What kind of gas do you put in your Max?
11-02-2000, 07:52 AM
#1
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2000
Posts: 35
Alrighty... I'm about to open Pandora's box. 
I had a rather spirited discussion about gasoline with a friend of mine last night. Basically, I've had my 98 GXE for over a month now, and haven't put anything less than 91 in it. He thinks I'm wasting my money and that it doesn't matter, spouting about how he's driven expensive cars for years and played on both sides of the fence (high and low octane grades) and hasn't noticed any performance.
So I put it to you, fellow Maxima owners, what's your opinion on the matter? Do you fill with 91 like the manual recommends or save money and not notice a difference?
To spout the theory on why 91 is the best choice: The engine's got a ping sensor that detects the rising knock factor, and to compensate, reduces the performance of the engine. You push the engine harder to get the same performance, so you go through the cheaper gas faster and have to fill more often. The result is that you spend as much, if not more, on cheaper gas than if you filled with 91.
The factors I see here are fuel economy (mileage), performance and price. My buddy suggested that to actually see a benefit you'd have to do a controlled study over a couple of years, and then he suspected that you would only see a marginal difference - which wouldn't matter much, because we go through cars every four or five years anyway.
One final factor - he commutes to work and I don't, so he spends *much* more money on gas than I do.
He's also mentioned that every "mechanic" he's ever talked to says it doesn't make a difference - in my mind, a mechanic is not the best authority on the matter. They fix cars, they're not fuel / engine design specialists.
Let's fire this thread up!
- Andrew
I had a rather spirited discussion about gasoline with a friend of mine last night. Basically, I've had my 98 GXE for over a month now, and haven't put anything less than 91 in it. He thinks I'm wasting my money and that it doesn't matter, spouting about how he's driven expensive cars for years and played on both sides of the fence (high and low octane grades) and hasn't noticed any performance.
So I put it to you, fellow Maxima owners, what's your opinion on the matter? Do you fill with 91 like the manual recommends or save money and not notice a difference?
To spout the theory on why 91 is the best choice: The engine's got a ping sensor that detects the rising knock factor, and to compensate, reduces the performance of the engine. You push the engine harder to get the same performance, so you go through the cheaper gas faster and have to fill more often. The result is that you spend as much, if not more, on cheaper gas than if you filled with 91.
The factors I see here are fuel economy (mileage), performance and price. My buddy suggested that to actually see a benefit you'd have to do a controlled study over a couple of years, and then he suspected that you would only see a marginal difference - which wouldn't matter much, because we go through cars every four or five years anyway.
One final factor - he commutes to work and I don't, so he spends *much* more money on gas than I do.
He's also mentioned that every "mechanic" he's ever talked to says it doesn't make a difference - in my mind, a mechanic is not the best authority on the matter. They fix cars, they're not fuel / engine design specialists.
Let's fire this thread up!
- Andrew
11-02-2000, 08:07 AM
#4
Only run 93 or 94 around here..
I put 92 in it this weekend when I was in OK City (because you can't find 93 there!) .. the engine knocked like a fuggin deisel (VE30DE with VTC problems ;-)
guess I'd better crank back my ignition advance a little, huh?
I put 92 in it this weekend when I was in OK City (because you can't find 93 there!) .. the engine knocked like a fuggin deisel (VE30DE with VTC problems ;-)
guess I'd better crank back my ignition advance a little, huh?
11-02-2000, 09:16 AM
#9
I usually go to Mobil and put the best stuff in. Though one time I was driving from CT to Detroit, and I filled up with what must have been lower octane(from the premium pump, though). At higher speeds it was fine but at lower speeds it was knocking mucho. I did get almost 500 miles on that tank though.
11-02-2000, 09:18 AM
#10
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2000
Posts: 450
you ppl are rich!
It is around 2.09 to 2.19 a gallon here in the SF bay area for 91 octane. I wish I have the extra $$ to feed mine with premium. 89 octane from Chevron right now. Performance suffers a bit, but no knocking or pinging.
11-02-2000, 09:18 AM
#11
You have to remember that you are on a board with people who love their cars. If Nissan says that the engine wants premium, than give it premium. You will get better gas mileage and better performance. It's true that the engine might not ping with lower octane, but it has to reduce it's efficiency to prevent it. As for me, I use only Chevron or Texaco premium, 91 in Utah and 93 in Seattle. When I have had cars that didn't specify premium, though, I just used regular.
