Ankit69

iTrader: (1)

Hey i just got my maxima and its almost time to fill it up what do you usually fill it up with ? unleaded or super ?



also what is your average gas millege before refilling it ?

Monotaur

I always use 93 octane for my Max.

Smoken'04

iTrader: (2)

I originally put the Mid Grade 89 Octane in my car the first 2 fill ups. I then found this site and have put nothing but Super (93 Octane) in it. Since it's getting colder here in the NE, I'm getting just under 22 mpg. I'm astonished at some of the higher numbers I have seen on this site. I don't know how they do it.

lowkey122

As I mentioned in another thread, I get about 25 mpg city and I use 93 Chevron w/ Techron. This is my first Max and I was under the impression that they just got good gas mileage until I read about several people on this board complaining about poor mileage. I've tried every gas grade and supplier in my area and IMO Chevron w/ Techron leads the competition in all categories.

Ankit69

iTrader: (1)

about how many total miles before fillup thoguh ?

viguera

iTrader: (1)

Well that's just simple math, but it's not gonna tell you anything because everybody's driving habits and routes are basically different. If you're heavy on the gas from a stop, if you get stuck in traffic a lot, etc... those are things that can affect your overall "miles per tank" in different ways.

I average 18-19mpg after 100 miles, but that's because before I get on the highway and after I get out I have to deal with heavy traffic. On average during rush hour it takes me 30-45 minutes to travel 2 miles in midtown traffic... that just destroys your average "per tank" figure.

But I'm sure you can squeeze 400-450 miles out of the car from completely full to "DTE *" -- if it's all highway miles and you don't run into a backup somewhere. Next time I head down to DC from CT I'll keep an eye on the mileage and let you know...

jcton20s

I use regular unleaded and still average 19.6 mpg, and that is with 20" rims. No complaints here.

04SEelite

Have only used 93+ in mine for over 1.5 years - average mpg = 17+/- overall - did improve when I put the Berk intake on, before then it was around 15.5...

Decided to follow the recommendations by Nissan and will stick with the 93+ even though it's now around $2.25/gallon.

Jeffs04SE

i use 89 and as of today im getting 21.4 mpg.

Monotaur

In mostly (small) city driving, I get about 18-19 MPG (again, using 93 octane)... I have gotten about 32 on flat, open interstate while using cruise control, however.

And then there was that one time when I reset the MPG computer just before coasting down a long, slight incline... had over 60 MPG, but just for a brief moment.

kapesports

I have been putting 93 on mine and getting pretty close to other have, 18 mpg.. but then again this all city driving.. I will be testing it this weekend I'll be in VA.. long trip for the car..

Souljourner

I use 93 octane of whatever company is cheapest. I get about 18-19 city and a solid 29 highway (highway being a lot easier to measure, of course, since it's less random than city). Average for me is about 22MPG... I tend to drive about half and half city and highway.

Many people have said that you only need higher octane fuel if the engine "knocks" with lower octane. While that may be true, the car says premium fuel only, and for a difference of only about 2 bucks a week, I'm more than willing to go with the good stuff.

-Nate

MAXD-OUT

No performance mods.

21-23mpg all city driving avg. with some more entertaining drives in the mix.

Went to Vegas and achieved 31mpg! I was amazed and very very happy.

CanadianMoFo

It does not say premium fuel only. It says (paraphrasing here) for maximum performance, premuim fuel is suggested.

In the winter when my fuel economy is tragic I use 87. In the summer where there is a hope of getting good fuel economy I use 94. There is a huge difference as soon as the temperature starts dropping. Its not even winter and I'm seeing my fuel usage going up. Nearly time to switch over to the cheap gas.

CM

lightonthehill

Ankit69 - Don't plan your refills based on mileage; refill when (or before) the low fuel warning pops up. You will still have four or five gallons left in the tank, but there have been several posts here, some in the last week, outlining the pitfalls of running the tank on a Maxima low on fuel. Not worth the many risks involved.

As others said, your mileage per tank depends on how many miles per gallon you get, and that depends on where you are driving, traffic conditions, speed, and how you drive. In city driving, you might only get 250 miles before the low fuel light comes on. On freeway trips, I would expect to go somewhere around 400 miles, refilling as soon as (if not before) the low fuel light comes on. In flat, totally open country, you might even go 450 miles before the light comes on.

