[Stormie]

Hello -

I recently bought a 2017 Honda Civic Touring Sedan. When purchasing the vehicle, the dealer told me it took 87 octane gasoline. However, the owners manual says all vehicles with a 'Sport' mode take 91 octane. What confuses me is every Civic for my generation from the EX-T trim level and up uses the 1.5 liter I4 engine with a turbo - would all of them require 91 octane? Or is it just the Civic Si and the Civic Type R? Please help clarify this for me because I want to take proper care of my vehicle, but I also don't want to waste money on octane I don't need.

Thank you in advance!

 

[DavidPeab]

It is Okay to use 87 octane. It will not damage the car. 91+ is "recommended" for best performance. You will get lower mileage and less horsepower using 87. Maybe split the difference and use 89 if it is available in your area.

This should get the debate rolling. Let's not forget the age old discussion about what constitutes 91 octane. The car was built in England. Perhaps their 91 is "higher" or "lower" than ours. What if a user is viewing this in Canada or Australia? Experts and malcontents please chime in.

 

[4Tires]

89 octane seems like a good medium and you can always try running that before filling up with 91 to see how you feel.

 

[SiGuy2017]

Like mentioned in these posts. putting 87 will be completely fine but will get lower mileage and fuel economy. 89 Is a good medium providing 91 isn't too expensive to buy in your region. I only recently bought my Si a few days and plan to continue using 91 octane. For the price difference between 87 and 91 are a matter of a few dollars in the end. If you plan on modifying your car then 91 would be the better choice to start off with but regular driving around town , picking up groceries etc are fine with 87.

 

[Motoguy128]

Most every car in the last 10-15 years, even those designed for 91 run ok on 87, but will may lose power and throttle response. Some run best on 93 which you often can't get many places.

I found that on my bmw mileage was unchanged but it lost a lot of power. On the 1.5t non-sport and non-si I doubt it will make any difference except wasting money. Some tests show no change in power.

 

[Deathklok]

I use 93 E-10 octane in both my Civic X.

 

[hfpdohc]

91 here for the win! base turbo model!

 

[HellraisingVtec]

On the users manual it says you can use 87 on normal cars and 91 minimum recommended for cars with sport mode