DFWmax

hey all:

since we are all affected by the rising cost of gas for our cars, has anyone decided to switch from premium 92-93 to unleaded regular 87? i know that the car wants "premium for maximum performance" but it will run on regular, right?

i drive about 500 miles each week, so that means i get to fill up every 3.5 days. i looked at my quicken account and i this year, i have already spent $522 on gas (that would be about $1600/year, assuming same cost for the rest of the year); and i expect the monthly cost is going to increase as the months go by.

at the least, i am thankful that i am able to get 26-27 mpg with my maxima... hee hee, i laugh at those SUVs that are lumering on the road, drinking gas..... actually, if i could get my hands on a small, safe mini-car (maybe mercedes a-class) and get good mileage (like 40? 50?), i would drive it... think about how many more cars we could pack onto a hiway if they were 2/3 the size of a maxima?


dfwmax

DFWmax

lumering = lumbering

Sprint

iTrader: (10)

The answer is NO!!!

I would rather walk or find an alternative means of transportation than screw up my engine having to buy a new one in teh long run..

if you are looking to spend $2000 in the future.. buy yourself a daily driver POS CRX and put 87 in that

Sonic

True dat.

diesel9119

downgrade in gas... no way... i'd rather spend the $5 bucks here and there than have to shell out $$$$ to fix my engine in the future.. plus, my MAX runs better with premium gas... seems like a "no-brainer" to me...

Black VQ

I'll fill up with midgrade(89 octane), and maybe get some octane booster every now and then.

NickStam

iTrader: (3)

Just buy less food at the supermarket or cancel a premium cable channel. That's what I would do.

Sonic

If it really concerns you, join Costco, or another 'warehouse supermarket' club. Some of them have discounted gas prices. 89 octane isn't really 'good enough'.

DFWmax

yeah, i thought about switching, but my maxima has been on premium since day one, and i'm not sure whether i would switch. i just wanted other opinions on this topic...

dfwmax

MaineI30

no way would I switch.

If it's economic for you, then why not buy (like others have suggested) a POS commuting car with A. better mileage and B. ability to use 87 octane

DFWmax

actually, i used to have a pos beater car -- a 1984 honda prelude. it was fun while it lasted, and while i lived 5 min from work, just like driving a go-kart to work. i got a new job 50 miles away, and the car doesnt meet emissions anymore, so i had to pull out the maxima from the garage...


dfwmax

MaineI30

well dude there are tradeoffs. {shrugs}

Eric L.

Where do you get the idea that using regular unleaded will ruin the engine? It explicitly states in the owners manual that super unleaded is "recommended" but "not required." The required gas is regular unleaded. The engine has knock sensors which retard the timing slightly if low octane gas is used. I don't think that the engine will be damaged from using regular unleaded. I know plenty of people who use regular in their Maxima and their engines run just fine. The decision to use super unleaded isn't a wrong one by any means. It's like changing your oil every 3000 miles. There is nothing wrong with it, but it isn't absolutely necessary. It is good, but if you run regular, the car won't hate you for it.

And regarding the increased performance from super vs. regular, has anyone actually measured it? I bet it is quite minimal. In fact, I notice absolutely no mileage difference with I use super or regular. To put it into perspective, the biggest argument I've heard for using super is that it gives better gas mileage. Well, where I live, it costs $2.25 for super, and $2.00 for regular. Does super really give the 10%+ increase in mileage necessary to justify its cost? I get 20MPG in mixed driving. I don't think using regular would drop my gas mileage below 18MPG. And contrary to myth, super unleaded DOES NOT have more detergents than regular.

So, if you want to use super, then that's fine. But please don't go preaching that your engine will explode, your wife/gf will leave you, or that your house will burn down if you don't use super unleaded. Honestly, if gas does go up to $3.00/gallon like the pundits are predicting, then I will seriously consider downgrading to regular unleaded to save my wallet.

kierandill

Did you people strike your heads when you fell in the shower this morning? The cost difference between regular and premium is typically less than 15%.
That means the guy who calculated his costs at $1600/year will save less than $200. Minus the drop in fuel economy he'll see with lower octane. Minus the fun factor caused by less power output.
The more expensive gas gets, the less of a difference in price in terms of a percentage. If it gets to $3.00/gal for regular and $3.20 for premium, the difference is only 6%.
You can make that up by driving slower.

nizmolee

iTrader: (1)

gas are too expensive. ride a bike and get some exercise.. put the baby max in the garage.. its good for the paint. LOL

MaineI30

Very well thought out points. I agree thoroughly -- I mean it's definitely worth it.

Frank Fontaine

Believe me, I am open-minded and if you want to use regular that's fine. The gas filler door says it's ok. But I would NOT switch due to the prices. Think!! In 1999 super was 1.299 and regular was 1.099. Now Super is something like 1.85 while regular is 1.72, obviously super is "less expensive" relatively speaking than it was before. .13/1.72 is less than .2/1.10, right? And why is that? Because of the very question you ask. When gas prices rise it's not quite like cigarrettes where people smoke up no matter what the price. People try to do away with the expense by taking public transpo or cutting-back or switching grades of petrol. So super is the cheapest ever right now, "relatively" speaking when compared to regular. Absolute-wise of course it is much more. So pump that 93 octane and fugetaboudit.

