Stop Putting the Wrong Gas in Your Vehicle

[DLgal]

That’s not true for me.

Nor for my husband. 95% of his driving is work commuting.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Also- I think we’ve rabbit holed this! Maybe we should get back to OP’s topic at hand- using the right gas for your vehicle

 

[Cruising Engineer]

Interesting mix. Riding the bus can save fuel. However, an SUV by its' nature is highly inefficient, and Flex Fuel is also less efficient than gasoline.

True but I only put on about 4000 miles a year with the SUV at 18.7 mpg (avg) or about $300 a year for fuel ($1.00 off gas with Smiths fuel points).

 

[Cruising Engineer]

I had the option to use "cheaper" FlexFuel, but it cost me more money because it gave me less miles per gallon.

I don't buy flex fuel, I choose regular. Yes, better mileage. The vehicle is set to accommodate flex fuel in the combination stage. I'm putting the correct fuel in the tank for the results I want to pay for.

 

[tvguy]

Only 30% of trips are work trips at rush hour.

I put 9,000 miles a year on my car, 6,240 of it commuting to and from work (26 miles a day, 48 weeks of the year, 4 weeks a year of vacation) so 70% of my miles are to and from work. Granted NONE of it is at rush hour since I have to be at work at 3am, which is worse in California because they do the roadwork overnight on the freeways here. Nothing like sitting in one place on the freeway for 20 minutes while a work crew finishes a patch on the roadway

 

[disneymagicgirl]

Only 30% of trips are work trips at rush hour.

It seems you live in a cardboard box. Maybe that is why no driving is required.

 

[RamblingMad]

The other part of the article mentioned raising the ethanol limit for unleaded gas.

"The limit of ethanol content in summer gasoline blends has long been capped at 10 percent — the typical level in most gas sold in the United States, known as E10 — because of ethanol’s relatively higher volatility. The E.P.A. is proposing to lift the ban on higher concentrations in summer gasoline, allowing the ethanol level to rise to 15 percent, or E15."

Now, according the article, my car is not approved to take E15, so the challenge will be to find gas stations that sell ethanol free gas in the summer months.

 

[DisneyHardin]

I just did the math - about 65% of my mileage is commuting to work. I go in extra early to be ahead of rush hour and get off in the afternoon generally ahead of rush hour.

 

[The Pho]

No, I put Premium in my Tesla and that’s the way I like it!

 

[ZoeBell]

Celebration Florida is not a city. Nor is the Villages Florida. Both are master planned suburban communities that show if designed correctly you don't need a car to get around.

I just visited the The Villages in Florida... sure did see a lot of cars driving around. Then there were the golf cart. Last I checked those take gas as well.

 

[MillauFr]

I just visited the The Villages in Florida... sure did see a lot of cars driving around. Then there were the golf cart. Last I checked those take gas as well.

Yes the Villages is the Golf Cart capital of the world. I thought they ran on batteries? We have city buses that run on batteries. Not sure why the golf carts would run on batteries as well.

 

[kathy884]

I have a 2014 Nissan Murano SUV (front wheel drive - lower trim model not AWD) that I bought used in 2014 from Enterprise Car Sales (car had 20,000 miles on it when I purchased it). I now have 73,000 miles on it (I do put quite a bit of mileage on each year -- 18 mile commute to work and back each day is the main thing). At Enterprise, they just put regular gas in it. I asked them when I bought it. I read the owners manual as soon as I purchased the car cover to cover, and it recommended 91 octane. The middle grade was 89 and premium was 93, and previously not being on a tight budget (feeling pretty flush with disposable income), I put in premium in till this year to give the car the octane level that the owners manual said. This year, though, DH retired (strange feeling to be living on Social Security and Savings - some of his retirement savings out of qualified plans vs. adding to retirement savings for him) and I am feeling tighter on money. (I am still working and am paying for more things that he used to pay for before, still putting monies in my 401K, so have been looking to places where I can cut back). Anyway, I moved to putting regular 87 octane (no midgrade or premium in my car now) vs. the 93 that I put in for the last few year. I have not noticed any difference in how the car drives (still super smooth and nice). My average gas milage has gone from 21.9 mile to the gallon to 21.7 miles to the gallon, so not any huge difference. It was consistently 21.9 prior to the change, though and is now consistently 21.7 interestingly enough. Any thoughts on if what I am doing is reasonable. I talked to one of my son's friend who is fairly knowledgeable about cars before I made the shift, and he said since the car started on regular that would be fine. I looked online (google opinions) and saw a variety of different opinions which really just confused me more than anything else. What's the scoop on not following the owners manual? Hopefully I'm not damaging my car. With my budget I save monies for a new car ahead of time in a car fund (pay cash for cars to keep the car I buy more modest and really feel what I am spending) and typically only change to a new car every 10 year. Right now I don't plan to replace this car till 2024, so am hoping to get good usage out of it for another five years. I have only driven it for half of the life that I plan to drive it (five years) if all works according to plan. I'd love to hear thoughts.

