EmeryH

Congratulations on your new Max!

Several posts here indicate we need premium gas or you will noticeably lose performance and may even cause the engine to run badly.

As far as oil goes, there are several threads here that debate the issue. Basically, the more expensive premium oils are best, but many dealers just use everyday dino oil when they do Maxima oil changes. That is the way I'm going since I've never seen a hint of any engine troubles since getting my first car in 1964 - always using the least expensive dino.

cogitoergosum

Thanks for the answers. Premium is what I expected. As for oil, I've read the threads but i'm still learning how to be a car 'expert'. For now I'll go with the dealerships maintenance in October but I'll probably do oil on my own after that.

lightonthehill

This car was set up for 91 octane, and works very well on either 91 or 93 octane (both 91 and 93 are considered to be premium gas). After 18 months, I switched to mid-grade (89 octane), and so far cannot detect any performance change, and am getting the same MPG on trips on which I measured MPG while I was still using premium. If I were into lots of wide open throttle runs, I would have stayed with premium gas.

But NEVER NEVER put regular in this car. Several folks here tried this, and most immediately noticed a much-less smooth running engine, with engine knock on hills and during anything but very gentle acceleration. Don't even consider going to regular.

5 ltr. beater

these cars were intended for premium but can still run on regular 87 octane. don't be fooled by hearsay.
and the running rough is normal. its the ECU pulling timing to prevent detonation.
hence why on the fuel door it always says "Premium fuel recommended for maximum performance" the key word is recommended...but not absolutely necessary.

cogitoergosum

For now I'll stick to the premium octanes simply because I'm in my new car phase. Later I might experiment with a standard tank and see how it performs. I wish I knew what the dealership had put in (Im assuming regular...but maybe they put in the premium). They gave me a full 20 gallon tank of gas so once that wears out tonight/tomorrow I'll fill it with the premium

sgirgiss1214

Honestly, I spend the extra money and use premium gas, I guess it's worth it bc once this babys broken in, it' staying in Sport mode!!

cogitoergosum

Well, finally had to gas up. From a full tank filled by dealer I got ~250 Miles I think. Can't recall the exact amount, not too shabby, I still had supposedly ~100 Miles left on my tank. Funny story, I told the guy premium and turned to get money from my girlfriend. Turned back to watch the pump and was amazed and how cheap the premium seemed wehn i saw the price rise as gas pumped...then I noticed the guy had pressed regular! (in NJ its state law, all gas is pumped for you). I freaked a bit considering my baby is just 3 days old. The guy dumped in 5 gallons of 87 octane. He then dumped in 5 more of premium (93) and assured me it was fine and would even out to a plus blend if 89 octane. I didn't notice anything hugely different...

I'll probably end up going with Plus gas given NYC Prices but so far the cars been a dream drive.

lightonthehill

I'm glad you caught him by the midway point. New Jersey and Oregon are the only states requiring that service station attendants do the pumping.

Nissan set the 7th gen Maxima up for 91 octane (premium in some areas), and it also does wonderfully well on 93 octane (premium in other areas). After 18 months, I switched from premium to mid-grade (89 octane) with no problems, and that is what you ended up with in this case. I switched because my local stations unfortunately charge between 15 and 30 cents more per gallon for premium than for midgrade.

I have seen no degrading of my car's performance or lowering of MPG with midgrade, but would suspect my quarter mile elapsed time might be a teensy tad lower than with premium, because octane is generally tied to performance, not MPG.

But I would NEVER put regular in this car. A few here who put regular in either by mistake or because they were unaware this car is set up for premium reported unpleasant driving experiences. I'm sure the car was not happy to see regular shoved down its throat . . er, throttle.

DW22

Got an 09 3.5-S and no complaints. very happy with my Max!! Made the change from an american SUV and I must say the ride is alot smoother!

IH8SPM

3 Max's in the family and all use 87. If the fuel door said premium required then you would do harm like in German cars.

lightonthehill

I must disagree.

All Maximas UP UNTIL the 7th gen were capable of adjusting to regular gasoline with little problem, and running relatively efficiently. But if you read the owner's manual very carefully, you will find the 7th gen fuel setup has changed from previous Maximas, and Nissan now STRONGLY recommends premium. Midgrade will work if you aren't running track events.

BUT

The owner's manual for the 7th gen clearly states that if there is no gasoline available but regular, you should put in the minimum amount necessary, drive VERY CAREFULLY (no strong acceleration or spirited moves) to the nearest facility where you can purchase the PROPER gasoline for this car.

