87 octane vs 93 octane
10-03-2006, 04:36 PM
#1
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87 octane vs 93 octane
my max has been running on 87 its whole life. and since ive just gotten the car as "mine" and started to do performace mods to it i was wondering if putting in premium is worth the money. how much performance gain will i get out of 93 octane and can i just fill it up with 93 next time or do i have to fully empty out the 87 octane?
thanks
thanks
10-03-2006, 04:41 PM
#2
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Location: Atlanta, GA
Posts: 1,183
Oh no ... you better have the flame suit on because this one is GOING to be bad.
The gas mileage improvement you get with 93 is nearly equivalent to the extra price you pay for the 93. The improved performance is more highway noticable. When you are cruising you will have to downshift with an automatic to pick up more speed versus increasing speed EVEN WITH THE TC LOCKED. Just try to get your tank very low and fill with 93. Then keep filling with 93 and it won't matter. Nearly everyone on the forum fills with 93. If you upgrade your ECU or tune your timing then you HAVE TO RUN 93.
Let the flames begin.
The gas mileage improvement you get with 93 is nearly equivalent to the extra price you pay for the 93. The improved performance is more highway noticable. When you are cruising you will have to downshift with an automatic to pick up more speed versus increasing speed EVEN WITH THE TC LOCKED. Just try to get your tank very low and fill with 93. Then keep filling with 93 and it won't matter. Nearly everyone on the forum fills with 93. If you upgrade your ECU or tune your timing then you HAVE TO RUN 93.
Let the flames begin.
10-03-2006, 04:44 PM
#3
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The higher the octane rating, the more it resists detonation. It is recommended that maximas run on 93 since they have a 10:1 compression ratio. My friend has a 97 maxima and he decided to be cheap and start putting 87 in and he said he noticed a dramatic decrease in performane and gas milage and switched back to 93.
10-03-2006, 06:12 PM
#7
Dear god.....please close this thread right now since scrhale already gave a good answer. Don't even want to think about the stuff that would happen in this thread. The last gas thread got pretty ugly.
10-03-2006, 09:25 PM
#11
Originally Posted by GodFather
Well, gas price is finally coming down. Just get 91+ gasoline...
Seriously, though; "DO NOT USE BELOW 91 OCTANES!" It'll kill your knock sensor soon.
Seriously, though; "DO NOT USE BELOW 91 OCTANES!" It'll kill your knock sensor soon.
10-04-2006, 08:17 AM
#14
1 of few unmodded 4G Maxs
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Commerce Twp., MI
Posts: 2,828
Originally Posted by markd248
my max has been running on 87 its whole life. and since ive just gotten the car as "mine" and started to do performace mods to it i was wondering if putting in premium is worth the money. how much performance gain will i get out of 93 octane and can i just fill it up with 93 next time or do i have to fully empty out the 87 octane?
thanks
thanks
for a ? that's already in the FAQ's 
maxes are supposed to run on 93. enough said
time to
this thread
10-04-2006, 09:09 AM
#17
Some of you just need to take a chill pill and relax. The guy is new to the org and doesnt know many answers to his questions. I dont think yall knew everything when u joined the org, but now that yall been here longer think you are the $hit and can make a newbie feel stupid. I know this is a common sence question but why be a smart *** and not just tell him to donate money to the org and learn to search.
10-04-2006, 09:58 AM
#18
Because when we were newbs we got yelled at and flamed for asking these kind of questions! And as most of us learned, you go search the forum for this stuff before you post. I dont think anyone is trying to be an a$$ just to be an a$$, at least I'm not. I'm just trying to get the point across to go do some searching before you post. Even if not on here, 
will have answers about gas. And its literally all the time that gas threads are posted.
will have answers about gas. And its literally all the time that gas threads are posted.
10-04-2006, 10:32 AM
#19
Originally Posted by Cdg2125
Because when we were newbs we got yelled at and flamed for asking these kind of questions! And as most of us learned, you go search the forum for this stuff before you post. I dont think anyone is trying to be an a$$ just to be an a$$, at least I'm not. I'm just trying to get the point across to go do some searching before you post. Even if not on here, will have answers about gas. And its literally all the time that gas threads are posted.
will have answers about gas. And its literally all the time that gas threads are posted.Yes its true. We all got yelled at and flamed
for asking stupid questions but listen to this. Not everyone has a wise brain to think and go find the answer somewhere else before posting and getting . Anyways i think we should just be a little nicer and say DONATE THE LOOP AND SEARCH
10-04-2006, 12:01 PM
#20
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to add more flame to the fire, this is from page EC-24 of the FSM:
contrary to what many on here believe, the ECU is NOT constantly pushing the boundary between optimum timing advance and detonation. the KS is just a fail-safe mechanism. that's it.
so - while the KS is always "powered up" in DC steady state, it will never be subjected to the strong vibrations it is tuned to hear unless you run <91 octane - and therefore its delicate piezo element will never be activated. it could sit dormant for years just waiting for a thunderous bout of detonation. (but not in the case of the original poster)
I'll let you guys debate what that could or could not mean in terms of any risk 87 octane might pose to a fragile KS. but remember just because something doesn't happen ALL of the time doesn't mean it can't happen some of the time (that's for all you who will say "I run 87 and never had a problem, so obviously 87 can't EVER cause a problem with any VQ30"). also, things fail for a reason. Cause & effect>random mystical coincidental failure.
"The knock sensor retard system is designed only for emergencies. The basic ignition timing is pre-programmed within the anti-knocking zone if recommended fuel is used. The retard system does not operate under normal driving conditions"
so - while the KS is always "powered up" in DC steady state, it will never be subjected to the strong vibrations it is tuned to hear unless you run <91 octane - and therefore its delicate piezo element will never be activated. it could sit dormant for years just waiting for a thunderous bout of detonation. (but not in the case of the original poster)
I'll let you guys debate what that could or could not mean in terms of any risk 87 octane might pose to a fragile KS. but remember just because something doesn't happen ALL of the time doesn't mean it can't happen some of the time (that's for all you who will say "I run 87 and never had a problem, so obviously 87 can't EVER cause a problem with any VQ30"). also, things fail for a reason. Cause & effect>random mystical coincidental failure.
10-04-2006, 12:48 PM
#21
Originally Posted by Stillen Maxima
Yes its true. We all got yelled at and flamed for asking stupid questions but listen to this. Not everyone has a wise brain to think and go find the answer somewhere else before posting and getting . Anyways i think we should just be a little nicer and say
DONATE THE LOOP AND SEARCH
for asking stupid questions but listen to this. Not everyone has a wise brain to think and go find the answer somewhere else before posting and getting . Anyways i think we should just be a little nicer and say DONATE THE LOOP AND SEARCH
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