zmax26

and my car ran pretty much like crap. Loss of power, and I heard the engine start to knock, so I immediately filled up with super. Thought I'd give it a try with rising gas prices but it looks like I'll be staying with super from now on.

Anyone else have experiences like this?

irish44j

iTrader: (38)

my last tank was 1/2 super, 1/2 mid-grade, trying a little experiment. Power way down, knocking at low rpms and heavy load...then again, my timing is advanced to 17* as well.....

back with super again, as it inches toward $2.85

Puppetmaster

iTrader: (48)

Last 2 tanks were with 89, and I ran it till the DTE said "------" ... car runs smooth like it did with 93....

Btw, my timing is not advanced....

zmax26

I've used 89 before, this time I used 87 and it was from a **** gas station, so maybe that had something to do with it also.

99 SE-L

if you think about it you are not even saving $5.00 for a fill up, but i did fill up with 87 at Shell and the car did run very sluggish not torquey like most days Although,No knocking never again only run 93 V-Power

zmax26

True. Just figured I'd give it a shot. But super only from now on. I guess it won't hurt me since I run synthetic and still change it every 4k.

jrod1014

iTrader: (2)

its just amazing to know that only 2 months ago, gas was $0.60 cheaper at my favorite bp... the spike will ultimately die down and hopefully level off... some gas stations in my area have already lowered prices... but it still costs roughly $47 to fill up my z...

n3985

iTrader: (36)

I've never experienced "knocking" in any of the cars I've driven, or did not know it was happening. Can someone describe the symptoms? Google yielded that the engine will sound like somone is knocking on a door kind of sound. And paying $45 for a fillup is teh sux.

Mass_Media

I ran a couple times at 87 going up a canyon at WOT and I didn't get the knock....

irish44j

iTrader: (38)

it's more like a "gurgling" sound than an actual "knock".....



here's a little context about gas prices, though:

-Adjusted for inflation, gas is still "slightly" cheaper now than during the big gas price spikes in the early 80s...

-When I lived in Italy in 1994, gas was the equivalent of $2 per LITER (that's about $6 a gallon) - it's more like $8 a gallon there now - similar prices in the rest of Europe, for that matter.

-America is paying now for it's love of gas-guzzling vehicles. Even my maxima and it's 22-23mpg would be considered a big-time gas-guzzler in Europe, where the majority of cars get well over 30-35mpg.

-Frankly, I hate paying the price for gas now, but I LOVE seeing all those a-holes in their HUGE SUV's paying $100+ to fill their tanks. I freaking hate giant SUVs all over the road in this area....I feel like the maxima is like a Geo Metro compared to most vehicles around here...taking up 1 1/2 parking spaces in my garage, blocking my view on the highway, and just generally driving like they own the road. I literally laughed in a co-worker's face when he was complaining about gas prices for his 11-mpg Chevy Avalanche

Puppetmaster

iTrader: (48)

I think its like that in most parts of the world outside the US... we've just been lucky until now... and like ya said, its not even half as bad as what other countries have to pay.

You think its bad here, go to the Detroit Metro area sometime....

2kVQboodah

iTrader: (8)

i cant believe we having this conversation!!!!!!!!!! ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh its depressing!! we should get rid of our maxes and get some toyota echoes. hahaha jk

makdaddy386

C'mon guys...suck it up, you are saving what? Maybe $5 if you are lucky. It hurts to look at the price tag creeping towards $2.90 in some spots but the fact of the matter is our VQ's deserve that TLC. Treat 'em right...don't be cheap!

zmax26

You have to listen for it when you are stopped and then press the gas and start to go. It's a gurgle kind of sound that you can hear for about a second or two. Sounds like muffled coins in a coffee can.


Puppetmaster....read the article in the paper that some places in Irag have gas for 5 cents a gallon?

igzy

iTrader: (18)

Yes, we are still lucky, though I pay USD $3.70 per gallon in Canada... When I was in England last year, I paid equivalent of GBP 3.70 per gallon... When I filled up a Vauxhall 4 cyl that I drove, the bill came to 40+ pounds, almost $80!...

Ataraxia

iTrader: (1)

I'd agree...I almost giggled like a schoolgirl when I walked past a woman at BP filling her Excursion and the pump was going full-blast as it passed $120...poetic justice for not knowing how to drive or park their short bus.

Puppetmaster

iTrader: (48)

No, and I'm still not sure what your point is, but people've already listed countries such as Italy (and likely other parts of Europe), Canada, England, and I've had experience in Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, and New Zealand where gas prices are still higher than ours. My point was that we still have it better off than many other countries in terms of gas prices. Besides, I'm not sure if Iraq is a fair comparision anyways, considering its economic and political situation.

Gennady7

I ran 87 when I just got my max, my dads idea, and I got the check engine light almost immediatly. I have been filling it 93 or 91 ever since.

