| Unsure |
Hi all...first time post here...Lookin at a new 05 and the dealer tells me that I have to run 91 octane in it. Is this true? The cost of fuel will kill me
Thanks |
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| ekaxel |
| All these dealers must own gas stations! Running 91 octane will give you a little more power (how much depends on how much imagination you have and how heavy your foot is, in which case the cost shouldn't bother you). You will get about 10% more mileage on the highway, probably no help in town at all. 87 octane regular is just fine for most of us. The computer takes care of the difference in the engine. |
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| Unsure |
| I didn't get a chance to read an owners manual either, but he tells me it says it in themanual also.. |
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| ekaxel |
| It says (in 2003 anyway) "preferred" not "required'. There are conflicting instructions in different manuals. Bottom line is regular won't hurt you or your MO. |
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| NCtravellinman |
| With both my 'Mo's, positive payback for 93 octane if solid highway driving. Around town, no significant improvement in economy from 89 to 93. |
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| Stoker |
quote:
Originally posted by NCtravellinman
With both my 'Mo's, positive payback for 93 octane if solid highway driving. Around town, no significant improvement in economy from 89 to 93.
I agree, I use premimun when I tow my tent trailer and I get bteween 10-11 Lts/100 KM. In the city driving I get 11.5-12.4 lts/ 100 KM using midrange fuel. |
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| Gonzo |
Tell the sales person to read the manual.... suggestion not required. You will not do any damage at all to the engine buy running lower octane.
I hate bad information from the dealers! |
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| Eric L. |
Yeah, its 91+ recommended, but 87 required. You can use either, but will get a little more horsepower and fuel economy using premium. As the price of gas rises, the differential between regular and premium tends to be 20 cents a gallon, and its fixed. So the more the prices rise, the "cheaper" (relatively) premium actually becomes.
I notice more pep on premium and the mileage difference for me on all city driving is 15mpg on regular 87, and around 16.5mpg on 93. Since premium is less than 10% more expensive than regular, its worth it to me (even not considering the power difference, which for conservative drivers might not be noticable). |
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| elliotgb |
| Lately I've been mixing half 93 octane with half 89 which totals 91. I haven't seen many stations around here that even offer 91. |
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| billy bronco |
| I have to run 91 or higher - else my 2004 pings like crazy! Its got 17K miles on it and I bought it with 9K. I pull a 3400 pound boat and if I don't use 93 it sounds like its gonna come appart! |
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| ekaxel |
| BB Something isn't right if it pings on regular. The computer/knock sensor shpuld be retarding your timing to take care of that. |
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| pb1963 |
| My wifes '03 runs just fine on 87. We haven't noticed any significant improvement with 91. |
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| SugarRushMurano |
quote:
Originally posted by pb1963
My wifes '03 runs just fine on 87. We haven't noticed any significant improvement with 91.
Same here, i fill up only with 87 or 89 on the murano.
Some car is more sensitive to ocane, even it is said that the ECU can retard the timing when 87 is used. Some car, like murano, adapt well to the octane. |
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| Erik713 |
First post, but I registered to post here because I have a question.
In the book, it says no less than 87 AKI (anti-knock index)....but as far as I've researched, it looks like AKI and octane are not the same. Isn't an AKI of 87 equal to octane of 92?
Am I missing something?
-Erik |
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| Eric L. |
quote:
Originally posted by Erik713
First post, but I registered to post here because I have a question.
In the book, it says no less than 87 AKI (anti-knock index)....but as far as I've researched, it looks like AKI and octane are not the same. Isn't an AKI of 87 equal to octane of 92?
Am I missing something?
-Erik
AKI = Octane RATING
Octane number is not the same as rating. Octane number is divided into RON (research octane number) and MON (motor octane number). If you look on a gas pump, the octane rating is the numerical average of RON and MON. This rating is the same as AKI. Sometimes this is shown as (R+M)/2 or (RON+MON)/2.
The Murano requires 87 AKI, or regular unleaded. It gets better performance on 91+ AKI, i.e. premium, but its not required. |
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| Erik713 |
Excellent! Thank you, Eric. That makes complete sense. Thanks for your expertise!
-Erik
quote:
Originally posted by Eric L.
AKI = Octane RATING
Octane number is not the same as rating. Octane number is divided into RON (research octane number) and MON (motor octane number). If you look on a gas pump, the octane rating is the numerical average of RON and MON. This rating is the same as AKI.
The Murano requires 87 AKI, or regular unleaded. It gets better performance on 91+ AKI, i.e. premium, but its not required.
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| Eric L. |
| Oh to add to the octane discussion, not sure if this has already been posted, but regarding Octane boosters, one octane point is equal to .1 AKI. So, suppose an additive says it will "increase your octane by four points" - if you add this to 87 AKI gasoline, you'll get 87.4 AKI. In other words, these additives are never a cost effective alternative to purchasing premium unleaded. |
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| neo |
| I've run 93 in every tank since day 1 over two years ago and she has run beautifully. I will most likely have the Mo for a long time so anything that is reccomended is being done. Especially changing out the CVT fluid even with the $300+ cost. Even rebuilt CVT's are over 3k and I'm not looking to spend that, ever. |
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| biggun |
If one is to discuss gas, one must discuss the quality of gas. Some gas at 87 Octane (Top Tier) maybe better for your car than 91 Octane (cheap gas). If you are to use 87 Octane, go for the top tier gas.