Eric L.

Well lemme see....super for me is $2.25, regular is $2.00, that's approximately a 12.5% difference. What makes you think that the 30 cents a gallon differential between regular and super will still hold when gas goes to $3.00/gallon? I remember in the early 80's when regular was 79 cents a gallon and super was 89 cents a gallon. As prices go up, so does the spread between super and regular.

Is there actually any proof that regular gives you less power and mileage than super? Maybe just a little, but is it even noticeable? I would just once like to see actual proof that regular is vastly inferior to super in terms of performance and fuel economy. I do think there is a difference, but not nearly as much as the "you must super or your engine will explode" people think.

Sonic

Some of us will continue to drive with premium gas, even if it hits $4.00 a gallon. I like the way my car drives with premium, it feels like I'm driving with the parking brake partially up when I drive with anything less. Gas really should cost more than a gallon of milk or water.

Frank Fontaine

I'm taking a wild guess, but it's not in a metro area. When you have 4 mega plaza fill-ups where there is bumper to bumper traffic from 6 am to 8 pm, the prices are cutthroat. Super is 12 cents more than regular right now. It was 20 when regular was 1.09. If that's not the case in your area then the consumers where you live do not follow a standard economic model where there is substitution. There is no absolute proof that the Maxima needs super, so if you don't want to put it in don't, you'll save .12 times every gallon purchased.

Don't you remember when the FED tax first went in in the mid 90's, 5 cents per gallon? Regular went up 5 cents overnight, and super went up 2. You can't pass the tax onto consumers with super, but you can with regular. Maybe this is all fancy schmancy NYC / Chicago city-slicker stuff. Who knows/cares what they do out in the country, maybe when gas goes up to $3 super is $4 and people aren't the wiser.




[/B][/QUOTE]

MaineI30

I agree with you. I'm sticking to premium. (and not putting it on my cereal..)

Sonic

BTW, I DO live in the NYC metro area. We have MANY gas stations, so I have never, ever had to wait for a pump. I realize that gas is getting expensive, but if you average 20 MPG at 2.00 a gallon, you're spending $0.10 a mile. I can't think of any other form of transportation that is that cheap (actually I can, a cross country flight, but that shouldn't count).

NYCe MaXiMa

iTrader: (9)

So filling up for 20$ will save me what, like 1 or 2 dollars? I rather waste that and feel good inside knowing I am putting in something that is right for the car. Besides, I get 180-200 miles on a full tank and fill up every 3 days, I don't give a **** anymore I practically work for gas money and repair money to find and fix the cause of my Tahoe/Suburban-like gas milage

When I went to Staten Island Nissan and talked to the service dept. rep about my problem he told me to try using a different grade of gas, (downgrade to 87) I smiled, said thank you, and walked out.

DFWmax

frank:

not sure if the question was directed to me, but i live in dallas/fort worth. i live in fort worth and i drive to dallas to work.

dfwmax

Kevin Wong

Well, I have three cars to drive around and they all get about 29 MPG. I'm not driving my Maxima as much since gas prices are rising. I was thinking if Gasoline is truly homogenous (alcohol and what-not) I should be able to mix octanes. Say 87 with 92 or 89 with 92. Of course this will only save a dollar of two at most, but it all adds up. I really don't see the harm in running 87. The manual says you can even run 85 in some high altitude areas. I think 87 would be rock-bottom for me, but I really don't think my engine will last any shorter than with Premium. However, I do feel that my car runs smoother with 92.

GarthG

iTrader: (1)

I am just wondering what is the cost that would make you downgrade? I know that gas gets really expensive out here in CA, and I would rather put what I would consider cheaper quality gas, as in finding as cheap of 92 as possible, in my car rather than downgrade to 89 or 87. My last car, 88 Camry V6 got nothing but 92 for it's entire life and was still going strong at 250K+, and while it may not be the gas entirely, I would assume it had something to do with it.

kierandill

Obviously I can't speak for your location, but in Indiana the difference averages less than 20 cents, and differs little from when premium was $1.30. In fact, if you peruse national data over the last 4 years:
http://www.eia.doe.gov/oil_gas/petro...istorical.html
you'll see that exactly the opposite of your assertion is true - with higher prices, the range across octanes was actually a few cents less than at lower prices. Currently at the Amoco I frequent the difference is 18 cents.

A friend of mine who is an engineer ( i.e. **** about things) keeps his mileage in a spreadsheet. It takes different octanes into account. He does, in fact, get better mileage with premium, but not enough to compensate for the cost. This translates to "less than 10% better".
Since his Silverado does not require premium, it makes no sense to buy it.

