Honda Car Forum

I guess I should elaborate on my earlier response. I don't have any
information on the newest Accord(2008), but on the previous
version(2003-2007 V6), Honda set it up to run on regular gas(in the
U.S.) for government certification and for advertising purposes.
However, the engine management system was designed to allow
approximately 10 HP more to be produced when premium gas was used--the
knock sensor allowed the timing to advance as needed, and maybe some
other things. The reason for this(according to the Honda engineering
staff in published articles at the time) was the company's interest in
being equal to or better than the then new Nissan Altima V6 in
performance. Whether they continued this in the new Accord, I do not know.

Kenneth J. Harris wrote:
> alfred wrote:
>
>> Hello,
>>
>> I have a 2008 Accord Auto 4 cyl EX-L. The manual says to use regular
>> 87 octane. The compression ratio in this car is high enough where
>> premium would be required in other car brands with the same
>> compression ratio and almost as high as other Hondas (such as the
>> civic si) that do require premium. My question is that "if" I used
>> Premium even though it wasnt really required, would i see an
>> improvement in the performance being that its so close to almost
>> needing premium?
>
>
> Maybe

Elmo P. Shagnasty wrote:

> In article <6ImdndBr-p7zp-HanZ2dnUVZ_sqinZ2d@speakeasy.net>,
> jim beam <spamvortex@bad.example.net> wrote:
>
>
>>>I dunno... some of the combustion chamber design coming out of the U.S.
>>>was pretty high-tech, especially the aftermarket race tech, although
>>>little of that reached the consumer (Chrysler's hemispherical head came
>>>closest, but didn't lend itself to passenger car use).
>>
>>detroit might have flirted with it, but nobody was prepared to put in
>>the r&d dollars to get it into bed. the japanese got it in the 70's.
>
>
> CVCC. That 79 Civic I had was a great car.
>


I have its son, an '83.

Compression ratio is 9.2:1 and it runs fine on regular and is getting
40+ mpg in mixed driving.

JT

Engine knocking as a result of higher compression ratios is a trade
mark of hor rod engineering, which Hondas is a opponent. Honda sport
cars may require higher octane fuel, but that's for engines with
smaller displacements designed to compete with those of larger sizes.
Accords arent meant to be raced, anyway.

I am dissapointed, however, at the new Accords fuel efficiency.

Now about fuel quality. Within different brands, mpg is a crude, but
good, indicator of fuel quality. The ablity to burn completely and
thus to generate more power also reduces wear and tear on the
cylinders caused by unburnt fuel washing away the protective oil film.
Not to mention carbon deposites and other nasty stuffs.


On Jan 1, 4:11 pm, "alfred" <tomboy...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I have a 2008 Accord Auto 4 cyl EX-L. The manual says to use regular 87
> octane. The compression ratio in this car is high enough where premium would
> be required in other car brands with the same compression ratio and almost
> as high as other Hondas (such as the civic si) that do require premium. My
> question is that "if" I used Premium even though it wasnt really required,
> would i see an improvement in the performance being that its so close to
> almost needing premium?
>
> Where I live the Regular unleaded octane is 87, Plus is 89 octane and
> Premium is 93-94 octane. Our gasoline in my part of the country is 10%
> Ethanol also. I've been using regular since I had the car and during the
> break in period as well. It has 1524 miles on it now and is almost 2 months
> old. I followed the break in requirements 100% and my oil is at 70% on
> original oil.
>
> Another question is about using fuel injector cleaners like the Chevron
> Techron fuel system cleaner, is that something that I should consider maybe
> every 6 months? How would that compare to other brands like Gumout and STP?
>
> Thanks,
> Al

Hello everyone,

Thanks for all the input. I'll have to consider the idea of the 3 tankfulls
of premium, but wouldnt one tankfull be enough for the car to show a
difference if any? I know Shell regular is a good gas to use and I think it
has detergents and additives as far as I know. I know around here it has 10%
ethanol, not sure if that means much.