11-02-2000, 09:47 AM
#12
Use what the Nissan Owner's manual says to use. If it recommends to use 10000000 octane, you should use that. If it recommends to use 89 octane, use that. But for older cars that have carbon buildup inside the combustion chambers, 1 or 2 points higher octane might be required. Reason?? Beucase the carbon raises the compression ratio, thus higher ping resistance is needed. Also some areas use oxygenated gas for winter that is crap, so again maybe a higher octane is needed or find a gas co. that does do this to your gas.
Anyone who says their car runs better running an octane higher than what's recommended and their car is fairly new is full of crap. Kinda like changing your oil every 3000 miles becuase you see that on commericals. Friggin' stuck in the Matrix.
Anyone who says their car runs better running an octane higher than what's recommended and their car is fairly new is full of crap. Kinda like changing your oil every 3000 miles becuase you see that on commericals. Friggin' stuck in the Matrix.
11-02-2000, 09:56 AM
#13
I use the recommended octane suggested by Nissan and accounting for 117 thousand miles, that's which one. Honestly I think the VE and VQ are designed to use 92 octane. I can't get any better than that around here anyway.
vr4
vr4
11-02-2000, 10:25 AM
#15
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2000
Posts: 1,102
Gas
Personally I put in 89.
A good mechanic once told me that if the car is new then it doesn't matter what gas you put into it. If the car is old then you should try to put in good gas. Depending on the price I usually fill up with 89 or 92(I think that's the #).
Anyone who says that they notice a difference in performance if they put in bad gas: Please tell me what the f*&^ you are smoking? I want some of that!
I agree that it is better for the engine to put better gas but for performance? Come on....
I am not an expert and the above are my opinions but seeing an increase in performance from putting in better gas is the same thing as saying that you notice the difference in performance if you have your school bag in the car vs. when you dont. Perhaps your car might accelerate better by such a small fraction that you can't possibly notice a difference.
Anyway...I could be wrong about all of this.
Laterz,
Roman
A good mechanic once told me that if the car is new then it doesn't matter what gas you put into it. If the car is old then you should try to put in good gas. Depending on the price I usually fill up with 89 or 92(I think that's the #).
Anyone who says that they notice a difference in performance if they put in bad gas: Please tell me what the f*&^ you are smoking? I want some of that!
I agree that it is better for the engine to put better gas but for performance? Come on....
I am not an expert and the above are my opinions but seeing an increase in performance from putting in better gas is the same thing as saying that you notice the difference in performance if you have your school bag in the car vs. when you dont. Perhaps your car might accelerate better by such a small fraction that you can't possibly notice a difference.
Anyway...I could be wrong about all of this.
Laterz,
Roman
11-02-2000, 10:31 AM
#16
RE:GAS
I only use Sunoco 93 octane ocasionally 94.I fill up on wild Wednesdays which is 5 cents off a gallon.I got 93 octane yesterday day for $1.72 a gallon,then I get get 4 percent back for my Sunoco card so I only pay like $1.65 a gallon which is not bad.
11-02-2000, 10:38 AM
#18
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Join Date: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,069
now this is interesting..
i put in 94 almost all the time , but my friend has found out that a concoction of 94 mixed in with a little bit of mobil 93+ works the best.. weve tested his car 850i and you know what that $#!+ works honestly some good stuff,
the reason i can afford 94 all the time - i cheat the system thats how =P
the reason i can afford 94 all the time - i cheat the system thats how =P
11-02-2000, 10:59 AM
#19
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Posts: n/a
Wow, I should switch
I am new at owning a 96 Maxima and have been using reg. unleaded. It looks like I might get a little better performance, mileage, and overall better running engine if I try the higher octane. I will give it a shot, thanks.
Best regards,
tony
Best regards,
tony
11-02-2000, 11:51 AM
#20
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Join Date: Oct 2000
Posts: 2,032
Re: Gas
Originally posted by roman
Personally I put in 89.
A good mechanic once told me that if the car is new then it doesn't matter what gas you put into it. If the car is old then you should try to put in good gas. Depending on the price I usually fill up with 89 or 92(I think that's the #).
Anyone who says that they notice a difference in performance if they put in bad gas: Please tell me what the f*&^ you are smoking? I want some of that!
I agree that it is better for the engine to put better gas but for performance? Come on....
