2000_MAXIMA_KING

iTrader: (30)

This is incorrect. While you can run 87 just fine doesn't mean performance isn't affected. Your car will retard the timing when running lower octane plain and simple. There is no myth when it comes to ignition timing.

Now for instance some newer cars have the ability to both retard ignition timing and advance ignition timing. That way depending on what octane you run you can decrease or increase performance. There is plenty of dynos and tests that have been done to prove this. The engine of a car is not as simple as you think it is.

Now does using different octane affect gas mileage? The answer can be yes or no. Well how come some people report better mileage with higher octane? Well either those people are just imagining it or they are not pushing their car as "hard" since they have an increase in performance. So you can argue that it does or does not affect the mpg whichever way you decide to look at it.

For instance "breathing" mods, if you will, are supposed to increase mpg but most of us who mod our cars drive it "harder" with each mod so we never see an increase and almost always see a decrease.

You can argue all day about how you think octane doesn't do this or that and your probably right on a lot of things since people have a total misconception about the difference, most people don't know what octane is and just think the more you pay the "better" or "cleaner" the gas is, etc.

But you can't argue against facts such as ignition timing, that is not a myth. If you ask anyone that tracks their car they will run higher octanes even up to 100 and advance their timing to get that extra performance. Ignition timing is a big factor when it comes to performance and optimizing it is one of the biggest parts of tuning.

I'm part of a VW forum and the took a 2.5L I5 MKV engine and dyno'd it under the same circumstance just to prove that different octanes does affect performance. Here's the link http://www.europeancarweb.com/tech/p...ven/index.html

Now yes the VW is a different beast but the same concept of the lower octane rating retarding our ignition timing, resulting in the loss of power, applies to us.

TreizeRXH

My two cents worth:

I first purchased my car almost 2 years ago. In the beginning I loaded up with premium bu then, I too, figured I'd throw in the regular to save money. Shortly afterwards my check engine light came on. I didn't realize what was happening at the time, and eventually it shut itself off. I noticed that it wasn't a steady issues; Sometimes it would show, other times it wouldn't. Especially if I accelerated hard.

I began using premium again because I figured maybe that would have something to do with it. Eventually the light turned off again. Next re-fuel: Premium. etc, etc...

I began driving the car hard again, wanting to see if I could get the light to turn back on, but nothing. Then decided to fill it with regular one more time to see if my theory was correct. Upon filling it up with 87, I beat the **** out of it and, low and behold, the CES light came back on.

Maybe you get better gas mileage, maybe you don't, but you certainly get knock sensor codes going off like a mother. I've since made it a point to keep to premium, and have yet to see my Check Engine Light on again. I love my 12 year old SE-L running on premium. It runs excellently and doesn't really cost that much more over regular (figure a 5 dollar difference per re-fuel).

In the end, what's a couple extra dollars for peace of mind?? I'll take it

WesCTR

iTrader: (2)

I never understood why people put lower octane fuel in than what is recommended by Nissan. I definitely understand money being tight, but you only save at most 4 or 5 bucks on a full tank of gas, depending on prices where you live. It doesn't seem worth it to me.

When my money is tight, I change the way I drive. its much more effective.

asand1

iTrader: (1)

Lol last time I checked 9:1 was high compression. NISSAN "recomends" 91 because it will run on regular, but you will get your best mileage and performance with 91. NISSAN also recomends 91 not for your benefit, but because they didn't want people screwing the engine up on regular and coming back for waranty work. If you think a 9:1 motor will not detonate on regular you really are ignorant. What is your mechanical background because 10 to 1 I got you beat.

asand1

iTrader: (1)

Were not talking about race motors here. In stock street applications, any thing over 8:1 is considered high compression. Emmisions V8s are less than 7:1 with dished pistons, and a typical OEM turbo engine or SC will be around 5:1, that is low compression.

ThurzNite

iTrader: (13)

~400 miles/week, daily driver to/from work. Test ran over 1 month, so just over 4 tankfuls of gas per month. Tried 1 month on regular, tried 1 month on premium, another regular and finished with premium. Averaging it all out, there's a significant cost savings using premium. Better mpg offset higher per-gallon price of premium.

Wish I knew the science behind it, I just know I save $. Knocking is another story. It seemed like everytime I put in regular, it was more likely to knock.

Just for the heck of it, someone should set up a test, collect $5 donations towards gas, and do this for a few months to report back.

