Reason being is because ethanol is an alcohol. It will dry out regular rubber fuel lines.

 

Does anyone here know where to find the technical info on how the 7th Gen adjust to what grade its running.

I know that previous gen honda accords, set up to run on premium, when they detected regular retarded the timing for 300 miles and then after the 300 miles reset to premium and repeated the process.

How does it work, and I run premium to avoid pre-detonation damage on the piston heads, just one reason why I do

 

I apologize for confusing you. When ever i mentioned 105 Octane, I was referring to E85 which is 105 Octane.
Like i said before though, Unless something is different from Subaru(rubber lines) and Nissan lines, 100% E85 will be fine. 100% ethanol I can not vouche for.
This is speaking for dozens of friends running E85 in cali over 50,000 miles because cali 91 sucks big time.

I would be pretty correct in saying Cali 91 is our(NY,NJ,CT) 87 Octane

 

This is info I am looking for also. I cant seem to find any in depth information. I will be going to a tuner local to me to pick their brain who says they tune 7th Gens.

 

91 baby

 

Premium, only cuz I plan on having the car for 3-4 yrs and don't want any issues over the long term...

 

I agree with most everyone on here. I've put 93 in my '09 almost exclusively (a couple of times I put 89 in and could tell the difference). It IS only $4 or $5 bucks more per fill up, so why not??

 

I agree with that. Not much of Difference in price to make sure you get the best performance out of ur maxi. My maxi has only had 91. Had a 99 se that i used89 octane with reasonable performance.

 

Premiuin.

 

Just a little experiment i've done guys. I put 5 gallons of E85(rest 87) in my car, and i expected my MPG to drop tremendously. On the other hand, I got 450 miles out of that tank including very little city driving. I live in NYC and work in Central NJ.

(what i think). These cars are extremely rich so even though you E85 requires more fuel, It actually balanced out properly with the E85 mixture. I figure this because the car moved like a bat out of hell and i didnt throw a CEL from running lean.

I did this because E85 has an octane rating of 105 Octane and it actually burns A lot cleaner and cooler than pump gases today. Also, E85 is cheaper than regular 87 octane fuel. So I get that additional knock prevention properties, a cleaner burn, and a fast (Stock) car, and surprisingly better fuel economy. Next time, i will put in 7 gallons and continue add more until I throw a lean CEL. This will tell me the limits of car and i will also pay less fuel cost.
Some people have worries that the E85 will eat through the fuel lines because it is corrosive. I've known many of cars, hooked up imports, who have been tuned and ran on complete E85 with no corrosive indications. IF WITH THE SLIGHT CHANCE OF MY LINES CORRODING, I know a shop talented enough to fab up a new fuel system

My goal is to get a tune for my car running complete E85 and a better performing stock 87 Octane tune. There is a shop around me who claims who can tune the car effectively on the dyno. Even the CVT. IF not, Im sure a road tune will help just as much. Not concerned too much with dyno numbers, just a better performing car. I've went all out and a was a "dyno" man when i had my Stage 4 Subaru Sti.

 

Nissan says NO to E85. I am not using it and I don't know why anyone would use it,this excerpt come from the owners manual.

Do not use E-85 fuel in your vehicle.
Your vehicle is not designed to run on
E-85 fuel. Using E-85 fuel can damage
the fuel system components and is not
covered by the NISSAN new vehicle limited
warranty.

 

Completely understand your arguement. But when people Mod their cars, they are clearly making a statement that the warranty is not an issue. To some other people, they care about their warranty. I on the other hand do not. Ethanol is in all gasolines, so without HARD evidence of someone running ethanol in a Maxima and destroying their fuel system. then Im not too worried about it. And like i said, the only real worries are injectors and pump being maxed out and running lean. the car will clearly warn you before any damage

 

lol love it!

Its V Power for me!

 

When the engineers who designed the car and the company that built it specifically in the manual state pretty much, that under no circumstances should you use E85, that's "HARD" evidence enough for me.

No disrespect, but I'm taking the word of their engineers over "some guy" on the internet.