2K3MAX2NV

iTrader: (10)

Ive been filling up with super for a few months now and I get much better gas mileage and performance than 87. I also started using synthetic Oil on changes and that helps as well, so spending the few extra bux is well worth it. I average two fill ups a week and spend $30-$35 each time

zmax26

I was just pointing out the vast differneces in prices between differnet countries. You're right, England and such have been paying high gas prices for years...$4-$6 a gallon. It sucks here but it doesn't compare to other parts of the world.

boondoxmax

iTrader: (1)

Ive used 89 in my car before. Only difference i noticed was gas milage was horrible. Car ran fine.....Right now in Boston mobil super is 2.89 a gallon......WTF

Bobo

Save some money on oil changes and put it in your gas tank. You don't need to change synthetic oil that often.

zmax26

I know, it just makes me feel better. If I'm changing the filter I might as well drain the oil. I wasn't complaining about the extra 3-5 bucks on fuel costs, but I thought I would give 87 a try.

Virus

iTrader: (1)

Don't hate me for having a Titan along with the Maxima. Large SUV's and Trucks haul kids and their friends around while also being able to put tons of stuff in the back like soccer *****, footballs, baseball gear, groceries, etc. I can also haul furniture and just about anything else, especially the twice a year trek to the beach and being able to carry 2 weeks worth of luggage for 4, tv, camper, etc. Plus it's fun looking down at the car next to you and seeing a hot chick wearing a short skirt

Bobo

You don't need to change the oil filter at 4K either. You are wasting your money.

zmax26

How long would you go with a filter?

00Max00

Exactly what I want to say. Especially for the huge SUVs and mini vans with dark tinted rear window. You really have no idea what happen ahead of the road when following those behemoths. You feel like driving against a wall, only the red tail lights in front of you tell you to stop, and pray for your luck star those idiots don't slam on the brake.

rbrown81

iTrader: (3)

Amen to that.

durckelg

I filled an almost empty tank with 3 gallons of 87 about a month ago, just as an experiment. Other than that I always run 93. I did not notice any difference in performance or knocking though. I do have the timing set at 17 degrees also. This is making me wonder if there was already something going on with my car that has been reducing my timing to a lower level. However I am still able to hold even with my buddies G35 up until ~60 (that is as fast as we have tested our cars). Both cars are automatics.

igzy

iTrader: (18)

Well, I ran one and a half tanks of 89 gas (no knocking) and yesterday I filled up on 91 after the price dropped and I noticed almost 20% decrease in mpg for the period of 89 gas!

So much for saving money on running lower grade... Back to 91+ for me...

Bobo

I'm switching from dino to synthetic and have never extended my OCIs beyond 4,000 miles. However, running synthetic, I don't see why you couldn't get 7,500 miles out of a Nissan OEM oil filter per the owner's manual. The same would apply to Purolator PureOne, WIX or Napa Gold oil filters, but don't try it with a POS Fram oil filter.

igzy

iTrader: (18)

Filters are good for max 6,000 km as far as I know, no matter what filter you use, unless you can get Mobil1 synthetic filters that claim to be good for 10,000+ (I could not get them in Ontario)... Filters get saturated after a while and if you were to run it more than 6,000 km it will not filter anything out, but you will only circulate "dirty" oil... I posted in one of the threads a web site where there was a study performed on filters... And yes, stay as far away from FRAM as possible...

I run Mobil1 oil and replace filter every 5,000 km (3,000 miles) and top up with 1/2 qt (1/2 liter) and change oil every 10,000 km (6,000 miles)...

zmax26

I'm using wix filters with amsoil 7500mi synthetic. I change it at 4k now, I realizr I could go longer, but I choose to change it between 4 and 5k.

VQ30GTR

[QUOTE=irish44j]it's more like a "gurgling" sound than an actual "knock".....



Question on Knock. I do not recall ever hearing such a noise, though I listen for it as much as possible. My wife helped me out by filling my tank for me one night, but used 87. Mileage was crappy, but I did not hear any knock. Power was obviously down as well. My question is that the knock sensor will retard as soon as it "hears" it and retard (Hence the loss of power). I assume it does this fast enough so you should not hear the knock if everything is working properly-Correct?

So theoretically if you are detonating long enough to hear it, your CPU is not retarding enough, or KS could be bad - is that also a correct assumption?

Remember knock is pre-ignition, and to prevent that you retard the timing. I assume the sensor and CPU can react fast enough in it's feedback loop so you really should not ever hear it. This as opposed to an early 80s car.

Bones45

My '01 max is on 87.. Runs Fine. Power is fine. Gets 23-24 MPG.

I dont know what you guys are smoking, but you should cut it in half

MaximusAureleas

3.06 a gallon for 93 at the BP here. Just cut costs elsewhere to make up for the increase... smoke Old Gold cigarettes instead of Marlboros, take your woman to the Bakers Square instead of the Olive Garden, buy a license plate blocker and stop paying tolls.... the possibilities are endless

makdaddy386

Blazin tolls is where its at! Gas wasn't $3.06 but it was $2.96 for me this mornin! God next time I look at gas prices I swear that I'm gonna punch myself in the face.

atoice

save 2 dollar or so to compromise performance and pinging? hmmm...spend the extra...it's worth it

Park2670

very funny man, never thought to look when in my dads truck.

My dad has to keep his truck to pull our boat. Im just not sure the max will be able to tow the 28', 9000+ pound thing, or we would both be driving maximas

CVicVogel

Blue Light Special!!!

The manual specifies 91 octane. Mix 93 octane and 89 mid-grade 50/50 to get to 91 octane. No engine damage and minimal or no ping.