it.

actually I own an 2002 RSX-S and it doesn't LIKE lower octane gas...do yourself and your engine a favor...use the correct gas. (if you can't afford the gas, don't own a car that uses high octane gas...)

If you put regular gas in a S type, the knock sensor will adjust the timing. That will result in lower performance and poorer mileage. Your choice.

Just use the premium gas. You decided to purchase a performance vehicle, now you have to maintain its standards.