cobrar97

I just got an '04 Max. What octane should be used with this engine. I once had an SHO that required premium fuel. Does the Max require premium, or is regular fuel the way to go?

!PrjctMax!

iTrader: (38)

Premium-93 octane ftw!

cobrar97

Is premium the requirement per Nissan on these cars?

!PrjctMax!

iTrader: (38)

open up the little fuel door and there is a sticker that says "For optimum performance, use ONLY premium fuel." may not be exact words, but you get the point!

Also, do some quick math, my dad calculated going from regular(middle) to premium(top) would only cost him about $50 some A YEAR! And the premium also keeps everything more responsive and that much "cleaner"

SEmy2K2go

iTrader: (10)

It's also stated in the owner's manual.

MaxMaybe

I started using 87 after break-in and the engine has run flawlessly for 28K miles. The only time I used premium was on a long trip during a HOT summer with a four passengers and a loaded tunk.

If premium was REQUIRED, I'd use premium. Since it's only RECOMMENDED, I say save your $.

!PrjctMax!

iTrader: (38)

Save yourself about $50 a year, and later regret not spending that thinking that the higher octane gas could have prevented X from happening and costing you for the repairs. You're call, but either way

scrui

I agree, it's only a RECOMMENDATION for premium. so it's not a must.
Premium thought will keep your injectors cleaner, perform better and it will not break the bank.

lets do the math: ( these are NY city prices
regular is 2.49.9. a gallon, you put in 10 gallons. = 25.00
premium is 2.69.9 a gallon, you put in 10 gallons. = 27.00

so, there you go, 2 dollars more on each fill up is not that bad.

ramberg

iTrader: (29)

I only use premium in my ride. Its not that much of a price difference to keep my engine running smoothly.

Lovemycar

93 everytime

04BlackMaxx

Yeha most of us use 91 or 93 octane. I use 93 because its only a couple cents more than 91, and most places I go have 87 as the next down. I bought a maxima for maximum performance, for this, use atleast 91. You can use 87, it wont hurt the car, just the performance.

cobrar97

I know that a Ford Focus will not benefit at all from premium gas...but if Nissan recommends it, I'm sure it's worth it. Are you using 91 (Plus) or 93 (Super)

DONS459

A friend who use to own a gas station said that all the gas has the same cleaners in them now compared to the old days. If you Google regular vs preimum gas it says mostly the same thing, Performance is a different story if your car needs it.


If you need proof about whether premium fuel helps clean an engine or if it helps an engine designed for low octane fuel perform better, the FTC has gone after oil companies for making these unsubstantiated claims and the oil companies could not prove their claims.

About ten years ago the FTC went after Exxon because they made unsubstantiated claims that their 'premium' high octane fuel would make the engine cleaner and reduce maintenance costs. Exxon could not prove their claims, so they had to produce ads telling customers that most cars did not require premium fuel, and unless your car specifically required it, using premium fuel would not help. http://www.ftc.gov/opa/1996/09/exxon1.htm

Amoco agreed not to say that their premium fuel would improve engine performance or clean your engine after the FTC went after them. They agreed to this because they could not provide scientific proof about their claims.
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/1996/02/amoco.htm

Pause

I tried using 89 when fuel prices were a little higher, and I got horrible performance along with the constant ping. When I started using premium again these issues dissapeared.

BadBlackMaxSL

iTrader: (1)

My cars deserve the best I can give them, PREMIUM all the way!!!

And I don't use BP gas, bad experience with them. Plus, everytime I took my 02 Max SE in for new O2 sensors they would ask me, "You don't use BP gas, do you?" Draw your own conclusions from that info.

skep

premium is by no means REQUIRED. i have always ran medium grade and i get better fuel economy by using it, there is no performance difference. save yourself not only the little $2 difference per tank, but save the MPG. you will notice about 2-3mpg BETTER if u go to medium grade. try it for 2 tanks, i can PROMISE you wont regret it. other fellow 6th gen'rs have taken my advice and it worked fo rthem too

!PrjctMax!

iTrader: (38)

skep on the big org!!!!!!!

skep

thats me! im the ONLY skep lol. i really only came on here to give my mind on all the people that were talkin bout my boy mdiggys car

4MySwee

iTrader: (2)

I understand opinion, but I don't get bashing or downright rudeness if they don't like something.

(Got your back on this one Skep)

I use 93

RHMax

What ever grade you use, the ECU will adjust the timing if any pinging is detected. So you will lose some performance with lower grade of gas. With that said, not all gas stations are created equally. I choose them wisely since a couple of occasions I tried different stations and the car pinged liked it was going out of fashion.

I use premium only, and too bad only 91 is available in CA now. If you mod your car at all, even with only CAI; you should always use premium. And it's always $.10 more per gallon than mid regardless of how much gas cost.

cobrar97

Ok, ok, ok, so 91 or 93 for nearly everybody.
NOW...what brand is everyone using. I noticed someone said that had trouble with BP (now Amaco). My brand new Ford Freestyle recommends I use nothing but BP. Since I'm hear about my Maxima though, what brand is everybody using in their Max? I've also hear that Speedway gas gives worse milage that others...true?

Monotaur

I used to go to a local chain called "BreakTime", as this is where the dealer buys their 93 octane gas for their cars. But, their locations are a little strange and inconveniently located (with no pay-at-the-pump options), so I moved on to BP (a better location).