Ethanol IS in almost all gasoline, but we're talking AMOUNTS.

Regular has only 10%, whereas E85 is 85%. That was designed for "FLEX Fuel" vehicles which your max is NOT.

 

I have used 91 since i got my Maxima 1 month ago... does anyone use use 89 or 87 on their cars?

 

when you calculate whether you can afford the car, fuel is supposed to be in those calculations...if you can afford the car you can afford the fuel

 

None Taken, and you are correct, if you value your warranty then by all means DO NOT PUT IN E85. Majority of people would like to complete modifications which will likely void their warranty.
For Example, Deleting Cats in headers/y pipe and/or putting a big Diameter exhaust on your car can alter your AFR's which MAY cause you to run lean and can damage your motor if running too lean. Nissan can very well void your warranty.
I just posted MY experiences with E85 on previous cars, close friends, and now my nissan. I will be upgrading fuel system once I receive more technical info (injector and fuel pump limits) because I know what E85 does for performance and actually Emissions(for those who care). Now it isnt just a swap of parts and bam run E85. Tuning is REQUIRED.
My post for E85 probably was not beneficial to you since you value your warranty but for people who have the "mod bug". this info may well benefit them. Like i said, not only is it cheaper than regular unleaded but has an Octane rating of 105. Some can choose to use this info and others can choose to disregard.

 

The dealership recommended 87...but the price difference between 87 and 93 isnt great...i mean at most $2 per fill up so why would you not use 93?
Super here baby!

 

I say take a look at someone's tailpipe using 87 n view someone that been using 93 then you will find a good answer to use 93 or higher. I run 93 all 80k miles on my max and pipes are clean from that black mess or rust now for my other cars using 87 I refuse to talk about it. Just my 02. Cents what u put n is what u get out.

 

I have owned nothing but Maximas since Oct 1984. I always use premium the first 18 months of ownership (I have owned all generations but the first), and measure fuel efficiency very carefully. After 18 months, I always switch to midgrade (89 octane). I do stick to major brands.

As far as E85 fuel, I would consider that to be like putting kerosene or diesel fuel in the car. Or feeding cattle food to a baby. Totally incongruent with what the car is designed to use.

I have never measured a decrease in MPG by dropping to midgrade, but then that is to be expected, because, despite rampant urban rumors, MPG IS NOT TIED TO OCTANE. Neither have I detected a change in performance, but I suspect careful timing at the track would show a slight improvement by using premium. If I used this car at the track, I would stick to premium.

In some of my earlier Maxima gens, I would sometimes (but rarely) end up with regular in my tank. I was immediately able to detect a drop in performance every time. Any really hard acceleration caused knocking. I have not had a drop of regular gas in any of my Maximas these last fifteen years, and never intend to make that mistake again.

In a word, 91 and 89 work perfectly in this 7th gen Maxima, but PLEASE NEVER use regular fuel or E85 in this vehicle.

 

Right on the money Light, especially in any 3.5 Maxima 02 to current use Mid or Premium or mix with 89 sometimes and 91 /93 other times. Whenever I happen to get lucky and get a rental Max when on business I can hear it knocking when I drive by walls fences etc, as you know renters are putting the cheapest 87 oct. gas possible in them.

 

Is there a gun to your head smiley?

 

In my area we have 87,89,93. At the cheaper brand stations there is a disclaimer at each pump that their fuel contains up to 10% ethanol, but the term E85 is not used. At the name brand stations this is not there. My question is: is what I am seeing at the cheaper stations what you guys are referring to as E85? Or are their dedicated E85 pumps at stations in other area where it is clearly marked as E85 fuel?

 

Everyone says it dont make a differnce this that and the other its like comparing budweiser to sapporo if u know your beers , me personally i like to put 93 , engine runs smooth , i love my cars so i treAt them well

 

The E85 is clearly marked, is for use with flexfuel vehicles, and is not available at most stations in many areas of the country.

10% ethanol is not related to E85, and is normal in most brands of fuel in most areas of the country.

 

3-4 years is nothing...

