What Gas Does a Nissan Maxima Need?

The Nissan Maxima is a dream car for anyone with an active lifestyle who needs a fast and stylish vehicle to get around the St. Louis, Missouri, area. This sedan offers a fun driving experience, a responsive engine, and a continuously variable automatic transmission. However, there are some misconceptions about the type of fuel the Maxima requires.

Using the wrong fuel type for your car can reduce its efficiency and life span. The wrong fuel will affect a vehicle’s fuel economy, performance, and overall health. If you want to know the recommended fuel for your Nissan Maxima, plus the potential problems that could arise from using the wrong type, keep reading.

What Is Octane?

Before covering the type of fuel the Nissan Maxima needs, you must first understand octane ratings. An octane rating is a fuel measure that indicates the fuel’s ability to withstand compression in a test engine without burning. The higher the octane rating, the more stable the fuel.

In the U.S., gas stations sell three types of gasoline:

• Regular gasoline with an octane rating of 87.
• Midgrade gasoline with an octane rating of 89-90.
• Premium gasoline with an octane rating of 91-94.

You’re responsible for filling your tank with the type of gasoline the manufacturer recommends. Failure to do this may directly affect your engine. Also, note that high-octane petrol is more expensive than regular gasoline. Unleaded, super, and super premium are other names people use to refer to high octane levels.

Nissan Maxima Fuel Requirements

There’s an ongoing debate about whether the Nissan Maxima requires regular or premium gasoline. If you talk to some Maxima owners, they may claim that premium gasoline is what Nissan recommends. However, if you speak to another group of Maxima owners, they may tell you that Nissan explicitly states their car needs regular gasoline to function, and that’s what they’ve been using for years.

Neither group is wrong. Whether you need regular or premium gasoline depends on your car’s model year. Let’s break it down.

Nissan Maxima models manufactured from 2000 through 2004 use regular unleaded gasoline with an octane rating of 87, while models manufactured from 2004 through the present use premium unleaded gasoline with an octane rating of 91. The latter can temporarily use 87-octane gasoline if the recommended type is unavailable.

Please note that if you have a 2000 to 2004 Nissan Maxima and decide to use higher-octane gasoline to preserve it, you’ll be wasting money as it won’t benefit your car in any way. In short, check your Maxima’s model year and use the recommended fuel type.

Performance Impact

You now know that different vehicles require different fuel types and that using the wrong kind can cause your engine to run poorly. But what happens when you use the correct fuel? How does it affect the engine and overall performance of your car?

To answer these questions, we must first clarify that higher octane fuels, such as those used in Maximas made since 2004, are for engines that use super or turbocharge energy to force more air into the engine or those with a higher combustion ratio.

In other words, high-performance engines need higher octane gas to perform properly. Using the correct fuel will not only keep your Nissan Maxima in optimal condition but will also help to:

• Clean the engine and keep it debris-free.
• Reduce petroleum consumption.
• Reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
• Keep it running smoothly and perform at its best.

It’s important to note that most of these benefits apply to the 2004-present generation of Nissan Maximas. The older models that use regular unleaded gas have simpler engines.

Fuel Efficiency Considerations

Using premium gas in vehicles that require it could improve fuel efficiency by increasing mileage and decreasing emissions. However, owners of 2000-2004 Maxima models won’t see an improvement in their vehicle’s fuel economy by using regular or higher octane gasoline.

This is because better fuel efficiency has little to do with the type of fuel you use but rather with your vehicle’s engine. Improved fuel efficiency is one of the many benefits of using premium gas in a high-performance engine. Remember that the Nissan Maximas manufactured since 2004 have more advanced engines that can withstand combustion longer and require higher octane gas to perform at their best.

Potential Issues With Incorrect Fuel

We’ve mentioned that the Nissan Maxima models manufactured from 2004 onwards can temporarily accept 87-octane gasoline if the recommended one isn’t readily available. But how important is it to follow the manufacturer’s recommendations, and what can happen if you don’t?

The short answer is poor performance and a potentially defective engine. If you use the wrong type of fuel, here are some potential problems you may face in the future:

• Damaged emission control system.
• Reduced engine power.
• Poor fuel economy.
• Poor acceleration.
• Knocking.

If, for some reason, you get the octanes mixed up, don’t worry; the problems listed above are due to prolonged use of the wrong fuel. As a reminder, avoid using:

• Ethanol to boost the octane rating.
• A lower octane grade than recommended.
• A higher octane grade than recommended.

Learn More About Your Nissan Maxima

Reading your owners manual and taking proper care of your Nissan Maxima is the best way to keep it in optimal condition. If you want to continue learning helpful information about your Maxima, check out our blog. Our AutoCenters Nissan dealership is one of the best in the St. Louis, Missouri, area, so if you need to get your Nissan serviced or have any questions, we’re here to help. Feel free to schedule an appointment now, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

Nissan Maxima by TuRbO_J is licensed with CC BY 2.0 DEED