Premium gas necessary for cars that say they need premium?

[loybond]

I just bought an 02 Maxima, and apparently, Nissan recommends 91 octane for it. Do you guys think it's really necessary?

The compression ratio is 10.0:1 on this iteration of the VQ35. The latest Maxima (09) has a compression ratio of 11:1, and Nissan recommends premium for that, and that makes a bit more sense to me.

What do you guys think?

[thephenom]

Most modern cars will adjust to regular, but you'll definitely lose fuel efficiency. So you can weight the difference between fuel efficiency vs premium gas.

[kevv]

u could get away with mid grade

[Tomy]

how long u planning to drive the car?
are u performance freak?

if u don't mind the engine knocking n losing a few ponies, get regular gas.

[loybond]

how long u planning to drive the car?
are u performance freak?

if u don't mind the engine knocking n losing a few ponies, get regular gas.

I love performance cars, but this is supposed to be a reliable daily driver. The engine shouldn't knock, that's what those sensors are for, right? I don't want to put undue burden on the engine or knock sensors, just wondering if 10.0:1 warrants premium.

[maniacshopper]

I just bought an 02 Maxima, and apparently, Nissan recommends 91 octane for it. Do you guys think it's really necessary?

The compression ratio is 10.0:1 on this iteration of the VQ35. The latest Maxima (09) has a compression ratio of 11:1, and Nissan recommends premium for that, and that makes a bit more sense to me.

What do you guys think?

you said recommended premium, so you can you regular.
But you'll find there's a cost, that fuel consumption is higher, and loss of power.

Maximas are similar to g35/g37, tweaked for optimal power output, premium I say is required not recommended.

[bembol]

I don't get it, if you have to question spending $0.13+ for Premium, why did you buy it?

[zivan56]

Give it a try and see if there is a difference. It won't do any actual damage or anything...but you will notice less power and worse mileage. Plus it's an older car...so even less of a reason to use premium...

[alamshahid]

My G35 coupe gets about 420-450km on a full tank of regular fuel. With Premium I get about 550-570km. The difference is worth the extra 10 bucks on a full tank of gas.

[jasonkwan86]

Cars with premium fuel typically run better. For example MINI's run on premium fuel in order to get as much mileage as possible. The engine was designed to run on premium as its much more refined. It may be possible to put regular fuel into the car, however the fuel efficiency drops considerably thus resulting in less mileage. So when your at the pumps, you might think your saving money with a lower grade fuel but you would end up spending more time at the pumps in the long run.

For other cars, I am not sure if it will damage the engine or not. Coopers might be ok, but I would not recommend it for a Cooper S.

[m4gician]

You bought a car for several thousand dollars. Stop trying to save dozens of dollars. Put in the gas required, use premium. That should be calculated in your cost of ownership.

[m4gician]

Edit, I'll just repost...wow the mark up of premium vs. Regular is 13.5 cents at some stations! Geeze at these prices thath 15% more...heh.

Still, you should use premium.

[XxXSnake23XxX]

I don't get it, if you have to question spending $0.13+ for Premium, why did you buy it?

this

[Tomy]

I love performance cars, but this is supposed to be a reliable daily driver. The engine shouldn't knock, that's what those sensors are for, right? I don't want to put undue burden on the engine or knock sensors, just wondering if 10.0:1 warrants premium.

jsut get premium gas and call it a day
mentally, ur happier

[skidz88]

I own this exact car, except mine is 03 but yea same thing. Don't even think about using anything less than 91(I use 94), no matter what anyone on here tells you.

On a hot day in summer you may even notice the car knock on 91, as these motors have a tendency for it. Your car would constantly knock on 87 or even 89 and down the road it would cause you major headaches. The VQ35 should always feel responsive and perky, and if it doesn't the knock sensor has detected pinging and ******** the timing back, you'll know because your car will feel much slower than it should. Use 91 octane and full synthetic oil and enjoy your VQ all the way up to 400,000km+, these motors can easily reach that.