 

I just did my first fill up on my '11 Max. I was at 350 miles to this tank & it said that I had 75 miles to go. I put 91 octane in it. Should it have been 93? I couldn't find it around my house. I could only find 91. Is 91 good enough for it?

 

The fuel system of the 7th gen Maxima is designed for 91 octane. 93 is overkill, but in some areas, is the octane used by most brands for premium gas. You will have absolutely no trouble with 91, as that is what Nissan recommends for this car.

In fact, this engine runs very beautifully on any octane from 89 (midgrade) through 93, and I'm sure it would also do so on octanes above 93, which are not available in many places. The majority of posters here on the org are probably using either 91 or 93 octane, depending on which is available in their area.

Just avoid using regular (87 octane) except in the case where no other octane is available. If using regular, go very easy on the gas pedal.

Measuring mileage 'by the tankful' is meaningless. When your car told you you could go another 75 miles, there was probably enough gas left to go 125 miles. But that would drain the tank, and could possibly overheat the fuel pump (which is inside the tank and stays immersed in fuel as a way to prevent overheating). Running out of gas could also mess yo your catalytic converter, which would cause you to fail any emmisions inspection, and would cost between $395 and $900 to replace, depending on who did the work.

Always get your fuel efficiency by dividing the mileage driven since last fillup by the number of gallons required to refil the tank. Use the little trip mileage device on the instrument panel to keep track of miles per tank. To get a really accurate figure, it is best to do this over several tankfuls.

Enjoy your beautiful ride!

 

I like this statement, been using 89 for a while on my 5.5 gen which also suggests using 91 octane

 

Thanks, Prophecy. As I have always done with all my Maximas, I used premium the first 18 months with my '09, then dropped to midgrade (89). My MPG did not change at all (octane is not related to MPG), and I cannot detect any change in performance.

Official timing devices might be able to measure a tenth of a second faster time from stopped to 60MPH with premium, but those who say they can tell the difference without electronic timing devices are misled by their belief premium must give a clear difference in acceleration over midgrade. It might in some very high performance vehicles, but on the Maxima, it does not.

 

Thanks Lightonthehill! I will continue to use 91 octane!

 

I got a question from my personal observation. My mom has an 07 M45 which requires premium. When she fills up with 93 octane her tank range reads about 345 miles to empty. When she puts 87 octane, her range will read about 275. why is this if since octane has no effect on mileage?? and she drives the same everytime. SLOW!!!!

 

I fill up with Premium gas since day one.If i use low grade then knock & ping start.

 

Because her fuel system is not designed to run on regular, and will not do so efficiently. There may also be other factors, such as the pump cutoff reacting at an earlier point on the regular fuel pump nozzle. But I would NEVER use regular in the M45, or in the 7th gen Maxima. Neither of these cars is set up to run efficiently on 87 octane.

Scientists have proven in the laboratory and in controlled track driving for over fifty years that, on a properly tuned car that is set up to handle the octanes involved, fuel efficiency is the same with varying octanes.

The Maxima is set up for 91 octane, but will get the same MPG on either 93 or 89 octane, because those octanes are very close to the 91 for which Nissan sets up the fuel system on this 7th gen Maxima. Dropping below 89 octane takes the fuel system out of its efficient running range.

But urban rumors are 'forever', and there will be drivers 1000 years from now who swear they get clearly improved fuel efficiency on their astro cars by using 93 octane instead of 91 or 89. At least it makes them feel better and it does run very well in the car. Any name brand gas between 89 and 95 octane will work very well in this Maxima.

 

I agree the MOTOR is not designed for regular especially with such a high compression ratio.
but the fuel system??????? Unless regular and premium are different weights, im lost. Take the fuel system out of its efficient running range? please elaborate on both.

Kind of confused with these statements? why would regular stop the cutoff?

If you are referring to the Ecu pulling timing and not getting an optimal burn which in reality will dump more fuel for the same amount of power which will lower MPG's to create a safe AFR. i understand but if not. I'm confused.

