Frequently Asked Questions On RON95 Petrol - by Honda Malaysia

Honda Malaysia has released this list of frequently asked questions by owners of both Honda’s and other marques. The introduction of RON 95 is just a couple days away so this list should help you understand your car and the new fuel better. Except for the Civic Type R, all other models are compatible with RON 95.

1. What exactly is RON?

RON stands for Research Octane Number, which measures the quality of fuel. It represents the fuel’s ability to resist premature & uncontrolled combustion that occurs when fuel pre-ignites before the ignition spark plug.

2. What is engine knocking?

Engine knocking is caused by self-ignition of the fuel or air mixture, which is a result of using RON levels that is lower than the minimum requirement.

3. What is the minimum RON requirement of my Honda Car?

For all Honda cars produced in year 2001 onwards, the minimum RON requirement is 91. Honda cars are equipped with ‘Knock Sensors’ that detect the octane quality of the fuel used, enabling it to automatically adjust spark timing to prevent engine knocking.

We advice drivers that bought their cars from non-authorised dealers to check their owner’s manual for minimum RON requirement.

4. Type-R RON Issue

It is recommended to use RON97 for Civic Type R because of its high performance engine, as it was tested in Japan with RON100 for optimum engine performance. Please note that this engine version with knock control can also run on fuel with a minimum octane number of 91; but performance and fuel consumption are affected as a result.

5. What is a Knock Sensor? Are all Honda cars equipped with Knock Sensors?

A knock sensor is a detector, which identifies engine knocking during spark ignition. When engine knocking occurs, the knock sensor signals the engine operation to slow down the ignition timing that will eliminate the knock, which may result in some power loss.

All Honda cars are equipped with Knock Sensor.

6. What fuel should I use & what RON works best for my car?

As long as the fuel used is not below the minimum RON requirement (RON91), it will be appropriate for all Honda Cars.

7. What is the effect to the engine if petrol of a different RON is mixed together?

As long as the fuel meets or exceeds the minimum RON required by the engine, mixing is fine & should not damage your engine. (except Civic Type R, recommended RON97). However, do note that different fuel brands come with different levels & types of additives, so mixing different fuels may not provide the optimum performance & efficiency for your vehicle.

8. Do I have to always pick the highest octane rating petrol for my vehicle?

Anything above the minimum RON requirement, which is RON91 for all Honda cars will be appropriate. (except Civic Type R, recommended RON97).

9. Will there be a reduction of fuel efficiency & performance with the use of RON95 from RON97?

The efficiency & performance will not be affected if the car uses above its minimum requirement RON which is RON91 for all Honda Cars. (except Civic Type R, recommended RON97). Loss of power & fuel efficiency will only occur when the minimum RON requirement is not met as the knock sensor signals the engine operations to retard its spark timing to eliminate engine knock.

Honda Civic Type R : Overview

2007 Civic Type R Road Test

Since the NSX Type R was built in 1992 for sports car racing, only a few cars have carried the Type R designation.






In Japan, a sedan appeals to younger men with families, a demographic that can afford a performance car.






Thanks to a rigid chassis, an aggressive suspension tune and 18-inch Bridgestone Potenza RE070s, the Type R carries huge speed through corners.






Japanese-spec K20A 2.0-liter churns out 222 hp at 8,000 rpm, and six-speed manual transmission makes the most of it.






A Honda inline-4 engine with i-VTEC makes a distinct roar as the hot cam profile engages at 5,800 rpm.






Cornering grip comes from 225/40R18 tires, and four-piston Brembo calipers with 12.6-inch rotors keep your options open.






It's not quite as overpowering as the arcade-style presentation of the Euro-spec Type R, yet the sedan's d ash puts you in the mood.

Type R features unique front seats with reinforced frames and supportive bolsters.

An assortment of trim pieces enhances aerodynamic slipperiness, yet this car looks way, way Japanese.

Above 85 mph, the rear wing and underbody diffuser improve rear grip by generating more than 110 pounds downforce.

Nail the throttle through Suzuka's Esses and the rear end comes around superbly to follow t he cornering line set by the fronts.