 

[seashoreCM]

Golf carts can be battery powered equally well as ECVs and all-electric cars. A meaningful upgrade to the Indy 500 ride at Magic Kingdom would be conversion from gasoline to electric power. For this ride, power rails embedded in the guide rail or in the driving lane can recharge the batteries in the cars or even supply all the power for operation.

With my budget I save monies for a new car ahead of time in a car fund (pay cash for cars to keep the car I buy more modest and really feel what I am spending) and typically only change to a new car every 10 year. Right now I don't plan to replace this car till 2024, so am hoping to get good usage out of it for another five years. I have only driven it for half of the life that I plan to drive it (five years) if all works according to plan. I'd love to hear thoughts.

There are plenty of good reasons to trade in a car. You might need a bigger car for a bigger family or to carry luggage or materials more often.. You might want a smaller car now that the kids have grown and left home. You might want to try out new technology such as electric or hybrid. But an inexcusable reason for trading in a car is because it is time to trade it in. There exists no such time (magic number year) and if you believe there is such a time you are a victim to the car salesmanship that goes on all year long in radio and TV advertising, etc. (text credit: "Why Trade It In?" by Suzanne Fremon)

If you experience a meaningful difference in miles per gallon using premium versus using regular, that might be attributable to differences in the amounts of such things as alcohol (ethanol, etc.) mixed in, and not the octane. In addition the uncertainty of how full the tank was when you left the gas station and the differences between city and highway driving over any given time span will produce greater differences in your computed MPG compared with anything you can measure in terms of regular versus premium.

 

[Klayfish]

I have a 2014 Nissan Murano SUV (front wheel drive - lower trim model not AWD) that I bought used in 2014 from Enterprise Car Sales (car had 20,000 miles on it when I purchased it). I now have 73,000 miles on it (I do put quite a bit of mileage on each year -- 18 mile commute to work and back each day is the main thing). At Enterprise, they just put regular gas in it. I asked them when I bought it. I read the owners manual as soon as I purchased the car cover to cover, and it recommended 91 octane. The middle grade was 89 and premium was 93, and previously not being on a tight budget (feeling pretty flush with disposable income), I put in premium in till this year to give the car the octane level that the owners manual said. This year, though, DH retired (strange feeling to be living on Social Security and Savings - some of his retirement savings out of qualified plans vs. adding to retirement savings for him) and I am feeling tighter on money. (I am still working and am paying for more things that he used to pay for before, still putting monies in my 401K, so have been looking to places where I can cut back). Anyway, I moved to putting regular 87 octane (no midgrade or premium in my car now) vs. the 93 that I put in for the last few year. I have not noticed any difference in how the car drives (still super smooth and nice). My average gas milage has gone from 21.9 mile to the gallon to 21.7 miles to the gallon, so not any huge difference. It was consistently 21.9 prior to the change, though and is now consistently 21.7 interestingly enough. Any thoughts on if what I am doing is reasonable. I talked to one of my son's friend who is fairly knowledgeable about cars before I made the shift, and he said since the car started on regular that would be fine. I looked online (google opinions) and saw a variety of different opinions which really just confused me more than anything else. What's the scoop on not following the owners manual? Hopefully I'm not damaging my car. With my budget I save monies for a new car ahead of time in a car fund (pay cash for cars to keep the car I buy more modest and really feel what I am spending) and typically only change to a new car every 10 year. Right now I don't plan to replace this car till 2024, so am hoping to get good usage out of it for another five years. I have only driven it for half of the life that I plan to drive it (five years) if all works according to plan. I'd love to hear thoughts.

The Murano uses an engine from Nissan that's been in just about every car Nissan has built in the past 20 years. Maxima, Altima, 370Z, Pathfinder, Murano, plus just about the entire Infiniti line up. I actually own a car using the engine as well (Infiniti G37). It's a great engine, it's got a long history. You'll want to check to see if it says "recommended" vs "required", as the engine is in various forms of tune in different cars. In other words, in things like the Murano and Pathfinder, I believe it's around 250hp. In the 370Z and G37, it's around 330hp. If it's "recommended", then you'll be just fine using 87. If it's "required", you really should use the 91. Given that it's a Murano (i.e. not a sports car) I'm going to guess it's recommended and not required. You'll be fine. For my car it's required...not happy about it, but it is what it is. Frankly, low 20s mpg out of an SUV with the VQ isn't horrible, so you're doing OK. Putting 53,000 miles on it in the 4-5 years you've had it isn't actually much at all, you're right at or under the national average. I drive about 30-34k miles per year, my commute is 60 miles each way plus 3 kids very active in sports.