What would the additives or detergents mean for the engine anyway and how
would I know if Shell had these things in their gas? I'm in New England if
that means anything.

Thanks,
Al

In article <fbXfj.6416$R55.1012@newsfe13.lga>,
"alfred" <tomboy83=@yahoo.com> wrote:

> What would the additives or detergents mean for the engine anyway and how
> would I know if Shell had these things in their gas?

I used to use grocery store gas. I had a Lexus ES that I drove from
125K to 175K miles. In the middle of all that, I learned about Top Tier
Gas--Shell, in particular.

I ran a few months with Shell premium, and noticed quickly enough that
my gas mileage went up noticeably. My fuel cost per mile went down,
even though Shell gas cost more *and* I was using their premium
stuff--with VPower, their extra cleaners.

After a few months I went back to regular gas--but stuck with Shell. My
gas mileage didn't change--not better, not worse. I was even more ahead
in fuel cost per mile now that I was buying 87 octane instead of 93
octane.

Shell gas, and I presume all Top Tier fuels, keeps the fuel system and
combustion chambers clean. For many reasons, all of that is necessary
for better fuel efficiency.

If you're using a gas that doesn't have a good additive package, your
fuel system will clog up--injectors won't spray well, combustion chamber
can get carbon in it (esp. if it's an older car), etc.

You can regularly use a good gas, or you can pay a bit of attention to
things and use a bottle of something like Techron in your gas tank every
now and then.

"alfred" <tomboy83=@yahoo.com> wrote
> Hello everyone,
>
> Thanks for all the input. I'll have to consider the idea of the 3
> tankfulls of premium, but wouldnt one tankfull be enough for the car to
> show a difference if any? I know Shell regular is a good gas to use and I
> think it has detergents and additives as far as I know. I know around here
> it has 10% ethanol, not sure if that means much.
>
> What would the additives or detergents mean for the engine anyway and how
> would I know if Shell had these things in their gas? I'm in New England if
> that means anything.
>
> Thanks,
> Al

Shell gasoline is fine, Alfred...don't worry, and use the regular unleaded.

You will not see a difference in performance with the new 2008 Accord that
we both have.

Shell *does* have detergents and additives, so rest assured you engine is
being cleaned with it.

If you want to increase *performance* of your Accord, I recommend getting
used to the different drive modes.

I drive using 1,2, and *D3* especially, which will make your car seem like
it has a new engine in it.

"Auto", or "D" on the gears, is extremely smooth and made for family
driving.

However, when I do the different gears manually, my car is like *woah* and
comes alive. Plus, it never gets anywhere close to redline, so there's a lot
of room to play around in.

Try it...you'll like it.

Peace,
Polfus

> If you want to increase *performance* of your Accord, I recommend getting
> used to the different drive modes.
>
> I drive using 1,2, and *D3* especially, which will make your car seem like
> it has a new engine in it.
>
> "Auto", or "D" on the gears, is extremely smooth and made for family
> driving.
>
> However, when I do the different gears manually, my car is like *woah* and
> comes alive. Plus, it never gets anywhere close to redline, so there's a
> lot of room to play around in.
>
> Try it...you'll like it.
>
> Peace,
> Polfus


Hi Polfus,

Do you mean to start off in 1 and drive until lets say 4000 rpms and then go
to 2 and then D3 after sufficient rpms there? Occasionally though if I am
coming into a highway exit and I need to stop more fast than usual I might
throw it into D3 and brake as an extra measure. I sometimes use D3 and then
move into D if i am going faster because it allows for more revs, but I
havent really tried the manual mode. I was affraid that would put too much
wear and tear on the engine, but i'll check it out. The D driving is
"family" mode you are right about that, smoother than you'd expect. I'll
have to try out the "Sport" mode of driving one of these days.