Several here accidentally had regular gas put in their tank, and the car immediately began knocking and pinging. Others said it seemed to run fine on regular. But 'seeming' is not reality. The adjustment necessary for this 7th gen to run on regular results in the fuel system not operating efficiently.

Operating this 7th gen Maxima on regular is not wise, and could result in expensive problems at some point.

ArvindCpatel

I just bought 2010 SV with monitor package, spoiler and mud flaps. Honestly speaking, it's not driving like a 35k car. The gas pedal has pulsating feeling. I put on 1100 mile in two weeks.
Arvind, Florida

Car Addict

Shouldn't be normal. You should take it back to the dealer.

dannyhightower

I drove the sports model home overnight but took it back and got a premium & black from another dealer. I REALLY miss the better ride, bigger wheels and the NAV package but love the wood grain look and most of all the dual sunroof. I'm getting the Eibach springs shipped so hopefully that will help out part of it.

lightonthehill

In addition to the Eibach springs, you might consider carrying 35 or 36 psi in the tires on your Premium. I found that gives me more positive steering, flatter turns, slightly quicker steering, and results in more even tire wear for my style of driving. This increased psi made my car's ride more closely resemble the ride of the Maxima with Sport package I briefly tested.

2005goat

My first post, purchased a 2010 Ocean Gray Maxima SV with Sports Package about 6 weeks ago. Car came fro the dealership with tires inflated to 36 p.s.i. cold (weather at that time was in the 90's so you can iamgine what the inflation was when the tires heated up). Car wandered around pretty badly at speeds over 40 or so. I reset the tires - which are the low profile on 19 inch rims - to 32-33 p.s.i. and the ride is much, much better but I still feel a little bit of wandering. I guess I'm used to heavier GM Pontiacs (2003 Bonneville and 2005 GTO), which ride like rocks -- you can let go of the steering and they go straight.

lightonthehill

THis duplicates the experiences of 6th gen owners, who found increasing the PSI on the 18" wheels/tires did not help drivability and made for a very firm ride, while increasing the psi on the 17" wheels/tires usually helped in control and handling while still leaving the ride fairly comfortable.

Now, with the 7th gen, increasing the psi on the 19" wheels/tires does not seem to appreciably help handling or control and results in a very firm ride, but increasing the psi on the 18" wheels/tires seems to help handling and control, while resulting in a still fairly comfortable ride for most drivers.

one less digit

My parents got one for me on my 18th birthday this year because Im enlisting in the Marine Corps and letting them keep all my college money It was a black sv model and it was the ****. One of the best cars i have ever driven and im a young motorhead so Ive driven a lot of vehicles.

But my bad luck soon struck, last friday 3 drunk mexicans ran a stop sign and i T-boned them at about 60. The emt's said i shouldn't have walked away from this and all i have is a broken bone in my foot which is almost better. Two of them were illegals and after my new maxima gets paid for by them, they are being deported Now i can attest to the safety features of this car as well, it legit saved my life. And im getting another one.

PS. for those wondering about fuel and oil. YOU MUST USE AT LEAST 91 OCTANE IN THIS CAR SO YOU HAVE TO BUY PREMIUM. also for the oil i suggest using natural for the break in period then put synthetic in on your second change. thats the BEST thing for it.

sgirgiss1214

Hey, Im glad your ok brother! My brother is leaving for Marine Officer Candidates School this January, Im going this summer hopefully! This is a great car, and I feel very safe behind the wheel. Im glad those Mexican's got screwed over for messing up like that!!!

jommbi

Can you please share where the above statement is found in the owners manual. I can't find it in mine.

RICHIEB214

hows it going fellas.....i own a 2010 ... i have some concerns about this car...im sorry i didnt get the sport suspension, i think it would have been a tighter ride. also i have been smelling anti freeze, and my reserve was a little low....the dealer checked it out and found no leak....now just have to wait and see.....other than that its a nice car. if anyone smells anti freeze please post.

gtmassive75

iTrader: (1)

haven't smell on mine..

lightonthehill

There are quite a few here on the ORG that don't have the Sport option, but carry 35 or 36 psi in their tires. I have found that 36 psi not only gives more even tread wear for my style of driving, but also gives a slightly firmer ride and slightly more responsive steering.

10maximatt89

I got my 2010 maxima saturday the 16th and so far so good. It is a lot faster and smoother than i though it would be, especially after driving on the highway. I wanted to know what mods i could get done without looking or sounding like a ricer. I'm talking about exhaust. I plan to get the windows tented this weekend. any suggestions?

