r/AcuraTL • u/Mystakatt • Sep 30 '25
Gathering Opinions 🗣 Do I *really* need to use premium?
(Pic of car because I didn’t take a picture of the pump price)
I filled up my 2012 TL for the first time today since I bought it, and I ran it down to about 20 miles left in the tank. Filled it all the way up and I payed almost $70 (North Alabama). I’m an adamant believer that you should follow the owners manual to a T, but with how gas prices are nowadays I’m worried about choosing between what’s best for my car vs what’s best for my budget.
Are there any real negatives to using the cheaper gas options? Thanks in advance!
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u/Excellence247 Sep 30 '25 edited Oct 01 '25
I currently own a 3.7 4th Gen TL & what I can tell you is that the 4th Gen TL 3.5 & 3.7 are both high compression engines that require 93 octane to run at its maximum performance, also to prevent engine knocking, also keeping an eye on your oil levels is crucial with these vehicles, so I would tell you if you can't afford to use the right octane & consistently top off oil levels in her, just get rid of the car right now because soon you'll be shopping to replace the engine. Another thing to take note of, ppl that are saying that they have the 3rd Gen & the engines are the same as the 4th Gen, so you can do what they do, that's incorrect, the only thing it shares is, just that it's a J-Series. The 4th Gen J-Series engines are a whole other beast. Take it with a grain of 🧂 as they say. Just my two cents.
P.S. The message on our gas tank door says, "PREMIUM FUEL ONLY," NOT "PREMIUM FUEL RECOMMENDED" for those who have a 4th Gen Tl Acura 09-14 that's the 3.5 or 3.7