I drive a '97 5 speed Maxima SE and I have test driven a same model and year Maxima prior to purchasing mine. The one I test drove seemed to be tighter as far as accelaration and smoothness. I have been trying to figure out what the difference is. It's almost like my car has a slight cold(sore throat transmission). I can feel it on my feet(clutch). By the way, those who drive manuals were in Hellsinki do you check for transmission fluid, gear oil??

I use premium gas, synthetic oil, KN air filter, have had the fuel system cleaned, you name it.

I have looked into Octane boosters but Nissan's manuals discourage using after market boosters. Has anyone used this stuff before? did it work?

I basically would like to know (as I'm sure most of you guys would as well) what are the best products (brands) of gas, oil etc.. that will maximize the power of the V6 engine without ruining it.

Thanks,

TBone

 

As long as you are using 90-something-octane fuel, an octane booster will be of no help to a stock engine. Higher octane helps for cars that run lots of boost or high compression, but not a stock Maxima.

 

Would extra octance help you have a y pipe and intake?

 

In a nutshell: No. Octane rating is directly proportional to a fuel's resistance to detonation. Detonation (a bad thing) occurs inside of the combustion chamber due to excessive heat and/or high pressures, both of which can occur when forced induction or high compression ratios are utilized. The simple NA bolt-ons for the Maxima do not come close to approaching the harsh conditions that would require 100+ octane. They don't really increase temperature or pressure significantly inside the engine. 93 Octane is plenty.

 

The stock Maxima engine is not a high-compression engine. Octane booster does not provide benefit to a stock engine.

Detonation, or pinging, usually happens under heavy boost, high compression, or with use of NOS. You would typically use high octane fuels, or fuel octane boosters, under racing conditions. The higher the octane, the less likely one is to experience detonation, or pinging. I've seen gas out at the track at 3 octane ratings: 105, 109, 116. These are all overkill on most street-prepped cars...