There would still be several gallons left in the tank, but there is no award for squeezing maximum mileage from a tank of gas. Should you find yourself very low on gas with no gas stations around (or with no gas pumps operating due to a local/regional power outage), you are in trouble. Should you run the tank low, debris floating on top of the gas is sucked into the injectors. Should you run the tank dry, you may be searching for a bank loan to purchase a new catalytic converter.

Drive smart; don't fool around with fuel.

As to octane? The Maxima runs on anything. I have neighbors who always use regular in their Maximas. I would never do that. I would recommend choosing either the midgrade (89) or premium (93 or 94) and stick with that grade. Keep in mind it takes the computer on the '04 Maxima several tankfuls to completely adjust between grades. That means you should not be switching back and forth between grades, except maybe twice a year for those using a different grade during the very cold weather season.

If you are a spirited (or agressive) driver who wants the very best performance, most here would recommend premium fuel.

Souljourner

I'm pretty sure my gas guage says "premium fuel", but I'll have to look again (funny that something I look at twice a day is so hard to remember).

-Nate

adeen2

For me I try and use 93 Octane from Sunoco as it is the only station that offers it but if not then I just go with the 91 that is offered anywhere else. I definitely find a difference in the fuel economy and performance.
The city fuel economy isn't great but highway is amazing. On a full tank of 94 I can get about 700K out of it. Actually just last weekend I calculated that I had filled up on a full tank of 91. I drove from Toronto to Ottawa (450K approx.) and tried to cruise most of the way @ 120Km/h. When I arrived on Ottawa I had burned between a quarter and half a tank. I decided to refill before I got home (0.86/L) and it took $28. To me that was amazing.

too_Da_MAX

89 for me. Since the gas prices for it are 2.59 p/g ............. :/

CanadianMoFo

Read the sticker on the inside of the fuel door.

tubells

used 87 when I got the car .. and for some crazy reason decided to get the premium just when the gas prices went crazy .. my first fill of 91 Oct cost me 99c/lit... ever since I have been filling premium (??)
between 91 and 87 from shell, I did not notice any diff in performance(and still do not). But when I used 94 from Sunoco... WOW .. it was like driving a new car! so I try and get the gas from Sunoco when I can... In a year it may be just abt 2-300 $ more than regular..

Only strange thing I have noticed is when I fill regular (87 - Shell) my comp shows that I have abt 650 - 670 K DTE, and with 91 (Shell) it shows abt 610 - 620K. But with Sunoco - 94 - it shows abt 570K DTE. I never overfill at the pumps, and stop, using the auto stop (when I know its full.. ), also tried diff gas stns.... anyone else noticed this ??

lightonthehill

tubells - don't try to read anything into the DTE numbers, especially with regards to the type of gas you just put in your tank.

Firstly, the DTE is based primarily on how much gas you have in your tank, and the type of driving you have recently been doing. It is really a wild a-- guess for very casual use. There is no way the computer can know what kind of driving you may do on this tank of gas. I frankly ignore the DTE unless I am on a long freeway trip, and can feel the DTE will actually come somewhere close to being right.

Secondly, it takes the onboard computer several tankfuls to fully determine exactly what octane gas you have, and make the appropriate adjustments in your engine. There is no way the DTE could be immediately influenced by the type/octane of gas you just put in your car.

CanadianMoFo

Canadian 04's came with an octane meter as standard equipment.

RayL

I switched from Premium to Unleaded Regular (87) and car gets the same gas mileage which is 25-26MPG I normally go 400-425 miles between fillups. Average about 85% highway. Car has plenty of power even with the regular and have spoken with Nissan on this and they say no problem. Despite the fact that the previaling sentiment on this board is "93 or nothing" my conclusion is that the incremental cost would give me no value for the type of driving I'm doing

Smoking04

I did try lower octane (87) for few thousand miles (8k on car now) averaged about 24-25mpg on 80-85% highway driving. Switched to 93 Octance and get 2-3mpg more. Since this is my second MAX I can tell you from experience that HP hungry cars run better with higher octance... My first MAX developed engine ping from cheap gas and if you keep cars for the long haul the extra $4.00 per fill up is well worth it..Just my .02c
See ya
2004 SE Smoke / Frost Leather auto
2003 Vette Metallic Spiray Gray / Black Leather 6sp

maLniveK

i always fill my max with 93 octane. it's jump way better than other octane. i did a personally test with Shell and Mobil. Shell's 93 octane last a lil bit longer than Mobil's 93. that would save a bit since gas price is so expensive now.