Get the weight forward, turn in quickly and the tail will slide, but correction is progressive and low stress.

2007 Civic Type R Bodykit

The New Honda Civic Type R

Honda Motor Co., Ltd. announced the release of the all-new Civic Type R, a pure sports edition of the Civic with further enhanced driving performance.
This new Civic Type R was developed to make the driver feel at one with the car for the ultimate driving experience in all driving conditions, including on circuits.

The all-new Civic Type R comes equipped with a specially tuned 2.0-liter normally aspirated engine matched to a 6-speed manual transmission.

The naturally-aspirated K20A 2.0-liter i-VTEC powerplant provides a higher compression ratio and improved breathing efficiency for a maximum output of 165kW (225PS) at 8,000 rpm and a maximum torque of 215Nm (21.9kgm) at 6,100 rpm.

In addition, the Civic Tyre R features a Drive-By-Wire (DBW) that provides finer tuning of throttle response and power output.

The Civic Tyre R's gearbox features a close-ratio 6-speed manual transmission with a short stroke shift to match the Type R engine, giving it an optimized gear ratios for superior accelerations at high speeds and exhilarating performance.

Newly developed aerodynamic devices further enhance high-speed performance while giving the wide and low form a more aggressive look.

Drive The 2007 Honda Civic Type R

At Suzuka Circuit with the ultimate Civic Type R

The brilliant white paint and strong red accents of the 2007 Honda Civic Type R are far more than just an eye-catching graphic. These are the national racing colors of Japan taken from the Hinomaru, the "sun disc" of the national flag, and they signify the intense pride Honda takes in its motorsport history.

If Honda can be said to have a car that currently expresses its racing heritage, the 2007 Honda Civic Type R is it.

Although a Civic Type R coupe has been recently introduced in Britain, this 222-horsepower Type R is entirely different, conceived and built by the Honda engineers who do their ride-and-handling work at Suzuka Circuit, the former site of the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Japan.

The Honda Way of Motorsport
The first Civic Type R appeared in 1995, and succeeding iterations arrived in 1997 and 2001. In Japan, a Type R badge is the cultural equivalent of a Shelby logo on a Mustang, a visual cue that you drive a specially tuned car that's keenly desirable.

Honda's subsidiary in Britain recently developed a Civic Type R for the European market, largely to counter the Civic's stodgy reputation there. The 198-hp coupe with its GranTurismo-style video-game styling has attracted a lot of attention. In comparison, the Japanese-built Civic Type R is based on a family-friendly sedan, and the car looks a little clumsy, as if its speed parts had been applied as an afterthought.

Yet the Japan-spec Type R is simply in a different league than its European counterpart. It weighs exactly 2,800 pounds just like the Brit-spec R, yet just about every major piece of hardware has been tweaked, including the engine, the body structure, the suspension and the brakes.

This is the quickest front-wheel-drive Type R ever built.

Suzuka Circuit, the Type R's Spiritual Home
To ensure that we fully understood the Type R's elevated position in a domestic lineup riddled with ho-hum family-oriented minivans, Honda invited us to drive the car at Suzuka Circuit. This Honda-owned facility is near many of the company's largest assembly plants and has hosted the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Japan until this year.

Suzuka is Honda's spiritual home, 3.6 miles of asphalt where the engineers come to gauge the goodness of their most ambitious cars and motorcycles. For Honda, this is hallowed ground, where back in 1990 company founder Sochiro Hondo himself invited Formula 1 champion Ayrton Senna to drive the NSX, the first midengine supercar from Japan.

Suzuka's magical figure-8 layout features long straightaways, high-speed bends, tricky double-apex corners and a notorious series of high-speed esses. Once Honda disconnects the Civic Type R's government-mandated governor, which limits the top speed of every car in this country to 115 mph, we're free to push the car to its limit.

Inheriting 222 Horses
Soon enough we're screaming along the long, slightly uphill back straightaway toward the famous flat-out bend known as 130R and we're too nervous to look down to see exactly how fast we're going.