But during one of the periods of high prices the local BP decided to get greedy and not add just $0.10 for each grade, but actually scale it by 5% or so when above $2 (so at $3 their 93 octane premium becomes $3.30 where everyone else in town is at $3.20, etc).

After this, I tried using Mobil... I think I may have seen a slight decline in fuel economy, but it's hard to tell for sure (changing weather, driving mood, city vs freeway, etc). I live in a fairly small town, so there are only a few stations that actually sell 93.

I wonder why your Freestyle recommends BP fuel?

cobrar97

I think Ford and BP have a joint effort going on. You'll notice that Ford ads all mention BP. You even get $75 free cas when you own a Ford and get a BP gas card.

!PrjctMax!

iTrader: (38)

+1
On a used 05' or 06' Expedition that we had at our dealership the gas cap said to only use BP Fuel

NIKV69

I disagree, I tried 87 and the difference was night and day. The care performed like *hit and my MPG suffered big time. If you read a little closer it says "for optimum performance"

Your Maxima has one of the best V6s in the business under the hood. Treat it as such and use 93.

xoomer.com

iTrader: (19)

I use either 93 or 93. Sometimes I switch to 93. You get the point don't you.

Did I mention that I use 93 ONLY?

SmokinMaxSE

iTrader: (1)

When I first got my car last April I put in 87 for the first month before I read the manual. I started switching between premium and 87 to see if I could "feel" the difference. The car started jerking thru shifts and it returned to the normal smooth shifting once I stopped using 87. I'm sure that was a result of mixing octane and using both grades every other full tank.

I found that I could put my foot down more with the 87 and take off with less torque steer. With premium I have to baby the throttle and almost always burn a little rubber taking off.

Max_Ash

When you buy a Maxima, you want maximum performance. Use premium.

SEBOY

iTrader: (1)

O Yessssss Bp 93

tubells

i started with 87 oct, then 91 from shell and noticed no difference...

then i tried 94 from Sunocco ..... and then i knew what this car was all about!!

(its best in the summer tho)

(its worth the extra dollars.....really)

egan1979

yeah you have to at least use 89, i would recommend 93 though

tehaviator

Too bad we no longer have 93 in California, ****ty 91 will have to do

tehaviator

The owners manual for the 07 states 91 as a minimum.

egan1979

yeah the 04 says that too but I know people who have run 89 and said it is okay with it...

SilverMax_04

Well Max owners -- I burn 85 octane in my 04. (Read the manual -- it is acceptable to burn 85 octane regular when operating the VQ at elevations over 4,000 feet).

I worked for an oil company for 35 years before I retired. So what do I advise?

- If you frequently call for WOT (Wide Open Throttle), you should always burn premium -- no question -- this is a must for Maximum performance.

- If you race your Max, you should burn Premium.

- If you have modded the ignition system to increase engine performance, you should also burn Premium.

- If none of the above describes your driving style, then you can safely burn regular (or Mid-grade if you don't trust me).

The 04 owners' manual (have not seen the 07) says that the VQ will perform properly on regular gasoline, but that you should use premium gasoline for maximum performance. So your driving style should determine which grade you use.

I have it on good authority that the VQ's ignition system takes from 3 to 5 hundred miles to completely adjust to a different octane gasoline in your tank. So don't expect to be able to burn regular during the week and then switch to premium for weekend racing. The system will not adjust fast enough and your racing performance will suffer.

There are a lot of myths about gasoline octane -- too many to cover here. If you want to know more, go to this thread in the Fluids and Lubes section of this site, and read my posts on "Octane Number and What It Means" -- here:

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=396716

wjeske

Definately go with the Super unleaded. My 2000 would ping if I didn't use 89 or higher

SilverMax_04

It is clear to me that you 00 has one of two things going for it:

- It has deposits in the engine that increase the octane requirement of the VQ engine.

- It lacks the sophistocated ignition control system of my 04 which does not normally ping on 85 octane at 6 K feet elevation or 87 octane at sea level.

I suspect the first, but have no way of knowing. Try a treatment of Techron in your gas tank (be certain to use the bottle for 20 gallons of gasoline) and then try some 87 octane regular (when the Techron has been consumed by your VQ). If it's deposits raising your VQ's octane requirement, this should eliminate them and also the pinging. In the event your ignition control system can't properly handle 87 octane, you should only put a half tank of 87 in your Max. That way you can fill up with premium if you still get pinging.

On re-reading your post, looks like you no longer own a 2000 Max and now own a 07. Read the owners' manual on octane. If it reads like my 04 manual, it will say that 87 octane is OK to use.

hrlm4life

I have had my 06 since november and I have used nothing but 93 octane from BP and I have never had any issues with gas milage pinging or anything like that, I use BP religously, I have tried other 93 octanes and have seen crappy milage , so I'm sticking with BP, i wonder what the experiences were from those who say stay away from BP.

xoomer.com

iTrader: (19)

Did I mention that I use 93 only hehe. Yeah I too only buy BP, sometimes Shell which I think is great too.

shawndon

iTrader: (2)

I used premium from the day I bought it but odd though they just switched our 93 to 91. premium I'm sure you spent a nice amount on you max so treat it right.