As for increased power, a popular mod for cars that ordinarily use regular is to advance the timing and use premium. This makes sense, since the Maxima will do exactly the opposite (retard the timing) if you use lower octane.

ericdwong

My solution was to purchase a more efficient vehicle. A motorcycle :-) at least 50 MPG and alot faster then the max :-)

Eric L.

When it comes to comparing gas mileage on regular and super, the only way to truly tell is to do a blind test. If you know you are running regular, you might be a little harder on the gas since the perception is that regular makes less power, therefore you need to step on the gas harder to get the same acceleration. Hence, the lower gas mileage. As for your friend's experience with super unleaded, well it's good he keeps detailed records and analyses on his fuel consumption. But if his Silverado does not require super unleaded, does that mean that the engine will advance timing to take advantage of super? Probably not. So, his experience with the super unleaded might be a placebo effect, just knowing he put super in, he might be a little lighter on the gas since he wants better mileage to justify the higher cost of a fillup (and I know Silverados with their 26 and 33 gallon tanks, cost a fortune to fillup).

Just my 2 cents. But like I said, people can use whatever gas they want. I just wanted to point out that you do not have to use super. It won't hurt, but it is not an absolute requirement.

The_quorum

Since the company stopped letting us get anything but regular 87 octane a couple weeks ago for our cars, I've gone ~1500 miles using the regular 87...with 5-6 tanks of the stuff so far; I'm guessing the car's ECU has figured out the change by now. The car is still running just fine, though I think it was "smoother" with the 93...However, I can't find a noticable difference in acceleration, and for kicks on a back road I took it up to 130 so the high speeds still seem to be attainable. I did notice that the initial "oomph" when flooring it from 60-70 trying to pass on the highway has decreased a little, but I don't know if it has anything to do with the fuel change or the recent hot/humid weather. So until they tell me otherwise, (or at the point where I want to spend $100-120/week for fuel out of pocket), they can foot the bill, and it will be
"el cheapo" in the max for now...

I'll be sure to let you know if the engine blows up, though.

walsh03

No never. The lowest I have gone is 91, and I can still feel that downgrade. So I don't do it anymore. Treat your car right and it will do the same for you minus the paint chipping(not much I can do about that).

kratz74

This is too funny. I have a a couple 4th gen Maxs and my mom has had two. We have all used 87-90 octane ust fine with our cars lasting well over 100K miles and no loss of power in the engine and no "blown" engines. I submit to the theory that higher octane makes more hp and those that think different...well lets take the new Honda Odyssey for example. The manual say 87 is ok but 91+ is recommended. They dynoed the thing and there was almost a 20 hp loss in hp from the lower octane. So I will continue to use my 90 (with ethanol-its actually cheaper than 87).

Llfe

iTrader: (5)

where i live, they only have 87, 89, 92...i put in 89 mainly because my dad put in 89 when he first had the car...but after maybe an engine flush or whatever, i will start putting in 92

irvine78

iTrader: (2)

i'd just drive less....no 87 for me...

DFWmax

i'd drive less if i could, but work is 45 miles each way for me. on a good note, its almost all hi-way driving, so it is more enjoyable....

dfwmax

Llfe

iTrader: (5)

i wouldn't go down to 87

jiaxima96

I've been filling 87, say for 95% of the time. Once in a while I fill 92 to "clean up" the engine. Then engine has no problem, not a single bit although it's only got 30K miles so far.

Now the gas price is going up and I'm filling up with 92, not an upgrade but just want to see what the difference will be. This is the second consecutive tank of 92 now.

I want to accumulate more data, but so far I don't feel any difference in terms of accelelaration, idling smoothness. Of cause that is without any meter to accurately measure anything.

Sure gas price increase is not so good, however it is still a small % of the overall living expenses to me as I don't drive a lot. I can stick with either grade. But I got some confusions from various sources. I heard or read:

use gas of higher than necessary grade is a complete waste;
higher grade gas keeps engine cleaner;
higher grade gas gives higher MPG;

I got lost. So my feeling now is that is a minor thing to worry about.

Green 2kSE

When in doubt, check what your owner's manual says about it. If it was ok to run your car with 87 all the time, Nissan wouldn't have recommended premium fuel for the Maxima.

Eric L.

Super Unleaded does not have more detergents than regular. Twenty years it might have had, but not anymore. All gasolines have detergents to keep your fuel intake system clean nowadays. So don't use super just for the "extra" detergents, cuz there are none! If you want to clean out your fuel system, I would recommend a bottle of Chevron Techron Concentrate (not Progard, but Concentrate).

Eric L.

The owners manual says "87 octane is acceptable, but 91 octane is recommended." So to me, it says the car will run fine with regular, but if you want maximum performance, then use super. However, contrary to what people here think, using super over regular won't give you a dramatic (or even noticeable) boost in power or MPG. It will help somewhat, but just not as much as you might think.

So, it is okay to use regular in a Maxima all the time. But it doesn't hurt to use super. Please don't subscribe to the myth that "somehow your engine will explode if you use regular instead of super." There is absolutely no evidence that for the VQ engine, regular causes any harm to the engine at all.