While the Euro-spec Civic Type R employs basically the same DOHC 2.0-liter inline-4 as the 197-hp power plant of the U.S.-spec Civic Si, this Japan-spec engine is different. It starts as the 2.0-liter four-cylinder of the Accord Euro R that's sold in the Japanese market. With a larger throttle body, an intake manifold that features 5mm larger ports that have been polished just like an NSX manifold, and a taller compression ratio of 11.7:1, the K20A spins out 222 hp at 8,000 rpm, some 111 hp per liter.

This engine effortlessly revs to its 8,400-rpm redline, roaring in that high-pitched way that announces Honda's step-type i-VTEC variable valve timing. Up against the turbocharged 2.5-liter engine of the Ford Focus ST with its 236 lb-ft of torque, the Type R's 159 lb-ft of torque at 6,100 rpm seems a little inadequate. But as long as you're willing to stand on the gas and keep the engine hovering around 5,800 rpm where i-VTEC can do you some good, you'll have plenty of pulling power on tap.

In addition, the closely spaced ratios of the six-speed transmission help make sure you're always in the right gear. Third gear is effectively 4 percent shorter, and a 4th and 5th gear stack up shorter as well. The helical-type limited-slip differential (absent from the European Type R) effectively sends more torque to the outside front wheel in a corner, so the car carves the asphalt as it leaves an apex behind.

Mitsuru Kariya, chief engineer for the Civic Type, says, "Drivers will feel the difference working through the gears. They're accurate, pinpoint and the car tells you exactly what's happening. This car shines on a track."

We agree with him. Very few cars give you such a thrill for so little money as the Type R. When this car's unique tachometer starts to light up as you pass through various "REV" stages from 5,800 rpm to 8,000 rpm, you know you're in something quite special.

Handling the Power
Improved chassis rigidity also sets apart the Japanese-spec Type R from its British counterpart. The sedan features 50 percent greater rigidity than the coupe thanks to reinforced front and rear bulkheads, thicker crossmembers and a stouter front subframe.

The sedan's double-wishbone rear suspension also complements the front MacPherson struts. The Type R has stiffer springs (especially in the rear), yet the dampers seem to be a match for them, and there's stiffer bushings for the front antiroll bar.

As you'd expect, the Type R turns in exquisitely at the limit and there are bundles of grip through the 225/40R18 Potenza RE070s. The tires send loads of information to you through the steering wheel and the car is superbly balanced, with almost no understeer. The combination of a rigid chassis, aggressive suspension, responsive steering and sticky Potenzas enable the Type R to carry huge speed through the corners.

As you approach Suzuka's first big corner at the end of the pit straight, you wash off the excess speed instantly as the four-piston Brembo calipers clamp down on big 12.6-inch rotors. Even after six testing laps of Suzuka, these outstanding brakes won't fade. Stick your foot into this sedan through Suzuka's famous Esses and the rear end comes around just enough to follow the line set by the front tires. Get the weight forward and turn in quickly and the tail will slide, but correction is progressive and the whole process is low on stress.

Looking the Part
When you're behind the wheel of this Type R, it doesn't look quite like the game console you find in the Euro-spec car, but it's still enough to overload the senses. The three-tone interior treatment of red, black and silver really sets the mood. Of course there's a big red start-stop button, which is appearing in every performance car these days.

Since this is a sedan and not a coupe, there's enough headroom for a 6-foot-2 driver, even while wearing a helmet. A unique driver seat with a reinforced frame helps to hold you firmly in place even as you carve through 130R corner.

The exterior looks mundane from a distance, yet the bodywork features some worthwhile changes, including different front and rear bumper covers and a rear aero diffuser.

Too Cheap
At a price of about $25,000 in Japan, the Civic Type R seems pretty affordable thanks to the weak currency-exchange value of the Yen, especially compared to the $34,000 price of the Brit-made Type R. Honda has limited production of the Type R to 400 per month, and predictably it's selling every one.

Just when you think the world of high performance might be passing Honda by, the 2007 Civic Type R shows us that this company has a real motorsport tradition and knows what to do with it. Now, if they'd just find a place for this car in the States.