tolian21

I saw in my manual it says that it is OK to use regular gasoline ( 87 ). But they recommend 91+ for better performance.

If you don't care about perfomance, can you use 87 without doing any harm to the car???

Kojiro_FtT

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Octane Rating

Magellan

Congratulations, this thread has won the weekly "Search? What's That?" award for the most often posted topic. Other finalists were:

What's the ages of us Maxima drivers?
Correct tire pressures
How do I remove the shift ****?
Where are my stickers?
Let's have a kill forum
Why was my post deleted?

jjs

And don't forget the nightmare thread from hell, the one that will not die, the dreaded 'What size tires will fit....' one!!!

AAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

tolian21

hey, I am new...what do you expect

Young04

hey, i'll give you a real response. you haven't been on the forum a week, and people are picking on you. quick answer is, yes, you can get away with 87 octane in the VQ35. but it is highly recommended that that you put in premium gasoline. from what i understand, better performing engines are more sensitive to grades of gasoline. you will see better performance as well as quieter, smoother engine operation with premium gas.

tolian21

I think things have changed for 2003 Maxima. People were quoting their 2001 owner's manuals which stated 87 recommendation. My 2003 manual says the following:

"Use unleaded regular gasoline with an octane rating of at least 87 AKI (Anti-Knock index) number (Research octane number 91)"

Does it mean I can use regular 87 gas???



Bellow it says the following:

"For improved performance Nissan recommends 91+AKI'

So I assume if perfomance is not critical, 87 is OK??

JJL

I have a couple of questions please help


What's the ages of us Maxima drivers?
Correct tire pressures
How do I remove the shift ****?
Where are my stickers?
Let's have a kill forum
Why was my post deleted?

pmas76

HEHEHEHEHE!!! That's funny $hit! OOHHH...wait...I posted two of those threads.

Magellan

Let's see, I know all the answers from reading past posts a hundred times:

The average age of Maxima drivers is 34. The youngest is 15 and the oldest is 65.
The recommended tire pressure is what's listed under the center console.
Give the **** a hard twist counterclockwise with a suitable tool until the glue seal breaks.
They will be mailed next week. I've been busy.
Listen kid, kill forums encourage illegal activity which is against our written guidelines.
Your post was deleted because it violated our rules, as well you know, so bug off.

Virus

iTrader: (1)

Use 91+. Your engine was designed to take advantage of the higher octane gasolines.

tolian21

Who says so??
My manual says:
"In most parts of North America, you should use unleaded gasoline with an octane rating of at least 87 or 91 AKI ( Anti-knock Index) number".

AKI is also refered as "gas at the pump" ( what typicly displayed on the gas stations. This statment means that regular gas ( 87 at pump ) is fine!!!
Sure, 91 is better for perfomance... but if you don't care about perfomance, I am sure 87 will not do any harm!!

You all should look in the new owner's manual of 2003 Maxima!

Amazing2

Young04

do what you want. not harming, is not the same as helping. there is no reason to put in synthetic oil in our cars, but most of us do because it will help in the long run. same with gasoline. and don't condescendingly tell us to "all look in the new owner's manual of the 2003 Maxima". been there, done that, LONG before you have.

tolian21

Then its a matter of choice. There are arguments against using higher octane than recommended:

Can higher octane fuels give me more power?
Not if you are already using the proper octane fuel. The engine will be already operating at optimum settings, and a higher octane should have no effect on the management system. Your driveability and fuel economy will remain the same. The higher octane fuel costs more, so you are just throwing money away. If you are already using a fuel with an octane rating slightly below the optimum, then using a higher octane fuel will cause the engine management system to move to the optimum settings, possibly resulting in both increased power and improved fuel economy. You may be able to change octanes between seasons ( reduce octane in winter ) to obtain the most cost-effective fuel without loss of driveability.

Once you have identified the fuel that keeps the engine at optimum settings, there is no advantage in moving to an even higher octane fuel. The manufacturer's recommendation is conservative, so you may be able to carefully reduce the fuel octane. The penalty for getting it badly wrong, and not realising that you have, could be expensive engine damage
-----------------
Synthetic oil is a different story. I am for using synthetic oil, but lets not bring oils into picture.

TimW

iTrader: (6)

tolian21, are you asking us or telling us?

You are coming to a board with years of experience driving with the VQ. We know what bad gas and low octane will do. It will ping if you accelerate hard. Knock sensors are just that, the sense the knock when occurs, which means you are already knocking.

If your grandma is going to drive your car, 87 will be safe. past that, use 91 as recommended.

Just a note, if the dealer asks you what gas you are using, say premium - it will save you alot of hassle (and yes, I know the dealer puts in 87 if you let them)

for instance, this is a service bulletin

http://u1.lvcm.com/adman/MaximaOrg/T...01-059__2_.jpg

tolian21

The car will be driven very light.....
in fact, by 56 year old women who drives
very light... So no concern for perfomance.

Another thing, the dealer said that we can use regular gas.

I know that theoreticly preimum gas is better.. but if there is no need to use it, I don't want this women to spend extra dollars of 91+ gas.

Young04

man...those 255 horses...VQ35, gone to waste....

tolian21

That's what I say, I myself, drive Acura 3.2 CLS 260hp
I put premium in Acura cause manual clearly says 91+ only.

Sorry if I made so many people sensitive to the gasoline issues

NissanisGood

Why are people so concerned about this? Just use premium for crying out loud. The price difference between regular and premium is less than $4.00 per tank. If the $4.00 is going to break you, why did you buy a Maxima in the first place? If it isn't the money and you just don't think you will need the benefits of the extra octane, keep in mind that however you plan to drive this engine was desinged to use 91+ octane.

Use premium and you won't have to worry about knocking, etc.

I am sure someone has said all of that before, but I had to speak up.

cartis

Hey,

I have had my 2k3 for about 2 months now. For the first two refills, I used 87. Since then I have used 93. I have seen a big difference. Better fuel economy, better acceleration and the engine is A LOT quieter. Its not all about performance in the sense of going faster, its about your car performing the best that it can. I would highly recommend using premium fuel.

But ask was said before, to each his own.

TimW

iTrader: (6)

What the dealer *says* and what the dealer *does* at warranty time are two different things. I've been through this, I had to show them receipts for prem gas to get them to do anything about my rough idle.

so you cant stand that the manual recommends 91, but dont mind feeding your Acura premium (which doesnt really need it)? Odd... You do have a 10:1+ compression engine, that alone should be enough reason for you.. but whatever... You'll probably spend more with bad mpg with low grade than just using prem.

MONTE 01&97 SE

iTrader: (1)

I agree with you totally, also in my 02 my wife put 87 in their and let me tell you it runs bad. I can hear it knocking and that throttle delay is even worse with the 87 octane, with any Max from 95 on up I would recommend Supreme and especially since most of us are spirited drivers.

tolian21

Acura CLS manual says to use ONLY 91 AKI or higher.
However, Maxima says you can use 87 AKI.

That's the only reason I am using Super gas in my Acura.

I guess I agree that its better to use the best gas... certainly better for the car.

Young04

that was our original point, way back when this thread was started.

jjs

Can this thread beat this topic any more into the ground??

T-bone

iTrader: (1)

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU (clapping sound)

When you fill up, you're putting about 18 gallons in the tank. Multiply that by the difference between 91 and 87 (usually less than 20 cents). A couple of bucks more than 87 for optimum performance and no worries, mate.

Y2KMaxGXE-R

iTrader: (4)

TOLIK

dont be cheap, use only premium gas "to get the full benefit of your engine" otherwise you should've bought HONDA ACCORD !

tolian21

Allright there