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How much hp do you lose using regular?
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Eric, I remember last week in that other thread that both you and I had posted that we had noticed a power drop when switching to regular gas. I noticed the same on my 3.5 Altima. Same engine and same result. I don't like paying anymore than the next guy for premium but I do notice the difference. I concur.
Bob1
Bob1
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You might lose out on fuel economy because one would need to press on the gas more due to the reduction of power. Especially when trying to keep your speed constant on inclines.Kris said:
No dfference at all. I too was suckered into running 91. I finally started to keep track of mileage and performance. Then I started using 87. The mileage is identical and I can't tell any difference in performance. . When I start attemting to qualify for the Daytona 500 I may start using 91 but cummuting to work gets 87 octane only.
Article from the Federal Trade Commission regarding high octane gas
Quote from the FTC:
"the recommended gasoline for most cars is regular octane. In fact, in most cases, using a higher octane gasoline than your owner's manual recommends offers absolutely no benefit. It won't make your car perform better, go faster, get better mileage or run cleaner."
Article from the Federal Trade Commission regarding high octane gas
Quote from the FTC:
"the recommended gasoline for most cars is regular octane. In fact, in most cases, using a higher octane gasoline than your owner's manual recommends offers absolutely no benefit. It won't make your car perform better, go faster, get better mileage or run cleaner."
Actually the recommended octane is 87. The manual suggests that 91 octane is used to increase performance. BUT... 96 octane was used in the research. How is that research on 91 octane?
Article from AAA:
Don’t Fall for the “Octane Myth”
AAA Auto Club South advises motorists to not fall for the “octane myth” and buy premium-grade gasoline unless it’s specified in their vehicle owner’s manual.
Premium gas sales are nearing 20 percent of total gas sold. However, less than 10 percent of cars actually need premium’s higher octane. AAA says that only exotic cars, sport utilities and those with high-performance engines really need premium gas.
Contrary to popular opinion, premium gas does not provide more power or “pep,” doesn’t improve performance, burn more cleanly, reduce engine wear or improve mileage.
Other interesting facts about premium gas include:
Premium gas normally does not contain more or better detergents than regular gas;
According to the Federal Trade Commission, most gasoline advertising is directed at increasing premium sales;
A car’s octane needs often increase with age — but usually only slightly — and this could cause engine knock, but...
Switching gasoline brands may be the easiest thing to do to stop that annoying pinging without paying more at the pump.
Recent AAA Fuel Gauge Reports indicate motorists who buy premium pay about 21 cents more per gallon than for regular grade fuel.
Check your owner’s manual for the recommended octane level. If you don’t need to buy premium gasoline, don’t waste your money.
Article from AAA:
Don’t Fall for the “Octane Myth”
AAA Auto Club South advises motorists to not fall for the “octane myth” and buy premium-grade gasoline unless it’s specified in their vehicle owner’s manual.
Premium gas sales are nearing 20 percent of total gas sold. However, less than 10 percent of cars actually need premium’s higher octane. AAA says that only exotic cars, sport utilities and those with high-performance engines really need premium gas.
Contrary to popular opinion, premium gas does not provide more power or “pep,” doesn’t improve performance, burn more cleanly, reduce engine wear or improve mileage.
Other interesting facts about premium gas include:
Premium gas normally does not contain more or better detergents than regular gas;
According to the Federal Trade Commission, most gasoline advertising is directed at increasing premium sales;
A car’s octane needs often increase with age — but usually only slightly — and this could cause engine knock, but...
Switching gasoline brands may be the easiest thing to do to stop that annoying pinging without paying more at the pump.
Recent AAA Fuel Gauge Reports indicate motorists who buy premium pay about 21 cents more per gallon than for regular grade fuel.
Check your owner’s manual for the recommended octane level. If you don’t need to buy premium gasoline, don’t waste your money.
This horse has been beat to quarks......
Run wutcha want.
Applying what the AAA and the FTC says about the MAJORITY of car engines to the Murano is relegating the 10.3 to 1 compression VQ engines to the masses of 8.5 to 1 wanabe engines.
10.3 to 1 is high compression...by any standard.
High compression engines benifit from high octane gas.
High octane can not be used efficiently in 8.5 to 1 engines--there it would be a waste and AAA and the FTC would be on par with the standard engine of the masses. Around 9.7 to 1 is where engines start to want higher octane.
Be careful when reading stuff that applies to the run of the mill engine---the VQ is not a standard engine.
dam, there goes another quark!
:2:
Run wutcha want.
Applying what the AAA and the FTC says about the MAJORITY of car engines to the Murano is relegating the 10.3 to 1 compression VQ engines to the masses of 8.5 to 1 wanabe engines.
10.3 to 1 is high compression...by any standard.
