locknuts27

iTrader: (2)

Check your owners manual once you get it! I would recommend what the manual says for you to use....

steevo

Here is the text from the 2011 owners manual :

FUEL RECOMMENDATION
NISSAN recommends the use of premium un-
leaded gasoline with an octane rating of at least
91 AKI (Anti-Knock Index) number (Research
octane number 96). If unleaded premium gaso-
line is not available, you may use unleaded regular
gasoline with an octane rating of at least 87 AKI
number (Research octane number 91), but you
may notice a decrease in performance.

Need4MaxiSpeed

Why do people complain about gas prices when you bought a car in the plus $30K range? Try downgrading to a Prius if you are worried about gas prices. I just don't get why people worry about an extra 20 to 30 cents a gallon.

It is like my neighbor complaining about high gas prices after he just bought his Audi A6. It boggles te mind.

TBA

Maybe the folks saying to suck up the higher gas prices are independently wealthy; personally I work for a living. It seems the cost of just about everything is going up so its not just gas - the effect is cumulative and we're not exactly going to take about the prices of bananas on an automotive board.

With the recent rise in gas prices I've definately felt a pinch, going from about $45 to $65 a fill up. The difference between $2.75 and $3.65 per gallon for me is over $1050 a year. That's real money to me.

And so far, I've been putting in 93, or 91 when I can find it.

Rochester

iTrader: (3)

The thing about gas prices that gets under my skin isn't the actual price. Personally, I feel the US should tax the bejeezus out of gasoline, force a sea-change in technology and behavior, while generating some needed revenue.

But no, the money we spend on gas does not come back to us in other ways. Instead, a few hundred people on the planet... people who are already richer than God, are going to get even more rich.

phatboislim

iTrader: (27)

couldnt have said it better myself. if you have to think about getting regular in a car that 'suggests' using premium, get rid of the car and dont screw it up and find something thats better on gas that uses regular. im trying to figure out right now if i need to get another car thats cheaper/easier on gas or keep my max based on if i need to get a tank of gas before my work week is up. if i dont ill not worry about getting something else. you need to do the same

JE_PA

My question has nothing to do with the gas price....When the sales manger at the dealership is telling me that I don't need to use premium in my new Maxima thats a problem.

smarty666

The sales manager at the dealership your dealing with is a complete moron. What else is new. Some of them know little to nothing about the vehicles they are selling. I would put more stock in us Maxima users, then anyone at the dealership. Nothing has changed with the 2011 Maxima vs the 2010 or 2009 so it needs premium gas, or as others have pointed out, at least mid grade octane.

Maybe, just maybe, the 2012 later this year, since its a redesign, Nissan would be smart to tweak it so that regular could be use but other than that you need to use mid grade or higher on this vehicle until Nissan changes it.

SMG

Sales managers at dealerships have told me a lot of things over the years, but they're hardly the people I'd take any advice from.

Max_Sleeper

I worked for Nissan....your maxima will run fine on regular gas but you will lose a SMALL amount of performance... my suggestion is get the Premium if u can... 20 gallons of gas at an extra 35 cents a gallon is only 7$ a fill from bone empty.. If you are that strapped for 7$ DONT GET A NEW MAXIMA !!

steevo

Thats not true. The quote from the manual is above. The car is designed to get maximum performance with high grade. The manual does not warn of any engine damage, it just states you will have less than optimal performance.
I use Premium....
But if you want to use regular in YOUR car, go right ahead. Its your car you can do what you want and it will not affect the warranty, just like your dealer said.

JE_PA

I totally agree just gets me that he is using it as a sale point over a competing brand. And was wrong on both !

OculusX

I personally use 89 most of the time and don't notice any difference, sometimes bumping up to 93 for a long trip.
I don't think using 87 octane will actually damage your engine with modern knock sensors and ECUs. It will however likely affect your maximum performance as the manual states. Is it noticeable depends on the driver. Most people on this forum are Maxima-lovers and would not think of using anything but the best in their cars.

