soundquest

Does anyone know if my 1989 Maxima, VG engine, officially requires premium octane fuel? I have always used regular and have never had any problems with engine knock. I know the VE engines are really sensitive to the octane, I am assuming the VG engines are much more forgiving with respect to octane rating. Also, would the VG receive a worthwhile benefit in terms of fuel economy going with premium octane, and if so, would that benefit be most notable on the freeway or city? Thanks.

Greeny

iTrader: (43)

Premium is not required or needed for the vg engine, imo, it's a waste of money to use it in the vg..

BenStoked

iTrader: (7)

actually, I noticed a bump in mpg after switching to premium. I noticed a larger bump when I switched back to regular, after about six months. maybe it was the detergents in the gas (always got my gas at the same shell stations) that helped clean it out some, tho.

maxinout93

Well In some cases putting in premium gas is better in any engine! I have noticed alot of a difference between regular gas and premium gas. I have a gxe max with the VG30e engine. It is a thirsty beast of an engine at times. I have noticed when I use regular gas, it does not have the get up and go that I look for under hard acceleration, without the spark knock. And the car does not get that good of gas mileage when I use regular gas. In my opinion it burns it to quickly. Now as for premium gas, there is a difference and some people may not notice it. When I use premium, I get a lot better gas mileage in both city and highway driving, and alot quicker acceleration, and no spark knock. It costs more because it lasts longer in most cases.

burhan92SE

its cuz u have carbon built up in ur combustion chamber (due to the age of the engine) which increases ur compression and results in spark knock(detonation) under high load or hard acceleration with REGULAR gas ---> poor performance and poor gas mileage...and then u need higher octane gas to deal wit that high compression to run the engine at optimum condition....VG does NOT need premium from the factory but VE is actually kind of on the border line where if u use regular it wouldn't hurt anything but for maximum performance u will need premium due the high compression from the factory....

hope this clears up everything...

LvR

I doubt it, but lets see what comes back as responses.

Read all of this and understand what is said wrt the 3rd gen engine management

maxitech

iTrader: (7)

I run 89 octane midgrade in my VG, just for good measure...

Niccos89

iTrader: (2)

Fuel eceonomy by gas depends on your foot.
Drive it hard, and a liking for high RPMs and it will chew any octance fuel at the same rate.
Drive nicely, and it might make a little difference. For me, driving as nice as possible (and having the ECU adapted to my "nice" driving habbits) gets some more mileage.

My cap and owners manual clearly state 96 octane or higher (equivalent to your 91-93 range premium) fuel.
Performance wise, it is a little more responsive and sounds healthier.

Greeny

iTrader: (43)

Yes, you will get a small bump in fuel mileage from premium grade fuel out most any engine. But here's the catch, being the price of premium is approx. .20 cents higher per gallon vs. regular, you are for the most part breaking even and in most cases(the vg) loosing $$ by using premium fuel in the vg.

crabapple

iTrader: (1)

My VG knocks using regular so I started putting in premium. It is more expensive but the knock is gone. As much money as I save by still driving this car and not getting a new(er) one I figure it's worth it. I can't stand the knocking!

Greeny

iTrader: (43)

prolly wouldn't do that if you replaced your knock sensor..

crabapple

iTrader: (1)

Expensive little item there. I will keep that in mind though. Maybe when I do (or have done) the timing belt here in a couple months. As always, thanks for the tip!

internetautomar

iTrader: (30)

the GXE knock sensor is under the rear exhaust manifold. nowhere near anything comcerning your timing belt.

Greeny

iTrader: (43)

you basically pay about $3-$4 more per tank fill up with premium vs. regular..you will pay for a new k/s in no time vs. just replacing it and then you can just use regular fuel..

1993-VG30E-GXE

The new VG knock sensor only costs like 10 bucks. I just bought one.

Greeny

iTrader: (43)

mind telling us where you found this gold mine?

burhan92SE

burhan92SE

heres the link for this website

http://www.autopartsway.ca/autoparts2/index.cfm?fetch=part~ID=1990~Nissan~Maxima%20GXE~2 40906

but u know wats the weird thing is? as soon u click on the '' USA customers click here'' (at the top right corner) on the same page the same EXACT sensor and SAME part number becomes $72.45 and u go back to Canadian customers side and it becomes $16.93....i have no idea on the earth why is it listed so expensive for US customers...that link i posted is for Canadian customers but its the same exact dam sensor....weird...i guess buy it from Canadian version of that website as soon as possible before they fix their mistake?

1993-VG30E-GXE

Worse comes to worse if you want to save and it wont let you order, you could just ship it to me and i'll mail it to you. A number of parts I order from this website are cheaper than the same part listed on Partsbin USA.

It's not an error though - it could be because one of the points of entry from Japan is Vancouver - there's a huge warehouse in Vancouver where tons of this Japanese stuff is stored...sometimes overstock maybe.

1993-VG30E-GXE

That's the one though Greeny - it was 16, i made a mistake, not 10.

By the way I just ordered more parts where I found a pretty big discrepency between the US pricing also. There's another big website in Canada, I should try to find you guys the link - I can't remember it.

burhan92SE

they r all about the same price tho... probably gets the shipment with the same ship

heres this Canadian website is even cheaper

http://www.autopartscanada.ca/ShopBy...Sensor&mode=PA

i like this one better atleast they know that 1989-1991 SEs and 1992-1994 SEs are totally different

Greeny

iTrader: (43)

I dunno about you guys, but with a price that much of a price difference, i would be questioning the quality of the $16 unit..

crabapple

iTrader: (1)

Roger. I just meant that's the next time I or someone else would be working on the engine so it would probably be a good time to do it.

maxinout93

I have to agree with you!! I cant stand that knocking either, thas why I rarley use regular gas, and also I advanced my timeing by 5 degrees too. So I only use 89 or better.

maxinout93

Well how much does a new knock sensor cost, and is it hard to replace?? I have a 93 Vg30e engine, Where can I get one from thats not too expensive?

LvR

burhan92SE ............ see why I said I doubted it? .................. people are not willing to read and understand things.

My guess is advancing by 5degrees just about guarantee you knocking under serious low rev load while using even "89 or better" - even with no alcohol in it.

Enjoy the silent killer maxinout93 ...............

burhan92SE

thats wat i thought...but lets see, i need knock sensor for my VG anyways i m ordering one of these and see how it performs and how long it will last...

burhan92SE

i would recommend atleast 92 octane with 5 degrees advanced timing on VE...i have advanced my timing 4 degrees and hell i use 94 to make the engine clam....but again there r so many factors involve using higher octane not jus carbon built up but its one of them...