See link below for top tier retail providers.
http://www.toptiergas.com/retailers.html |
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| TOXIC |
| The octane rating is not the only point of consideration when purchasing fuel for use in the MURANO. Lower octane fuels rarely have cleaners and/or detergents to help clean the engines fuel system. Here in Australia we have four grades of unleaded fuel available at larger service stations. These are: regular 91RON, premium 95RON, ultimate 98RON and boost 100RON. The basic 91RON does not have any water dispersants or injector cleaners and is considered to be a rather "dirty" fuel in that it leaves more carbon deposits within the engine and which ultimately collects in the oil which turns black rather rapidly, another by-product of unleaded fuels. The premium 95RON has water dispersants and detergent cleaners to keep injectors clean and help reduce carbon deposits from building within the combustion chamber. The higher than 95RON fuels also have the same features and are generally for use in higher performance european cars. The higher octane giving a longer and cleaner burn rate and more power. Many cars will run on the lower octane ratings but to extract the most horsepower, cooler running and effiency, 95RON and higher are preferred. I use 95RON in my MURANO and this gives the best performance cost ratio. I have tried higher octanes but there does not seem to be any added performance when using these so why pay more!! I did notice though, a definate increase in responsiveness and performance when stepping up to 95RON from 91RON with only a slight increase in cost. :D |
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| njjoe |
Toxic-
In the US, the EPA has required a minimum dosage of detergent additives in all gasolines since 1995. All of the major suppliers (Exxon, Shell, Mobile, etc.) contain additional quantities to better guarantee fuel system cleanliness.
-njjoe |
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| hfelknor |
Not quite that simple.
Actually the refiners were putting in much more in 95 than they are today EXCEPT for the ones who have signed on to TOP TIER.
***************************************
Top Tier Detergent Gasoline
TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline is a recently established new standard for gasoline performance. Four of the world's top automakers, BMW, General Motors, Honda, and Toyota recognize that the current EPA minimum detergent requirements do not go far enough to ensure optimal engine performance.
Since the minimum additive performance standards were first established by EPA in 1995, most gasoline marketers have actually reduced the concentration level of detergent additive in their gasoline by up to 50%. As a result, the ability of a vehicle to maintain stringent Tier 2 emission standards have been hampered, leading to engine deposits which can have a big impact on in-use emissions and driver satisfaction.
These automakers have raised the bar. TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline help drivers avoid lower quality gasoline which can leave deposits on critical engine parts, which reduces engine performance. That’s something both drivers and automakers want to avoid.
****************************************
The good guys are listed below:
TOP TIER Gasoline Retailers:
QuikTrip
Chevron
Conoco
Phillips
76
Shell
Entec Stations
MFA Oil Company
Kwik Trip/Kwik Star
The Somerset Refinery, Inc.
Chevron-Canada
All of this (and more) can be found at
http://www.toptiergas.com/index.html
Homer |
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| Eric L. |
quote:
Originally posted by TOXIC
The octane rating is not the only point of consideration when purchasing fuel for use in the MURANO. Lower octane fuels rarely have cleaners and/or detergents to help clean the engines fuel system. Here in Australia we have four grades of unleaded fuel available at larger service stations. These are: regular 91RON, premium 95RON, ultimate 98RON and boost 100RON. The basic 91RON does not have any water dispersants or injector cleaners and is considered to be a rather "dirty" fuel in that it leaves more carbon deposits within the engine and which ultimately collects in the oil which turns black rather rapidly, another by-product of unleaded fuels. The premium 95RON has water dispersants and detergent cleaners to keep injectors clean and help reduce carbon deposits from building within the combustion chamber. The higher than 95RON fuels also have the same features and are generally for use in higher performance european cars. The higher octane giving a longer and cleaner burn rate and more power. Many cars will run on the lower octane ratings but to extract the most horsepower, cooler running and effiency, 95RON and higher are preferred. I use 95RON in my MURANO and this gives the best performance cost ratio. I have tried higher octanes but there does not seem to be any added performance when using these so why pay more!! I did notice though, a definate increase in responsiveness and performance when stepping up to 95RON from 91RON with only a slight increase in cost. :D
To avoid confusion here, keep in mind that North American octane ratings use the combined (RON+MON)/2 method (to give a number called Octane Rating), which gives an overall lower number for octane (but not a lower value for octane). An easy way to remember is 91 RON = 87 "Octane Rating", so 95 RON above is actually 91 Octane Rating, the recommended fuel for the Murano. |
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| ekaxel |
" Gasoline retailers must meet the high TOP TIER standards with all grades of gasoline to be approved by the automakers as providing TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline. "
One of the keys to reading this may be the phrase "all grades...". Some refiners in the US may put 'acceptable' levels of additives only in their premium (91/92) grades, and thus can't make the list.
I note that Exxon/Mobil and Arco/BP are conspicuously absent from the list, even though their premium grades MAY be fine. |
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| Eric L. |
quote:
Originally posted by ekaxel
" Gasoline retailers must meet the high TOP TIER standards with all grades of gasoline to be approved by the automakers as providing TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline. "
One of the keys to reading this may be the phrase "all grades...". Some refiners in the US may put 'acceptable' levels of additives only in their premium (91/92) grades, and thus can't make the list.
I note that Exxon/Mobil and Arco/BP are conspicuously absent from the list, even though their premium grades MAY be fine.
I read something a few months ago that both Exxon/Mobil and BP/Amoco said their premium grades exceed Top Tier (but they made no claims about their cheap stuff).
Despite Top Tier, it is still not a bad idea though to run a bottle of Chevron Techron Concentrate every so often (I use it every 5000 miles). I've heard great things about BG 44K additive, but its pretty pricey. I know Nissan does not recommend fuel additives, but I feel its more a legal disclaimer against snake oils like Slick50 or Marvel Mystery Oil than well regarded treatments like Techron. |
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