Has anyone actually ever seen a modern engine damaged from using 87 octane when premium was recommended? Probably not.

BlackMax11

oh crap iv been puttin diesel in my maxima for the past 4 months =/ uhh ohh

maxxxxspeed

I split the difference and go 89 just because 87 and 89 are the same price and premium is .30 more...

Rochester

iTrader: (3)

I like coming into the 7th gen forum every now and then, because the average age is older, with people who tend to make more mature decisions than the ricers in the lower forums.

But there's also a noticeable lack of automotive sense here that comes from a crowd that rarely opens their hood. Not that it's a character flaw... because the cars are new, and they just work (mostly).

Look, the engine is designed for 91 octane. Use it. Get over it.

Car Addict

Best post of the year award goes to Rochester

smarty666

It certainly is true, I've had regular put accidentally into my 7G twice by the stupid gas station attendants here in NJ and the car did not respond well to the gas at all, severe knocking, hesitation, it struggled and jerked abruptly during acceleration, etc and I had to baby it until I could get premium back in her. By the end of the tank, the engine started making some clunking noises. I was really ****ting my pants that the car was going to cuputs on me. Luckily it didn't. As soon as premium was put back in that all stopped. If that isn't better evidence I don't know what is.

Bottom line, DON'T put 87 octane in the 7G.

smarty666

Thats funny, b/c all the people at the dealership I got my Maxima, who all seem to work for Nissan just like you, all told me that the Maxima needs mid grade or premium gas and that it was designed for it. So either your a liar or they or a liar, and since they have no interest in what I put in the car once I leave the lot I'm inclined to believe them. They even told me that is what Nissan corporate told them to tell Maxima buyers. Plus, Nissan themselves even admitted that the car was designed for 91 octane gas or higher like Rochester pointed out.

Check out my post to someone else on here, its a complete lie that your Maxima will run fine on regular b/c I had it accidentally put in twice and the car DID NOT run fine on regular 87 octane.

smarty666

One correction I should make to my post earlier today is that I said the 2012 would be a redesign. I meant to say the 2012 would be a refreshing and Nissan might tweak the engine so that regular could be used, similar to what Lexus just did with the IS and ES. But I suspect they won't do that till the 8G Maxima even if they do.

Dubl-A

Synthetic AND premium here. Its pennies in the bucket compared to the protection you normally get

steevo

All that is evidence of is bad gas, or something even worse wrong with your car. Thats some scary stuff. I wouldn't buy gas there again. Scary but octane was not the culprit. Luckily in NY we can pump our own gas!
Personally, I recomend using 91 or higher. But , as I quoted from the Nissan Maxima 2011 Manual above, Nissan does not require it. Performance will suffer but engine will not be damaged. Your engine shouldn't react the way yours did simply from 87 octane gas.

smarty666

Thats a bunch of bull **** and you know it. That was at a Shell station which is a top tier gas the last time I check and your logic makes no sense considering I get my premium at the same station over and over again and never had an issue. Plus, it happen on two separate occasions when regular was put in accidentally which goes to further disprove your theory. It WAS THE GRADE OF GAS they put in. So octane was the culprit.

Here is a suggestion, try putting 87 octane in your Maxima if you think its so great and won't do anything to the car and see how your car reacts to a full tank of regular! If you don't then your just a hypocrite.

Get over it, my engine did react from putting 87 octane in which goes to show the engine wasn't designed for it.

steevo

They keep accidentally putting in the wrong gas, and you keep going back for more! Still sounds like water in the gas. They aren't careful enough to give you the right gas, but you trust them to fill their own tanks properly?
As to theory, the only "theory" is yours(87 caused the stuttering). And you may be right. But my advice for you is that you SHOULD go to a Nissan shop and have them check everything out and tell them what happened. Document it in case of future issues. Or be pissed at me for posting the Nissan manual, whatever works. Mine is not a theory, I am simply telling the op what Nissan themselves say in the manual.