NismoMax80

iTrader: (6)

elaborate please. does something flash to tell you? I know it can sense what octane we use and adjust accordingly. are you saying you something else?

jasonjm

iTrader: (1)

I think it isn't a factor of gas mileage. But engine and engine component life. Ever see a dyno of what knock does? Instead of a smoot curve you get a rigid one, no doubt from the ecu listening for knock and reacting.

Question is, how close do you want to get to knock?

What does knock contribute to engine wear? Will knock introduce more carbon in the combustion chamber? How many miles does my engine have?

There is also a difference between compatibility and recommendations from the manf.

Knock sensors might help you run lower octane, but is it what they recommend?

My recommendations, the lowest I'd go is mid grade. I fully recommend premium or the highest grade.

jasonjm

iTrader: (1)

A healthy 100k engine will have better milage than a sick one at the same 100k.

jasonjm

iTrader: (1)

"I switched from Premium to Unleaded Regular (87) and car gets the same gas mileage which is 25-26MPG I normally go 400-425 miles between fillups. Average about 85% highway. Car has plenty of power even with the regular and have spoken with Nissan on this and they say no problem. Despite the fact that the previaling sentiment on this board is "93 or nothing" my conclusion is that the incremental cost would give me no value for the type of driving I'm doing"


Not to label you, but this is typical of that attitude "Seems like it's working. If i don't see it happening It's fine."

Run your car hard with 87 for 10k miles. Then take out your plugs and compare with someone who runs as hard or harder at the same 10k miles. You might think otherwise.

"Detonation very early in the compression stroke is usually the silent killer that goes unheard by the driver."

For more info read and look at the graphs: http://zhome.com/ZCMnL/PICS/detonation/detonation.html

MaxMus

I don't fill up with Regular in my new Max, (did it a couple of times in my 2000, i actually got better economy and decent performance), but I can understand what RayL is trying to say. If you're cruising on the highway doing normal speeds without any aggressive driving, then using Premium fuel seems wasted.

rnupetroop

I choose "prem fuel" from QT or Chevron in the 6sp because sometimes I get weights on my feet. Let me ask this, so if I didn't drive hard any, would it matter if I used prem or reg? I'm assuming prem is the same as reg if you drive the same everytime you get in or am I wrong. Enlighten me, please.

jasonjm

iTrader: (1)

Yes, it matters In the long run. Your gas milage and performance will be down. Premium burns cooler, and is harder to burn which are two reasons why if you have a lead foot to buy it. Premium fuel aids in controlled combustion.

Again, the attutude I see (and quite often) is If it's not happening now It ain't happening at all.

It's funny when ppl start modding and now timing is more crucial, then they complain why they get knock when putting 87.

And it's also funny how ppl buy 30-35k+ cars and complain about spending a few more cents (which add up to a whoa an extra buck or two)! LOL!!!

FriscoMax

Nothing but Shell V-Power 93 octane in Monty Max. I get about 20-24mpg with a mix of city and SPIRITED(that's a good word for it) highway driving.

adithius

Dear Maxima Members:

Our cars are designed for high combustion. Using an octagn below 91+ reduces performance and will lead to engine, and sensor problems. Your car will know when you put in regular, the knock sensor will retard your engine. This is not the end of it, your spark plugs may have the incorrect mixture of fuel and air causing misfires, crap builds up on the engine. Soon enough your Japanese quality machine will run like a Kia.

So if you wanted to put in regular or mid-grade, you should have gotten a Honda.

Ankit69

iTrader: (1)

has anyone tried costco premimum gas is it any good ?

matt2532

What about at high elevation? I live in Utah at about 4500 feet. Owner's manual says you can use lower octane at high elevation, any input?

lightonthehill

Sure, the car will run on regular at high elevations. Just as it will at sea level. And you (and the manual) are correct in that the long-term consequences of using regular gas at higher elevations will be somewhat mitigated by the thinner air.

But if I lived at a higher elevation, I would still probably not use regular. Midgrade would be where I would go.

Keep in mind that you may sometimes visit places at lower elevations, and regular is not as desirable as higher grades for the long-term health of your car at lower elevations.

Also keep in mind that it takes the onboard computer several tanks to completely adjust to a different octane, so you dont want to switch octanes very often (maybe just between hot and cold seasons).