You should be fine to hang onto the Murano as long as you want. The engine is bullet proof. My only concern with it would be the transmission. Let's just say their reputation is less than stellar, so just keep an eye on it.

 

[familyman123]

I have a 2014 Nissan Murano SUV (front wheel drive - lower trim model not AWD) that I bought used in 2014 from Enterprise Car Sales (car had 20,000 miles on it when I purchased it). I now have 73,000 miles on it (I do put quite a bit of mileage on each year -- 18 mile commute to work and back each day is the main thing). At Enterprise, they just put regular gas in it. I asked them when I bought it. I read the owners manual as soon as I purchased the car cover to cover, and it recommended 91 octane. The middle grade was 89 and premium was 93, and previously not being on a tight budget (feeling pretty flush with disposable income), I put in premium in till this year to give the car the octane level that the owners manual said. This year, though, DH retired (strange feeling to be living on Social Security and Savings - some of his retirement savings out of qualified plans vs. adding to retirement savings for him) and I am feeling tighter on money. (I am still working and am paying for more things that he used to pay for before, still putting monies in my 401K, so have been looking to places where I can cut back). Anyway, I moved to putting regular 87 octane (no midgrade or premium in my car now) vs. the 93 that I put in for the last few year. I have not noticed any difference in how the car drives (still super smooth and nice). My average gas milage has gone from 21.9 mile to the gallon to 21.7 miles to the gallon, so not any huge difference. It was consistently 21.9 prior to the change, though and is now consistently 21.7 interestingly enough. Any thoughts on if what I am doing is reasonable. I talked to one of my son's friend who is fairly knowledgeable about cars before I made the shift, and he said since the car started on regular that would be fine. I looked online (google opinions) and saw a variety of different opinions which really just confused me more than anything else. What's the scoop on not following the owners manual? Hopefully I'm not damaging my car. With my budget I save monies for a new car ahead of time in a car fund (pay cash for cars to keep the car I buy more modest and really feel what I am spending) and typically only change to a new car every 10 year. Right now I don't plan to replace this car till 2024, so am hoping to get good usage out of it for another five years. I have only driven it for half of the life that I plan to drive it (five years) if all works according to plan. I'd love to hear thoughts.

Kathy, you are fine to put in 87 octane.

When in doubt, follow the owner's manual. In the case of the 2014 Murano, the manual specifically states that the 87 octane is the minimum for the hardtop.

Even for the cross cabriolet, where Nissan recommends premium, it says you can use 87 with a decrease in performance. What this means is that the engine retards timing to prevent knocking to protect itself, so your power and efficiency are reduced. But you are causing no damage.

 

[RamblingMad]

And some make and models are more flexible. Like Mazda has models that let you choose the gas you put in the tank.

I follow my owners manual.

 

[amcnj]

No, I put Premium in my Tesla and that’s the way I like it!

Don’t give them any ideas, or soon there will be premium electricity too!

I haven’t had a car that requires premium so far. Decades ago they used to advise moving up in octane, at least every so many fill-ups, if you were getting pinging noises from the engine. I don’t know if that is still a thing.

 

[RamblingMad]

Don’t give them any ideas, or soon there will be premium electricity too!

Powered by solar, natural gas, or coal plus the strip mining for battery.

 

[Klayfish]

Don’t give them any ideas, or soon there will be premium electricity too!

I haven’t had a car that requires premium so far. Decades ago they used to advise moving up in octane, at least every so many fill-ups, if you were getting pinging noises from the engine. I don’t know if that is still a thing.

Nope, never really was a real thing (was mostly a myth). Any truth to that went away in the 80s.

Powered by solar, natural gas, or coal plus the strip mining for battery.

Ugh, don't even get me started on Tesla...

 

[afan]

The other part of the article mentioned raising the ethanol limit for unleaded gas.

"The limit of ethanol content in summer gasoline blends has long been capped at 10 percent — the typical level in most gas sold in the United States, known as E10 — because of ethanol’s relatively higher volatility. The E.P.A. is proposing to lift the ban on higher concentrations in summer gasoline, allowing the ethanol level to rise to 15 percent, or E15."

Now, according the article, my car is not approved to take E15, so the challenge will be to find gas stations that sell ethanol free gas in the summer months.

The car could probably handle the ethanol but your check engine light would come on which I know from experience. When I worked at a race team our sports car team had left over fuel from the weekend so they were topping off people's cars, I think it was a blend and not the straight ethanol the indycar team was running but I don't remember. The first time it was fine but I had over half a tank of reg gas, the 2nd time I had less than half and the check engine light came on. Mechanic said it was fine but I needed to get some more reg gas in their to mix it up. I think it burns hotter but can't remember what he said because it was over 10 years ago.

My car only gets regular now and is still driving fine after it's foray into other fuel