I took delivery of my car with 6.5 miles on the odometer and a full tank of gas. I asked him if they filled it with premium. They told me that its ok to use 87 but you will have a slight performance hit. BS answer. So I took that to mean they probably filled it with 87 !!. The car drove fine, but as soon as I got down to half a tank I topped it off with 93....
No hypocrisy here. I recommend premium in this car and that's what I use. All I did was post the EXACT text from NISSAN, so he could get it from the horses mouth. The Original Poster was looking for reasons NOT to use 87. I think he got plenty of info from this thread.
I am sure there are plenty of drivers using 87 out there. Do you really think they are all sputtering and stalling down the road?? Maybe they are! But I kinda doubt it.
OP -- what octane gas are you using now and how does the car run?

GM_Traitor3.5VQ

And this is why i pop into the 6th Gen forum on occasion to get some technical knowledge of the VQ35DE. Props to you for the post

Ghozt

Probably to make the sale....

Ghozt

Sounds like you should have bought the nissan leaf. If people are that cheap to save 5 bucks on each fill up risking damage to their car then they shouldn't have bought a maxima. Its really weird hearing people complain about 5 bucks per tank on a 30k+ luxury sedan.....I don't fully understand this

BBmaxi

iTrader: (1)

first off, those that are saying "if u can't spring the extra 7 bucks then you shouldn't be driving a maxima". let's face the facts....if you or me did have real bucks then we wouldn't be financing a trivial amount of 30k...it would have been paid in cash so if your financing then you probably should be watching the extra 7 bucks u spend on a full tank of gas.

secondly, 87, 89, 92 octane give the same benefits accross the board to all types of engines. U can use 92 on a toyota corolla and you'll notice a slight difference. Is it reccomended on the corolla ? no it is not, but u still get the slight benefit in power. does it harm the corolla engine ? no

the extra octane is the equivalent to u going to pep boys and buying a octane booster for 4 dollars. it's the same exact thing.

steevo

Then again the dealer could be saying it because of this:
(Note the use of the word "May" rather than Shall or Must. The lawyers are all over this book.
It would be smart to do what Nissan recommends. But it is dishonest to tell people their car will explode, damge to engine, and the warranty will be void if they fill up with 87 octane gas.)

The use of the word MAY is intentional.

Here is the EXACT text from the 2011 owners manual :

FUEL RECOMMENDATION
NISSAN recommends the use of premium un-
leaded gasoline with an octane rating of at least
91 AKI (Anti-Knock Index) number (Research
octane number 96). If unleaded premium gaso-
line is not available, you may use unleaded regular
gasoline with an octane rating of at least 87 AKI
number (Research octane number 91), but you
may notice a decrease in performance.

--

Ghozt

Yeah I buy premium gas. I have car insurance too. Call me paranoid because I could physically drive every day without either. I paid a lot of money for this car why ruin either the engine or driving experience for a few bucks. Enjoy your regular gas ill enjoy my car for years to come.

BBmaxi

iTrader: (1)

nissan, and all other manufacturers will say "premium" recommended because it makes the car perform better and in turn makes u think "wow this car is great"!

and when gas prices go up car manufacturers will say "ya regular gas is ok".

it does not cause any damage, short term or long term.

BBmaxi

iTrader: (1)

no such thing as an engine that was "designed" for higher octane.

if your case were true, then throwing in 92 octane in a toyota corolla should make it run worse right ? because it wasn't designed for it.

yet, it makes it run better...so the whole theory of "engine designed for it" are all gimmicks.

Rochester

iTrader: (3)

So many good examples here of who never to buy a used car from.

BBmaxi

iTrader: (1)

first off, u are paying about 7 bucks extra a tank on 92 octane.

u can get octane booster at the store for 4 bucks. At least then you know u are really getting the added octane. A gas station can easily skimp out on the additives to save money. It's done all the time. So even when u think u are getting the extra octane, in reality you are not.

I personally, would rather throw in a bottle of octane booster once a month.