The redline in the 2008 Accord being at 7100 rpms gives plenty of room for
reving. I like to shift with a manual transmission car at 4500-5000 rpms so
I'll have to try it with this. I used to use D3 in my 2005 Accord EX so i'll
have to try it in here.

Al

jim beam wrote:
> Elmo P. Shagnasty wrote:
>> In article <F5mdnejsVMXWIObanZ2dnUVZ_o3inZ2d@speakeasy.net> ,
>> jim beam <spamvortex@bad.example.net> wrote:
>>
>>>> There ain't not give in that car. Nowhere.
>>>>
>>> driven a ford lately? there's a /ton/ of "give" in a honda.
>>
>> What kind of "give"?
>>
>
> pretty much everything - cheaper glass, cheaper paint, cheaper metal,
> cheaper design, worse tolerances, lower standards across the board.

In what way has Honda lowered standards?

> ford's plastic brake pistons are among of my favorites.

Amusing, yes, but of little interest in a Honda NG.

Tony Harding wrote:
> jim beam wrote:
>> Elmo P. Shagnasty wrote:
>>> In article <F5mdnejsVMXWIObanZ2dnUVZ_o3inZ2d@speakeasy.net> ,
>>> jim beam <spamvortex@bad.example.net> wrote:
>>>
>>>>> There ain't not give in that car. Nowhere.
>>>>>
>>>> driven a ford lately? there's a /ton/ of "give" in a honda.
>>>
>>> What kind of "give"?
>>>
>>
>> pretty much everything - cheaper glass, cheaper paint, cheaper metal,
>> cheaper design, worse tolerances, lower standards across the board.
>
> In what way has Honda lowered standards?

macpherson strut suspension!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


>
>> ford's plastic brake pistons are among of my favorites.
>
> Amusing, yes, but of little interest in a Honda NG.


except that when people say a modern honda has been cheapened so much
that there's no more "give", i say that's not correct - there's a ton
more "give" to be had in pursuit of lower costs. plastic brake pistons
are just one example.

Regular Shell gasoline is my fuel of choice for my Honda too. It gives
better mpg than Chevrons, which is not bad either.

Using different gears in an automatic transmission does nothin for
performance. But the habit of doing so reduces stresses on the
drivetrain and prolongs its life significantly.

For me i use 2 when driving in a parking lot, or within an apartment
complex or a subdivision. That saves the trans from unnecessary
upshift/downshift.
I use D3 when driving in downtown streets or in an area with many 4-
way stops. And D4 in normal city and highway driving. My 89 Accord
doesn't have 1 and i have no idea how it''ll work.

Important: You can always shift back and forth between D3 and D4 while
the tires is rolling. But shifting to and from P, R, N, 2, 1 (no
letter D in those!!!) demands a complete stop (with the engine at
idle) or you'll risk wrecking a good transmission. Also keep your
right hand off the shifting lever when the car is moving, accidental
shifting is bad!!! Finally, if you just want convenience and nothing
else, Honda's D4 will handle everything just fine.

Cheers!!



On Jan 6, 2:05 pm, "Polfus" <nostringscouldsecureyou@thestation>
wrote:

>
> Shell gasoline is fine, Alfred...don't worry, and use the regular unleaded.
>
> You will not see a difference in performance with the new 2008 Accord that
> we both have.
>
> Shell *does* have detergents and additives, so rest assured you engine is
> being cleaned with it.
>
> If you want to increase *performance* of your Accord, I recommend getting
> used to the different drive modes.
>
> I drive using 1,2, and *D3* especially, which will make your car seem like
> it has a new engine in it.
>
> "Auto", or "D" on the gears, is extremely smooth and made for family
> driving.
>
> However, when I do the different gears manually, my car is like *woah* and
> comes alive. Plus, it never gets anywhere close to redline, so there's a lot
> of room to play around in.
>
> Try it...you'll like it.
>
> Peace,
> Polfus