Will using plus or premium gas in my 2001 Altima improve its performance?

Question

My product manual for my 2001 Nissan Altima says I should use "at least" 87 for the car's fuel. Does this mean that I could use a higher octane like 89 or 93? If so, would I get better performance out of the car by using a higher fuel grade? Could it damage the car if I did this? And finally, is it worth the extra money to get a higher fuel grade?

Answer 1

Dodge man - You touched on it...let me expand

You are right about ingrediants...87 should have the same additives 93 has. What you are wrong on is what the difference is. The difference is the OCTANE number. That is what you are paying for.

87 octane fuel will combust easier inside an engine than 93 octane. It is really that simple. 93 octane fuel is harder for your engine to burn than 87 octane.

If your engine calls for 87 octane...run that. You will have better power and better economy.

Now, why do they even sell 93 octane? Because there are cars out there that NEED the higher octane. This is because of different reasons. But it could because the engine has higher compression, it is turbocharged, or maybe supercharged. These engines require higher octane because higher octane gives the engine resistance to detonation. Google it if you care.

If I found out a filling station wasn't selling my 93 I would be mad because they are putting my engine at risk. If I toasted an apex seal because of that I would be irrate.

Answer 2

Dateline (or some show like it) just did a story about this a week or so ago and said that it doesn't make a difference and you'll be wasting your money if you use the higher octane. In fact, a couple places in NY were busted for selling the same regular unleaded gas as premium! The program said to just go with what your manual says and that most cars don't need the higher octane.

Answer 3

not really,,there is a myth about better gas,,and that,s about it,,but it doesn't help your mileage any,,and you will pay a lot more for it too,,i have seen both regular,,and premium tested,,and both tested exactly the same,,as far as ingredient,s,,and performance,,the only difference was the price,,some people ask,,well why do they even make it then,,well that too is a question,for answer,s,,but i have used both in my truck,,and it makes no difference what so ever,,but some people feel better using it,,the only difference known between the 2 fuel,s are octane rating,,but that doesn't make your car get any better mileage,,i hope this help,s some,,i do this for a living,i am a mechanic,,and i answer this question every day to a customer.

Answer 4

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!
There is no way the fuel grade will affect fuel economy if you can use the cheap stuff.......prove it to yourself....let the tank go almost dry than fill up with premium and record the mileage....then when the tank goes nearly dry again, fill it up with the 87 and check the mileage.

Answer 5

no do not put anything less than 89 octane in your car . You want better performance change the air filter., get an oil change. and coolant flush.

Answer 6

it isn't going to make a diff. in performance the only thing 93 oct. will do is clean the combustion chamber a little bit but it ill not do anything for ur performance if it had a turbo it would

Answer 7

Run a couple tanks of hi-test through it and see if you notice a difference and then decide if it's worth the extra 20 cents per gallon.

Answer 8

Its not worth the money unless you dont maintain your vehicle on a regular basis...then it may help..

for performance get a cold air intake, exhaust, headers...that kind of thing..gas will not increase any kind of performance..your regular grade gasoline is fine for all vehicles.

Answer 9

I think it might help keep your injectors clean if you use it every once and awhile but its really not necessary plus with the gasprices the way they are.

Answer 10

well, the higher grade, costs more, and it **could** damage your engine/fuel lines