I am not an expert and the above are my opinions but seeing an increase in performance from putting in better gas is the same thing as saying that you notice the difference in performance if you have your school bag in the car vs. when you dont. Perhaps your car might accelerate better by such a small fraction that you can't possibly notice a difference.
Anyway...I could be wrong about all of this.
Laterz,
Roman
Personally I put in 89.
A good mechanic once told me that if the car is new then it doesn't matter what gas you put into it. If the car is old then you should try to put in good gas. Depending on the price I usually fill up with 89 or 92(I think that's the #).
Anyone who says that they notice a difference in performance if they put in bad gas: Please tell me what the f*&^ you are smoking? I want some of that!
I agree that it is better for the engine to put better gas but for performance? Come on....
I am not an expert and the above are my opinions but seeing an increase in performance from putting in better gas is the same thing as saying that you notice the difference in performance if you have your school bag in the car vs. when you dont. Perhaps your car might accelerate better by such a small fraction that you can't possibly notice a difference.
Anyway...I could be wrong about all of this.
Laterz,
Roman
11-02-2000, 11:54 AM
#21
Re: Re: Gas
What does you manual say to use? 89, 92 or 92 octane?
Originally posted by Victim64
Well, Roman, in my experience, with my 96 SE, I find that 89 reduces my performance at the track vs using 92 or higher. To do this comparison I ran a whole tank with 89, then field it up with 5 gallons(after E light came on) before the track and ran 6 1/8 miles. Then I did the same thing with 93 and ran 6 more times at the track the next week. I then repeated the test twice. Took six weeks. However, I found that when I ran 93 I would on average have a higher mph in the 1/8 of about 1.5 mph and my ET was lower on average by about .18. During the study nothing else was changed on the car and temp was about the same on all test within about 3 degrees. Also Amoco gas was the only thing used from the same station. My car also seems to run smother in idle with 93. If needed I will go back and try and find my time slips, however, this was done almost 2 years ago, and I am in college and have to move around a lot so might not be able to find them. Hope this helps
Originally posted by roman
Personally I put in 89.
A good mechanic once told me that if the car is new then it doesn't matter what gas you put into it. If the car is old then you should try to put in good gas. Depending on the price I usually fill up with 89 or 92(I think that's the #).
Anyone who says that they notice a difference in performance if they put in bad gas: Please tell me what the f*&^ you are smoking? I want some of that!
I agree that it is better for the engine to put better gas but for performance? Come on....
I am not an expert and the above are my opinions but seeing an increase in performance from putting in better gas is the same thing as saying that you notice the difference in performance if you have your school bag in the car vs. when you dont. Perhaps your car might accelerate better by such a small fraction that you can't possibly notice a difference.
Anyway...I could be wrong about all of this.
Laterz,
Roman
Personally I put in 89.
A good mechanic once told me that if the car is new then it doesn't matter what gas you put into it. If the car is old then you should try to put in good gas. Depending on the price I usually fill up with 89 or 92(I think that's the #).
Anyone who says that they notice a difference in performance if they put in bad gas: Please tell me what the f*&^ you are smoking? I want some of that!
I agree that it is better for the engine to put better gas but for performance? Come on....
I am not an expert and the above are my opinions but seeing an increase in performance from putting in better gas is the same thing as saying that you notice the difference in performance if you have your school bag in the car vs. when you dont. Perhaps your car might accelerate better by such a small fraction that you can't possibly notice a difference.
Anyway...I could be wrong about all of this.
Laterz,
Roman
11-02-2000, 12:07 PM
#22
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2000
Posts: 1,102
Re: Re: Gas
Well, Roman, in my experience, with my 96 SE, I find that 89 reduces my performance at the track vs using 92 or higher. To do this comparison I ran a whole tank with 89, then field it up with 5 gallons(after E light came on) before the track and ran 6 1/8 miles. Then I did the same thing with 93 and ran 6 more times at the track the next week. I then repeated the test twice. Took six weeks. However, I found that when I ran 93 I would on average have a higher mph in the 1/8 of about 1.5 mph and my ET was lower on average by about .18. During the study nothing else was changed on the car and temp was about the same on all test within about 3 degrees. Also Amoco gas was the only thing used from the same station. My car also seems to run smother in idle with 93. If needed I will go back and try and find my time slips, however, this was done almost 2 years ago, and I am in college and have to move around a lot so might not be able to find them. Hope this helps
I admit that up until last month I always put the cheapest gas I could find into my car, usually was 87. I think that is a bad thing to do, especially for older cars.
