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Nissan Maxima
8981 messages, Last post on Feb 09, 2011 at 1:37 PM
You are in the Nissan Maxima Forum.What is this discussion about? Nissan Maxima, Sedan
#7517 of 8981 BMW / AMG / Nissan Automatics by habitat1
Nov 15, 2003 (4:24 pm)
Anyone that thinks AMG and Nissan automatics have anything in common has a serious case of wishful thinking. I've driven the C32 and E55 and, notwithstanding my personal preference for manual transmissions, those are the best performing true automatics I've ever driven. They are exceptionally fast shifting and there is no discernable slippage or hesitation under hard acceleration whatsovever.By comparison, the 4-speed automatic version of my 1995 Maxima SE was barely 1 rung up the ladder from Fred Flintstone's car. The performance difference back in 1995 (and through 1999) was huge.
The only reason the 2002/2003 4-speed automatic equiped Maximas closed the gap with the 6-speed manual in performance was the added torque of the engine. Essentially, the 3.5 liter FWD Maxima with a 6-speed is overpowered beyond what can be effectively used. The extra torque did help the antiquated 4-speed auto, however.
IMO, if you put Nissan's 4 speed automatic up against its 6-speed manual in a RWD platform, the 6-speed would seriously outperform the 4-speed auto. I'm not sure if the new 5-speed automatic in the 2004 Maxima is any better, but clearly, IMO, Nissan's automatics are it's weakest link. They are no match whatsoever for the BMW "steptronic" (let alone the semi-manual SMG) or the AMG "sport-shift". Those automatics give up very little to their manual counterparts in performance on a RWD car. Even Acura and Infiniti offer much better performing automatics (5&6 speed) Nissan.
#7518 of 8981 Octane by blackstone3
Nov 15, 2003 (5:32 pm)
What kind of long term damage can happen if I run my 2K Maxima SE with 87 octane?#7519 of 8981 Habitat... by lichtronimo
Nov 15, 2003 (7:06 pm)
To clarify, I was suggesting the Nissan Automatic was more similar in therory to the AMG unit than BMW's SMG unit. I intended no statement of quality.Regarding Octane: I noticed on my '04 Maxima SE rental that premium is now only "recommended" for maximum performance. A co-worker has run 87 octane in his VQ Pathfinder with no noticable damage. He says it does perform better with preimium, however. My opinion would be that engine management systems are sophisticated enough to detect the quality of the gas and adjust performance accordingly to avoid any damage to the engine.
#7520 of 8981 Octane by p100
Nov 15, 2003 (7:47 pm)
Nissan recommends premium fuel in their Maximas model. Using cheap 87 octane in a Maxima is not a good idea and I would not try to see if the knock sensors in the engine are reliable enough to retard timing in time to save the engine from damage due to knock or pinging. Use premium fuel and quit speculating what might happen.Back in the eighties many BMW owners got their fuel injectors fouled because for some reason these people would buy the cheapest fuel that could find anywhere, and apparently some of that fuel was mixed with larger than permitted percentage of ethanol. So not only it matters what octane, but also where do you buy the fuel. I would stay away from nondescript discount places. Stay with good quality major brand fuel and you will save yourself potentially a lot of headaches later. I get 27 MPG combined using premium fuel in my 98 Maxima and I never used anything else but brand name premium fuel. I would never go to regular 87 octane to see what would happen.
#7521 of 8981 Octane by blackstone3
Nov 16, 2003 (6:01 am)
99.9% of the time I use premium fuel, Mobil-Shell-Sunoco. I average 18mpg which is mostly city driving. I also have been using the remote car starter which could add to the poor gas milage. I installed a "Tornado Air" which helped slightly. Premium fuel is about 1.81 a gallon. 20 cents less for regular. I live north of Boston. I guess I was having a moment of weakness at the gas pump and I wanted to save a few bucks and use the cheap stuff. Thanks for the advise.#7522 of 8981 Octane by pathstar1
Nov 16, 2003 (9:20 am)
Ah, my favorite subject. The octane rating, to me, is important, but not as important as how they get it.Ethanol in the fuel, in my experience, is a "good thing" (up to 10%). The fuel burns much cleaner, all other things being equal. It also mostly eliminates the need for gas drying additives, because it is just that. There is less energy in ethanol, so you will get slightly poorer mileage. Downside to ethanol is the gas station must be careful with their underground storage tanks, as the ethanol can absorb water from the air and support corrosion of their storage tank.
Some fuel gets a higher octane rating by adding tolulene. This is a "bad thing" in my opinion, because it burns incompletely, leaving lots of carbon "soot" in the engine (requiring frequent "decarboning" cleaning sessions - check around with service centres - they will explain the need and how it's done).
What we really need is "low sulpher" fuel. The sulpher can take out the O2 sensors (expensive). It also causes deposits in the engine, and they are much harder to remove.
#7523 of 8981 gas prices by p100
Nov 16, 2003 (9:30 pm)
Three months ago I visited the Yosemite national park in California. The price for premium gas charged in several small towns some thirty miles outside of park was $ 2.99 a gallon! Talk about price gouging.#7524 of 8981 p100...octane... by bowke28
Nov 17, 2003 (12:18 pm)
there is a difference between rquired and reccomended. if you use regular in a maxima, it will adapt. since nissan doesnt 'require' premium, they cannot hold the driver accountable if somthing goes wrong with regular.#7525 of 8981 Opinion Please by mugsy5
Nov 17, 2003 (2:20 pm)
Anyone own a Black Maxima with the burnt orange interior? Do you like it?#7526 of 8981 mugsy5 by badgerfan
Nov 17, 2003 (2:24 pm)
That combination would be great on Halloween!Seriously, if you like it, go for it. Who cares what anyone else thinks? Its your car, go with what you like.
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