Dr J

augnon

Who knows. Maybe since the ignition timing is not having to keep being retarded the engine has more power per revolution and requires less fuel to keep the car moving. When I drove from Boston To Houston I was getting 29-31 mpg on avg with prem fuel. This test I conducted was only city driving. Should have been higher than that but I was running the A/C at 75MPH and had a back seat/truck full of stuff atleast 300 pounds worth.

hornepirate

iTrader: (23)

I actually just had to prove this concept that 91 octane on up is better for the maxima than 87 or lower grade gas. (she drives the 2001, and I have my 95 Maxima)

We went on a road trip in June from Fort Myers Florida on up to Ashville North Carolina. On our trip up we ONLY us 87 octane and recorded how many gallons we used and how many miles we went and filled up twice along the way and once as soon as we got to the outskirts of town. We averaged 26.9 MPG

Two weeks later when we went back to FL we stopped at the same gas station and Filled up before we left at the same gas station that we filled up at when we got into town, except we ran 91-93 Octane and we average 30.3 taking the same roads back to fort myers

Nissanx54

I typically used 93 octane in my maxima. i have only used 89 (we have 89,91 and 93 where i live) and i didnt notice a big difference. One thing i did notice in the maxima is when i switched from ethenol enriched gas to non ethenol enriched gas, my car got better gas mileage and ran better.

imports_only1

I only used premium fuel if my car calls for it. Otherwise, it's a waist of money. For awhile, I was using mid-grade for my maxima and everyone (family members only) what drove it noticed the difference in response.....sluggish. I noticed it too but at $4.55/gallon for premium, I didn't care anymore since it's an old car. Now that prices are down a bit, I started using premium again and everyone noticed the sluggishness is gone. I agree with them.

xj0hnx

iTrader: (2)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...petrol_engines

Plenty of turbo, and supercharged street cars run compression ratios MUCH higher than 5:1, many are in the 9.5-10.5:1, there's a few NA's listed there that are running 12:1. Fords, Chevys, Dodge (Dakota 5.9L runs 8.9:1, the lower displacement models are both above 9:1) all typical run 9:1+. 10:1 is not a "high compression" engine. I'll buy that they recommend premium so that the ECU can run advanced timings, that makes sense, but it isn't because it's high compression ratio.

Nuffstylez

Damn, thats cheap. I filled up at Sunoco this morning and 91 octane was 3.89 a gallon, regular was 3.69. Where do you live?

aackshun

iTrader: (3)

Ahh maxima owners....

Lets save the drama, this is Maxima.org, the same place where a guy thrives on selling knockoff mods for ONLY SIX DOLLARS less, of course people are going to argue that their 87 performs just as well as 91/93.

So in the end, keep putting 87 in your car, just remember, I always will get better MPG than you.

xj0hnx

iTrader: (2)

The engine doesn't know what octane gas you put in, it relies on the knock sensor, and other sensors, to detect detonation, and emissions to maintain air/fuel mixtures, and add/take away fuel, retard timing as necessary.

2000_MAXIMA_KING

iTrader: (30)

Ok don't know why you replied with that but like I said the car will retard timing. Its not necessary unless you put lower octane gas plain and simple.

Plus do you not count any of the sensors or electrical equipment that function with the engine as part of it or the car Really don't know where you were going with that.

2000_MAXIMA_KING

iTrader: (30)

QFT.

infinimax96

I always use Shell V-Power and a lucas injector cleaner at fill up. I'm also switching over to Royal purple on my next oil change. Plasibo effect or not I Feel like all these things make an impact on my Maxima.

I get more power from 91 vs 85 and after putting purple in my buddy's 01' Maxima I've noticed a difference in how the engine runs and a slight increase in power. Besides it's only $10 more an oil change for purple and .08 cents more to use premium.

Stop cheeping out on your Maxima guys. I make a crummy $9 an hour and still manage to shave some money aside for the good stuff. Because of it, my Maxima gets me where I need to go even with over 250,000 miles.

QT1 5MT AE

iTrader: (6)

I dont understand people who cheap out on gas for a mere $3 difference. These are usually the same people that put in regular and while its filling up, go inside and come back out with coca cola, cheetos, candy and gum.

cashoit

I ran lucasoil once and my car ran like sh*t that entire fill up. I never ran it again.

I only tried it cuz i was tryin to cheap out and not spend the 8 bucks for the Chevron techron. never again bro, only techron for me!

aackshun

iTrader: (3)

xj0hnx

iTrader: (2)

Because it doesn't retard the timing unless it detects a reason to retard it. If it's not causing knocking, and the A/F/emissions are fine it isn't going to just retard it because it's lower octane.

WesCTR

iTrader: (2)

basically. it's pretty ridiculous.

and to those who are using the age of the car as an argument against spending more for gas, why not just get a newer car? cars should be properly maintained regardless of age.

2000_MAXIMA_KING

iTrader: (30)

Wow Just put 87 in your car I'll put 93 in mine okay?

Shift_A32B

iTrader: (14)

91 octane or Gtfo.

/End Thread.

pflicht

iTrader: (2)

We have 87, 89, and 91 here. I only put in premium everytime. Sometimes I skimp out and only put in 87 and my baby lets me know she is mad for it

dwapenyi

iTrader: (3)

So many variables.