Another thing to take into consideration is the Gas company you use. Mobil gas is different than Chevron than some cheap no name brand. I would try to avoid the no name brand even though sometimes they might be cheaper.
Anyway..my advise: Stick with a brand name station and get the gas which is recomended in your manual!
Roman
11-02-2000, 02:41 PM
#23
roman
I agree that in your car with the VG engine you will not get any better performance from using higher octane gasoline, because as far as I know Nissan doesn't recommend it. So for you, buying the good stuff is a waste of money. For those of us with VQ however, the engine was designed for higher octane fuel. Anybody who fills up with less will notice the difference. I did it once because there was a shortage of premium, and the car did not like it.
11-02-2000, 02:42 PM
#24
Re: Re: Re: Gas
My neighboor used to deliver from NJ tanks to gas stations and told me that Mobil and Exxon don't always pull gas from their own tanks. I think he mentioned something about how only shell and chevron own the pipe lines, and that their gasolines are made differently, but that's about it. So Mobile, Shell, and NoName gas station are probably using the same gas from the same tank station. I think that Chevron has it's own gas though. Can anyone elaborate on this?
11-02-2000, 03:19 PM
#27
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Join Date: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,677
Ok here's my 0.02 cents on it.
I have a '99 GLE..while my friend has a '96 GXE.
He puts in normal 87 Octane gas...and with this, his car can barely accelerate! You floor the pedal and it doesn't pick up like my '99 GLE does (I've been only using Premium which is either 91-93 depending on where u go). Plus he's got a few problems with his car (engine related).
I think the reasoning for why his car is slower is because of the regular gas he uses.
On another note, how much does it cost to get a full tank at where u live?
Here in Toronto it's around 86 cents(CDN) for Premium gas..it comes to about $50CDN to get a full tank.
I have a '99 GLE..while my friend has a '96 GXE.
He puts in normal 87 Octane gas...and with this, his car can barely accelerate! You floor the pedal and it doesn't pick up like my '99 GLE does (I've been only using Premium which is either 91-93 depending on where u go). Plus he's got a few problems with his car (engine related).
I think the reasoning for why his car is slower is because of the regular gas he uses.
On another note, how much does it cost to get a full tank at where u live?
Here in Toronto it's around 86 cents(CDN) for Premium gas..it comes to about $50CDN to get a full tank.
11-02-2000, 04:00 PM
#29
93 or higher only. Here is my take on gas:
If the user manual reccomends premium fuel, use only that. The Maxima has a knock sensor that will detect pinging or knocking in the engine caused by using lower octane gas. This pinging is caused by premature combustion and throws off engine timing. The knock sensor is there to detect that situation and retard the engine timing so as to not cause serious damage. Thus, using lower octane gas may in most cases make your engine lose performance. Also, you must keep in mind that running an engine hard when the timing is retarded by the knock sensor may lead to damage over time. So, try to stick to what the manual reccomends. Gas is expensive, but keeping your engine in top shape is worth a lot more.
If the user manual reccomends premium fuel, use only that. The Maxima has a knock sensor that will detect pinging or knocking in the engine caused by using lower octane gas. This pinging is caused by premature combustion and throws off engine timing. The knock sensor is there to detect that situation and retard the engine timing so as to not cause serious damage. Thus, using lower octane gas may in most cases make your engine lose performance. Also, you must keep in mind that running an engine hard when the timing is retarded by the knock sensor may lead to damage over time. So, try to stick to what the manual reccomends. Gas is expensive, but keeping your engine in top shape is worth a lot more.
11-02-2000, 04:14 PM
#32
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Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: NJ
Posts: 5,630
I use straight Amoco (is that spelled right?!) Ultimate 93 octane all the way. Nothing else! The gas isnt clear for no reason! Ill also use sunoco racing gas if i can too but that makes the car idle rough.. not good.