GM_Traitor3.5VQ

Wouldn't want mine... all my radio stations are heavy metal and rock hahahaha

BUT... I'm meticulous about everything in and on my car!

Rochester

iTrader: (3)

Just in the same way that Reality = Perception, Peace of Mind > Reality.

I think you should continue doing exactly what you're doing with your Regular gas and your bottles of Octane Boost.

Good for you. "Smoke up, Johnny!"

BBmaxi

iTrader: (1)

uh, u do know that a regular octane booster from the store yields the same difference as u get with a tank of 92 octane.

your money, spend it as u please.

Rochester

iTrader: (3)

While I don't share your reasoning, I admire your conviction. And I only hope that when the day comes to part with the Maxima, you proudly and confidently tell the new owner that for years you only ran regular gas and a bottle of octane boost through the tank.

Potential buyers will be so impressed with your clever, steadfast resolve in the face of what is surely an industry-wide conspiracy... well, get ready for a bidding war.

maxxxxspeed

First off... you dont know me. I have built NUMEROUS motors for NUMEROUS vehicles, most recently a motor for a 900hp turbo lightning and will put you under the table with any information about a motor... That motor required 93 octane with atleast 20% being 103 or above... THAT was a RACING MOTOR, that NEEDED higher octane because it was pushing 12lbs at 130*IAT into a 9.8:1 head.... THAT MOTOR HAD TO BE FUELED WITH HIGH OCTANE FUEL... it wasnt recommended.

Now if you really want to get into WHAT FUEL to use....

well since all fuel is virtually same at the pump 87-93(94) besides the octane rating (AKI) which basically equates into the higher the octane rating the higher the activation energy. The activation energy in the fuel is what decides when the chemical reaction of combustion occurs. Higher octane means more energy (compression) is needed for the chemical reaction of combustion to occur. Lower octane (therefore lower activation energy) uses less energy to activate the chemical reaction of combustion.

NOW having said that... THE ONLY POSITIVE PREMIUM FUEL OFFERS OVER REGULAR FUEL is MORE POWER, and by MORE power I mean 2-5hp MORE POWER. Newer cars with knock sensors and 3-4 on board computers (ECUs) compensate by adding more fuel, reducing timing, ect... to compensate for premature ignition (IF IT EVEN OCCURS)...

NOW to get really **** because you seem to know what you are talking about... the US actually rates its fuel higher than the rest of the world meaning in Europe 87 there is actually 91-93 here and so on... So if you want to say it, EVERYONE is wrong.

SO having a 290hp 6 banger running on 93 octane fuel is insane considering the price savings over the year... this is in NO WAY a sports car, its a full size sedan, nor is this in ANYWAY a race motor, and in saying that I can rest assured when I fill up with 89 octane the motor will last just as long and perform damn near the same as runnning 93, it has all of the same chemical make up (same additives and elements), besides the octane being higher, there is no difference, nor will it damage your engine in anyway...In saying that if you hear severe knocking I would suggest filling up with higher octane fuel because you have BAD FUEL which could be associated water in the fuel, old fuel, ect... but as of 2400miles I have heard ZERO knocking.

I am probably going to get bashed by all of "the KNOW IT ALLS" who read the manual and say wellllll it says I should use premium, i guess I will.... having no other information or reasoning on why you should actually use premium, having no idea on how fuel combusts or how the sophisticated software and onboard computers sense and affect the actual process of the motor.

AND just as a side note... if you fill up at a pump that has only ONE hose, about 4-5gallons of your fuel your are getting when you push the 91-93 button is whatever the person previously got (most likely 87) therefore lowering your octane rating below the RECOMMENDED octane rating.

maxxxxspeed

BUT IN ALL TRUTH... ITS A PISSING MATCH BETWEEN WHO THINKS THEY ARE RIGHT. REALLY I DO NOT CARE WHAT ANYBODY ON HERE THINK ABOUT ANYTHING I SPEND MY MONEY ON.