Thanks Guys

Kmoney

congrat on your purchase. as far as exhaust, you have the stillen and borla but the borla is way better.

mkstimulus

I am thinking about purchasing a used 2009 Nissan Maxima SV in Super Black. It has 15,000 miles and is the SV model with no extra addon packages. Ive negotiated with the dealer to $23,500 plus tax and fees. What do you guys think, should I go for it?

Hurricane05

Will be taking some pics and posting. I like the car after more than the test drive. I feel its more a luxury car than a sports car, but I'm ok with that. Would really like to cruise at 100mph for an extended period of time.

The dealer totally sucked. As bad as any used car dealer. Ramsey Nissan in Ramsey NJ. Avoid or just be ok with being lied to constantly. They told me spoilers were not put on at the factory (my bad...must have had a weak brain moment). So the skums put on the spoiler...seems ok...yet they left the not working high mount light. Any thoughts about how to remove it?

lightonthehill

The Nissan factory only puts spoilers on Maximas as part of the Sport Package. Many dealers then add spoilers to non-Sport Package Maximas.

The Nissan spoiler kit for the 7th gen Maxima comes with everything needed to remove the high mounted brake light on the parcel shelf, including filling in the hole with a piece that matches the parcel shelf material, and that is supposed to be part of installing the spoiler. With the pieces in that kit, removing the inside high mounted brake light is a snap.

lightonthehill

That would be a FANTASTIC price for this car in Canada, a DECENT price in many parts of the country, but a SO-SO price in places like Atlanta where a brand new '11 Maxima 'S' can be wrangled for around $23,900, and a brand new '11 Maxima 'SV' can be found for around $27 to $28K.

But if this car is in excellent condition, having only 15,000 miles does make this a rather tempting deal.

EmeryH

Light : This is not always the case. My SV Premium came with the factory-installed spoiler - it was even listed on the factory invoice. I've heard that some dealers put in orders for a few Premiums that are to be pre-equipped with spoilers.

Car Addict

Mine is equipped this was way as well. I have the glass roof and factory spoiler.

adsauce

Just got my 2010 ive been reading the threads for a while and what have not found too much on car audio. How many people have upgraded the audio on their maxes? Im looking at doing a double din nav unit going all JL audio components, sub, and amp. Im also looking for anyone who has been able to use all 6 speaker positions in their set ups this is what I am looking at doing.

Car Addict

there's a thread on this

lightonthehill

You are absolutely correct that the factory can put spoilers on non-Sport Maximas IF the dealer ORDERS them that way. And some dealers feel a car is naked until it has a spoiler on it.

I haven't seen it discussed here on the ORG, but dealers have more flexibility in ordering cars from the factory than some folks realize. I remember my dealer ordering around a half dozen base Maximas back in the mid-1990s with leather, spoiler and chromed wheels, even though those options were not listed as being available on the base Maxima. The first time I saw one of these special order Maximas, I was very surprised.

spidgeon

Does anyone know how much the spoiler is? I just bought the 2010 SV Prem in blue last week and already I want the spoiler for it.

lightonthehill

There is a thread on the front page of this 7th gen board entitled:

'2009 Nissan Maxima SPOILER INSTALL'

I think that thread will answer all your questions. The exact same spoiler will fit ALL 7th gen Maximas.

sgirgiss1214

You can get a nice non-oem one on ebay for like 180 or something and its the same exact things as a stock one.

ambixel

jst bought mine off ebay from thespoilercompany. 119 free shipping. everything looks good on their site as far as feedback and they have thousands. only a couple negative but if you read the negative ones what they wrote they are pretty ridiculous. They paint: primer, 3 coats of factory paint, then clear coat. says if it isnt exact match no questions asked will return or exchange for another within 7 days of recieving

Dubl-A

Nice Max guys, Im loving mine so far 2010 S bought used with 13k.

AirForceDINSTAAR

I drove the base SV with sport and NAV first, I was impressed. I came from a 2009 camry se that I dropped on Eibach springs. The Nissan was a HUGE step up in handeling. I drove an SV stock, I was not happy with the handeling, which this is a preference I like tighter handeling. The SV with the sport tech is truely the most well rounded car i have ever drove from quality, features and performance. I only have put 325 miles on it so time will tell. But the interior/features on a sport and tech was so good I couldn't settle for a base SV. Once you drive the the sport tech its over, IMOP of course.