 

I was meaning the cutoff in the nozzle in the fuel pump at the service station. They have a sensor near the tip of the nozzle that senses when the tank is full and the level of the gas is rising up the filler tube,and automatically cuts the flow of fuel from the service station pump off. That cutoff varies slightly on each nozzle.

Of course there are many factors that may be involved. For instance, some service stations have sloped aprons near the pumps, and depending on which way the car is facing, the amount of fuel we can get into the car can vary widely.

But the thrust of my post was to simply repeat what scientists have been telling us for almost fifty years, which is that for most properly tuned engines, using any octane very close to the octane the car is set up to run on will give the same MPG.

Engine compression is one factor the manufacturers use in deciding which octane to recommend. Increasing engine compression and increasing octane does affect off-the-line performance, and using premium gas should give a very slightly better result in elapsed time runs. Premium gas will probably have a little more engine and injector cleaning capability also.

Nissan knows most folks are not really into gasoline, and, like several posters in this thread, generally recognize only 'regular' and 'premium' grades, so set the Maxima system up for 91 octane, which easily handles everything between 89 and 93 octane without affecting fuel efficiency, and minimally affecting performance.

I was one who was suspicious of scientists claims early on. But after 63 years of driving, and over fifty years of measuring MPG with different octanes, I found they are correct.

Of course, if we use 87 octane in a car set up to run on 91 octane, the results are unpredictable, as that is not a fuel the car is supposed to handle efficiently. Likewise, if a car is set up to use 93 octane, then midgrade (89 octane) would not be a good choice. But this Maxima is set up for 91 octane, so handles octanes from 89 to 93 perfectly.

 

Well for me....First off, I ONLY pump at Exxon, Chevron and Shell.

I use Regular twice, Plus next and then the Premium grade once a month. I've made it a habit and it puts my mind at ease.

I was told that the Maxima doesnt NEED premium, but that using it once a month will keep it tip-top.

 

It seems like it would be easier to just use midgrade all the time. The car runs extremely well on midgrade, which is very close in octane to the 91 Nissan says is best for the car.

Using your method changes the overall octane in your tank every time you change fuel, and that requires your fuel system to detect this change and try to adjust for it.

You are wise to stick to major brands.

 

My wife and I test drove a Murano and I asked the sales guy what it runs on. He promptly responded that it runs on regular and that the only 2 vehicles that Nissan states to use premium is the Z and obviously GTR.

These guys are obviously trying to sell cars as pretty much all VQ engines from Altima, Maxima, 370, Pathfinders and Spec-V Sentra all RECOMMEND 91! All cars I just listed could run on 87 without exception (370 states to fill half with 87 and fill up again with 91)

*GT-R recommends 93 with 91 as the lowest.*

I fill up with 93 most of the time, as BJ's Gas by me only carries 87 or 93. When NiMa occasionally gets anything less than 93 I do feel a "performance" difference mostly during acceleration, as it is markedly slower. Mileage wise however, given the same conditions, I could get 400miles in a tank with "regular" gas the same way i would with premium.

 

The 370Z is 91 AKI or 96 RON as the minimum from 2009 - current. No mixing of 87 and 91...

Instead of relying on the dealership you can just easily download the owners manual for the facts for free:

http://www.nissanusa.com/apps/techpubs

Also higher elevations negate higher octane requirements, i.e. Colorado will have 91 AKI max available, and some or most coastal states will have 93 AKI alongside 91 AKI. In my state (AZ) were at least 800' above sea level in most cities, we never see 93+ AKI ever unless it's at a race track.

My recommendation is that you should run what's recommended i.e. 91 AKI for the A35 Maxima and run 87/89 only when you have to. No your engine won't explode but it won't be operating as it was tuned by the factory for optimal performance at the octane level they recommend. Go above it and your most likely wasting your money and below it your car has to compensate thus many people mention a reduction in fuel economy when running 87 AKI.

I rented a Maxima in Houston last year and I'm sure it had 87 AKI in it being it was a rental car, I got the worst fuel economy ever and had I not known what my car was capable of I would thought the new Maxima was a gas guzzler.