In these many octane arguments, too often what's left out of the equation is the human factor. If you drive like "driving miss daisy"....all slow and careful, you will get great mileage with 87 octane. But you will get even better mileage with 93. The VQ will compensate once you give it top shelf stuff. HAHA!

And because you may drive miss daisy style, you are less likely to notice a power difference. But if you measure your gas mileage per tank, the 93 tank will always be better. Always. Always. That's why premium is recommended.

Secondly, altitude. For those in Denver (a mile above sea level), especially given a normally aspirated car like the VQ, since there is less air up there, a maxima in Denver is less likely to need premium than a maxima on the coast. 93 might in fact be a waist in Denver, but once you get to denser air, put in 93 and drop the hammer baby

DW

pflicht

iTrader: (2)

Oh also are there any good octane boosters or are they gimmicks?

2000_MAXIMA_KING

iTrader: (30)

Whats the best oil?

Whats the best springs?

Whats the best struts?

Should I flush my trans?

Should I go with platinum or iridium plugs?

Whats the best brake pads and rotors?

What coolant should I use?

CAI or SRI?

What should I tune with?

Whats the best sounding exhaust?

Any pics of white max with black rims?

Mac.World

Why stop at 93? Head on down to the local airport and put some 110 in. Or the local track and buy some U4 or U12. Guaranteed to give you 50mpg, right? I mean it is higher octane.

I posted links to what the government and a couple of other expert sites say onthe subject. If you want to believe you get better gas mileage, add premium. Nissan recommends premium for one reason. To cover their ***. That's it.

ThurzNite

iTrader: (13)

My point for posting in this thread is not performance, but economy. You get better MPG, so much better that it offsets the price difference between regular vs premium.

If you take that to the extreme, you could get race gas that gives uber performance, but costs so much that you never "make" that money back (vs regular).

For many owners of older cars, we're just trying to keep our cars running, which's a money pit of maintenance. The 1 place we can "win" on economy is at the gas pump, and using the seemingly counter intuitive premium gas.

Dr J

dwapenyi

iTrader: (3)

Holy cow the reactions on here

It's like talking about politics or religion

It's just gas, yo!

You do you, my friend.

I have a 98 Civic that will never see anything but 87 octane so long as I own it. And my 98 I30 will only use 93.

I recently took a road trip from LA to NY. Measured gas mileage per tank for the whole trip. On average I was getting 23-24 mpg for the tank. At one stop in the mid-west, for some reason 90 was the highest octane available. I filled it up and sure enough I got the worst gas mileage on that tank for the entire trip. 20 mpg. Go figure.


DW

Mac.World

^^^ and I have alternated between 87 and 93, using the same gas station and driving the same route since I bought my 98 SE 2 months ago. This is a mixture of city, freeway and mountain driving here in Cali. I use an app on my phone to record exact fill-up cost, gallons used and miles driven. Regardless of the octane, it has been darn near exactly 21mpg every single time. if it wasn't for the steep uphill climbs on the mountains, I'm sure I'd be well over 25mpg.

But that is just my car and my ever so normal, plain-Jane, OEM engine.

jholley

iTrader: (13)

Sounds like that Lucas broke up carbon in your injectors and then sat on the plugs for awhile.

When I first put fuel injector cleaner in my tank it ran horrible for about 2 fill ups. After that it ran smoother than before using that cleaner.

Do a google search for a crapping running car after using fuel injector cleaner.

vfrpilot28

I see this debate on the motorcycle forums alot. My bike for example, requires 87 yet some many members on the vfr board say I am crazy for using 87 instead of 93. Bottom line is not to try and out-engineer Nissan. Unless you have mods which would reqire a higher octane using more than is recommend is wasting money. There is a plethora of research on the topic.

2000_MAXIMA_KING

iTrader: (30)

Exactly and higher octane is recommended. /story

aackshun

iTrader: (3)

*edit*
Run whatever gas you want to run.



46-50* BTDC (Need more trials w/ race gas, 93 octane isn't enough ) / 30 City MPG / 34 Combined Driving / 36 Highway / 40.1 mpg highest recorded.... All on 93/91 octane

S1cTech

I always run prem cause it is just better and exactly what the TP said, however my main reason I tell people that have no clue what they are taking about when they say "oh gas is gas it doesn't matter'" (I get this a lot from old school mechs) I say I mainly put it in because I have my Knock sensor by passed. lol Ooops. and they shut up from there. I mean less knock=less problems.

2000_MAXIMA_KING

iTrader: (30)

I fell you aackshun it seems like anything I post thats useful is always questioned or ignored as well.

But you don't know what your talking about its all a myth

VisciousMo

iTrader: (4)

knock sensor.

asand1

iTrader: (1)

The mileage gains are not a product of the greater octane, but rather a product of the advanced timing. Your engine doesn't knock (detonate), because you have a functioning knock sensor. Bypass it with a resistor and see how you do on regular pump gas. What you are saying is correct in most cases, however not in the case of the VQ30.