Fuel grade question

I just read the manual above and 91 octane is RECOMMENDED. That means to me you can probably use 87 or 89 if not towing or mountains driving. JMG. Ed
 
Nissan VQ engines are pretty high compression between 10:1 and 11:1 depending on the specific variation, I've read many people complaining about VQs knocking on 87 or that they could tell that the engine was retarding timing when using 87. VQ engines are pretty much designed for premium, using 87 in them will most likely result in knocking and the ECU pulling back to prevent knocking, pretty much all VQ equipped cars before 2002 said premium required, some alleged that in 2002 they started saying you could use regular to make their offering more attractive because competing manufacturers were starting to offer fairly equal V6 powered cars that didn't need premium and while the NIssan's can technically run on 87 they are really made for premium and you should really use premium.
 
Originally Posted by Eddie
I just read the manual above and 91 octane is RECOMMENDED. That means to me you can probably use 87 or 89 if not towing or mountains driving. JMG. Ed

Originally Posted by Skippy722
91 minimum recommended, 87 absolute minimum.


The way that I understand it is...
If the owner's manual states that 91 octane fuel(gasoline) is RECOMMENDED then, other grades of fuel can be used(but, no lower than 87). Even though we know that lower octane gasoline(85-86) is available in higher altitude areas.

However, If the owner's manual states the 91 octane fuel or high is REQUIRED then, you must use that.
 
You can safely use regular on a modern car that's designed to run on premium, the ECU will compensate by dialing back the timing which will drop the power a little. I talked to several VQ owners and some of them have never used premium. You won't get pinging, the engine's knock sensor will pick it up before you ever hear or feel it. This is not the case if you're talking about a 70's Mercedes designed to be run on premuim.
 
Just use premium and forget about it...you'll be getting the bump in power and often premium fuels have better detergent packages as well.
 
Use premium.. The car will run and give you better longevity that way.. the price difference really isn't much if you do the math... a couple dollars? why worry about that when the car was designed to run best with that octane. Think of it like this.. I CAN live eating fast food, my doctor would recommend I don't.
 
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