11-02-2000, 04:23 PM
#34
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Join Date: Oct 2000
Posts: 2,032
Re: Re: Re: Gas
Originally posted by roman
Well, Roman, in my experience, with my 96 SE, I find that 89 reduces my performance at the track vs using 92 or higher. To do this comparison I ran a whole tank with 89, then field it up with 5 gallons(after E light came on) before the track and ran 6 1/8 miles. Then I did the same thing with 93 and ran 6 more times at the track the next week. I then repeated the test twice. Took six weeks. However, I found that when I ran 93 I would on average have a higher mph in the 1/8 of about 1.5 mph and my ET was lower on average by about .18. During the study nothing else was changed on the car and temp was about the same on all test within about 3 degrees. Also Amoco gas was the only thing used from the same station. My car also seems to run smother in idle with 93. If needed I will go back and try and find my time slips, however, this was done almost 2 years ago, and I am in college and have to move around a lot so might not be able to find them. Hope this helps
Ok so as you said yourself you noticed that your car averaged a higher MPH of about 1.5MPH....When u are trying to improve your time..I agree...every MPH counts. But when you are using your Maxima as an every day driver, which I think most of the people in here do, it really makes no difference if you put 89 or 93,94,whatever.
I admit that up until last month I always put the cheapest gas I could find into my car, usually was 87. I think that is a bad thing to do, especially for older cars.
Another thing to take into consideration is the Gas company you use. Mobil gas is different than Chevron than some cheap no name brand. I would try to avoid the no name brand even though sometimes they might be cheaper.
Anyway..my advise: Stick with a brand name station and get the gas which is recomended in your manual!
Roman
Well, Roman, in my experience, with my 96 SE, I find that 89 reduces my performance at the track vs using 92 or higher. To do this comparison I ran a whole tank with 89, then field it up with 5 gallons(after E light came on) before the track and ran 6 1/8 miles. Then I did the same thing with 93 and ran 6 more times at the track the next week. I then repeated the test twice. Took six weeks. However, I found that when I ran 93 I would on average have a higher mph in the 1/8 of about 1.5 mph and my ET was lower on average by about .18. During the study nothing else was changed on the car and temp was about the same on all test within about 3 degrees. Also Amoco gas was the only thing used from the same station. My car also seems to run smother in idle with 93. If needed I will go back and try and find my time slips, however, this was done almost 2 years ago, and I am in college and have to move around a lot so might not be able to find them. Hope this helps
I admit that up until last month I always put the cheapest gas I could find into my car, usually was 87. I think that is a bad thing to do, especially for older cars.
Another thing to take into consideration is the Gas company you use. Mobil gas is different than Chevron than some cheap no name brand. I would try to avoid the no name brand even though sometimes they might be cheaper.
Anyway..my advise: Stick with a brand name station and get the gas which is recomended in your manual!
Roman
11-02-2000, 05:26 PM
#37
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Posts: n/a
Amoco Super Premium 93 (Hotlanta)
Here in the south, especially with the humidity, amoco is usually the choice. Just because it's super premium doesn't mean that's the gas coming out, because some full tanks of premium will allow me to take off burnin rubber, from a stan-still start and other amoco stations supposidly with the same gas won't allow my automatic to spin crap, from a standing start!!
11-02-2000, 05:41 PM
#38
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Posts: n/a
Lots of good advice here from all you folks. Use the recommended octane please! The Max is a high performance, HIGH COMPRESSION engine. High comp engines detonate (ping,knock) easier than low comp. engines. Octane rating is the resistance to detonation factor of the fuel.
Sure the Max and all modern engines have sophisticated ECUs to prevent detonation but I'm not convinced they can be 100% effective, that's just my somewhat educated guess.I'm not willing to put in gas that will potentially damage my engine
Since I installed the JWT ECU it's absolutely necessary that I use 92+ octane since the somewhat conservative factory settings have been tweaked closer to the edge. JWT stated I must run 92+ or face detonation in my motor, even though there are knock sensors.
Sure the Max and all modern engines have sophisticated ECUs to prevent detonation but I'm not convinced they can be 100% effective, that's just my somewhat educated guess.I'm not willing to put in gas that will potentially damage my engine
Since I installed the JWT ECU it's absolutely necessary that I use 92+ octane since the somewhat conservative factory settings have been tweaked closer to the edge. JWT stated I must run 92+ or face detonation in my motor, even though there are knock sensors.
11-02-2000, 09:42 PM
#40
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Join Date: Aug 2000
Posts: 1,991
WTF?...i have a 95 with 115,000 plus miles..i always put 87 octane usually from mobil(92 octane when i have money). why you ask?.cuz im a BROKE *** **** COLLEGE KID..yeah i could spend my money on 92 octane..then again i drive 70 plus miles a day, and fly on the freeway. i usually fill up three times a week. my car doesnt lagg though likea previous reply said, although its true i do feel a difference with 92.