High compression engines benifit from high octane gas.
High octane can not be used efficiently in 8.5 to 1 engines--there it would be a waste and AAA and the FTC would be on par with the standard engine of the masses. Around 9.7 to 1 is where engines start to want higher octane.
Be careful when reading stuff that applies to the run of the mill engine---the VQ is not a standard engine.
dam, there goes another quark!
:2:
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"Octane rating (AKI)" does not equal "octane number."Zooropa said:
The 96 is a research octane number (RON), which is different from pump octane rating. All gas pumps reports the average of motor octane number (MON) and RON. There is usually a placard on the pump showing it. Hence a RON of 96 usually equates to 91 "octane rating" at the pump.
From the owners manual, it is clear that 87 is the required fuel, but 91 octane is recommended for maximum performance. You do not need to run 91, but it will give better performance (that in my case is quite noticable).
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7,136 Posts
Each engine is different and just because the majority behave a certain way, it does not mean the MO will behave that way too.
Maybe it won't matter if you are driving on level roads all the time, but if you need that extra pep to do better than average on the inclines or moving in and out of traffic with your MO then you need the premium gas.
On the way to and from work everyday I have to go through an incline that is couple of miles long. I have noticed that the MO has a much easier time climing at higher speeds with 91 Octane than 87. On the level road, performance is about the same until I have to gas it to accelerate. Then the difference again becomes obvious.
With 91, I also get about 1mpg better economy than regular gas. That could be because of the extra hp I am getting so I don't have to push the gas pedal down as much. True, the 91 gas is more expensive but at the end of the day, it cost me almost the same money to travel the same distance.
So I buy premium about 90% of time. The other 10% I buy regular to once more "test" to see if I am wasting my money, but everytime, I go back to 91...
Maybe it won't matter if you are driving on level roads all the time, but if you need that extra pep to do better than average on the inclines or moving in and out of traffic with your MO then you need the premium gas.
On the way to and from work everyday I have to go through an incline that is couple of miles long. I have noticed that the MO has a much easier time climing at higher speeds with 91 Octane than 87. On the level road, performance is about the same until I have to gas it to accelerate. Then the difference again becomes obvious.
With 91, I also get about 1mpg better economy than regular gas. That could be because of the extra hp I am getting so I don't have to push the gas pedal down as much. True, the 91 gas is more expensive but at the end of the day, it cost me almost the same money to travel the same distance.
So I buy premium about 90% of time. The other 10% I buy regular to once more "test" to see if I am wasting my money, but everytime, I go back to 91...
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8,368 Posts
Yeah my wallet gave in the other day and I bought a tank of regular. I noticed the diminished performance immediately, and regret not paying another $4 for premium. Back to premium next time, even if it hits $3/gallon.zebelkhan said:Each engine is different and just because the majority behave a certain way, it does not mean the MO will behave that way too.
Maybe it won't matter if you are driving on level roads all the time, but if you need that extra pep to do better than average on the inclines or moving in and out of traffic with your MO then you need the premium gas.
On the way to and from work everyday I have to go through an incline that is couple of miles long. I have noticed that the MO has a much easier time climing at higher speeds with 91 Octane than 87. On the level road, performance is about the same until I have to gas it to accelerate. Then the difference again becomes obvious.
With 91, I also get about 1mpg better economy than regular gas. That could be because of the extra hp I am getting so I don't have to push the gas pedal down as much. True, the 91 gas is more expensive but at the end of the day, it cost me almost the same money to travel the same distance.
So I buy premium about 90% of time. The other 10% I buy regular to once more "test" to see if I am wasting my money, but everytime, I go back to 91...
I'll add mine. I'm a cheapskate. Most times, I'll fill up with regular. Every now and then I'll get a tank of premium. The immediate difference that I notice with premium is that the Murano's range meter (part of the average fuel economy calculator on the center console screen) goes up by about 75 to 100 miles for the tank. Then while driving, the MPG average increases from 2 to 5 mpg. Finally, the Mo "feels" peppier - there isn't a need to "wind up" the engine revs to get the same pep.
If it were just the last measure (the "feel"), I'd probably stick to regular. But given the computer's measurement of the range and fuel economy, I'm thinking I'll go with premium more often. As I see it, I can either pay less for regular and buy more gas or pay more for premium and refill less frequently.
If it were just the last measure (the "feel"), I'd probably stick to regular. But given the computer's measurement of the range and fuel economy, I'm thinking I'll go with premium more often. As I see it, I can either pay less for regular and buy more gas or pay more for premium and refill less frequently.
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If you cannot feel the difference between regular and super, then using regular is the right choice for you.Zooropa said:
Assuming a 20 cents difference per gallon between regular and super, its around $4 extra per fillup to use super. Worth it to some, not worth it to others.
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