I seem to get much better mileage when I use top grade fuel
rather than middle grade. It is very noticable as the gage doesn't drop near as fast, plus the car does perform better.

Has anyone else noticed this. I have a 2K, SE, with auto.
I'm thinking that with the lower octane gas, one sub-
consiously applies more gas to get the same acceleration and this reduces mileage. Or is the engines computor running richer with the lower grade gas to prevent detonation.

what do you guys think. Any similar experiences.
I'm sticking with top grade, better mileage and performance for about 10 cents more/gallon. Probable no real savings using the cheaper gas.

 

I agree with your observations. The money you will save by using cheap gas will be spent on getting more of the stuff since your mileage is not as good. I have always stuck with 93 octane. I usually get Chevron whenever I can.

 

When you use octane below 91 the computer will retard the spark in response to knock. Retarded spark means less power, response and lower gas mileage.

Dave

 

The needle on my gas gauge drops real fast if it's past the F and once it hits the middle tickmark it kinda stays there for a while . Don't know why but I get the same mileage everytime, +/- 10 miles.

 

i've never used anything but premium gas... heck, my lawnmower uses premium.

 

Everybody likes a little ***, but no body likes a smart ***.
)

 

Yeah, the gauge itself is not very linear. Mine stays above F for a while, thern drops quickly down to near the middle and stays there for a while.

 

I agree, mine goes brain dead at half way for about 40 miles then starts dropping again. Could this be a plot by Nissan to convince us we actually get mileage numbers they
proclaim??

 

I agree with you guys that the Premium gas does give my "baby-eleanor" more power and more gas mileage. But if my memory serves me right I remember back in like 97 the aurora's had something like if you use over 91 gasoline it will void the warrent, i know its bull $hit but I don't feel liek reading the manual and I was just curious...

 

I don't think the manual says not to use 89 octane, however the salesman did say the car would run just fine on the middle grade as a way to keep the sale alive.
I did have a salesman on a Passat lie and tell me that only the middle grade was required on their V-6 which was B.S.
I moved away from VW because of this

 

hehe you never wanna believe what the dealer says, the guy is like a elementary drop out without the slightest bit of information about cars

 

as title..but I havent taken the car to a long drive yet...it is motly half freeway and half local

 

The fuel guage on my Accord V6 actually seems pretty linear for the most part, except around 2/3 tank where it kinda floats back and forth a bit. But other than that it seems fairly linear.

My old 90 Camry was horrible. I think the 1/2 mark was really more like 1/3, because after the indicated half tank the guage would drop like a fricken rock towards E!

My old FPOS '84 Pontiac 6000 was a joke. I think the little "honey comb thingies" that keep the fuel from sloshing around too much in the tank HAD to be broken. Once you got below 2/3 tank in that thing the needle would swing back and forth, and when you were below 1/2 tank you never really knew how much gas you had because it would swing from the F-end of 1/2 all the way down to E, even if you still had 1/4 tank left, so you just had to sorta "time average" it out!

 

I feel bad for you guys trying to save a couple bucks on sub-standard gas in your Max's. If you want to save some money at the pump, there are much better ways to do that, like taking it easy when the engine is cold, short shifting, gradually applying throttle from stops, and boosting up your tire pressure a bit. You'll gain about 1mpg for ever 2psi you boost up your tire pressures, but of course you don't want to raise it so much that you risk a blowout on a hot summer day. I boosted up my Accord's tire pressure from the stock 29/30 front/rear to 34psi all around and got a nice boost in mileage from the decreased rolling resistance. One guy even runs 36psi, but that's getting a bit too close to the limit for me. Other things that help are just driving smoothly, using cruise control, etc..

If you guys want, feel free to check out the SHO Accord V6 Mileage Tips Thread.

Err, some of it is Accord-specific (like which octane to use since the Accord V6 only requires 87 octane - a big reason why I bought it since I drive 30k miles/yr), but a lot of the other stuff would apply to the Maxima as well.

 

I have been running premium as well for a month. I have been getting anywhere from 25 to 27 mph. Depends on my driving and how much I use the a/c. I am taking a longer trip on Friday. I'm anxious to see how good it does on the interstate for a long period of time. I just hope I can keep it off of 80 or 85. It's so hard to do.....

 

I have tried everything....my tires are 38/34 front/rear. how come accord's stock setting has lower pressure in the front?

well, maybe it is the area that I live in...too much traffic