Very informative forum I must admit. More than what I've read at other forums, not to add the positive attitude and support.

My question is simple and general. I hear from many car manufacturers or car "guru's" stating that the type of gasoline used is insignificant for car performance and maintenance. What are your thoughts on this? What type of octane do you recommend for the 350Z? From your experience, what gasoline station has the best gas (clean, no extra additives, not diluted, etc.). Which gas stations to stay away from?

 

On the octane side, go with what Nissan recommends in their owners manual included with the car.
Brand, Hmmm.
I like Chevron because it contains Techron that does reduce deposits and keeps the injectors flowing. Others may hate it and recommend something else.
Go with what works best for you and the car...but do not violate the octane rule!

 

I agree with Kahanakyu, don't violate the octane requirement. Engines are engineered to run with the with the suggested octane by the manufacturer. If the owners manual says 87 octane that's what you put in the car. The car will run more efficiently. I don't know what grade the Z requires.

 

I'm almost certain it will require premium gas. I wonder though, if it will still run okay on regular. My Acura wants premium, but it will run fine on regular with something like a 5hp loss. Therefore I usually use regular. I'll probably stick with premium on my Z though.

 

my 240sx requires premium, using a lower octane I immediately notice the difference in acceleration.
I understand that in modern cars the computer will control the injection and other stuff to enable the most efficient use of fuel. To obtain optimum performance, all high performance cars require premium fuel.

I'm sure someone out there will be able to provide a technical explanation of things.

 

I got to talk with a member of the Nissan HQ Staff Tuesday... I met him in San Antonio for the Z convention.

He said premium is best. But the lower grades will work. He said the lower grades wont hurt the car, but performance wise the higher grades should be the best.

 

it won't hurt the car immediately but it will cause damage in long term, well not really damage but a little problem after some years~

 

I don't think so. It won't cause damage. However you will possibly see some performance boost from premium gas.

 

Ok, it's like this:

If your manual says that premium unleaded gas is required, then GET PREMIUM GAS. That's 91-93 octane. The reason for this is because the higher the octane rating, the HARDER it is for the gas to burn (higher flashpoint). In high-compression and boosted engines, this may be a requirement to prevent detonation, which can cause severe damage to engine components.

However, if your manual says to use 87 octane, you might as well use it. Using 91+ octane in an engine tuned for 87 will only hurt performance, since the higher the octane rating the harder it is for the gas to burn, as I already mentioned. This is how many aftermarket chips work... they take a stock fuel map, and rework it for a more aggressive map that requires premium gas to keep things under control.

I like Chevron, it's the most consistant high-quality gasoline in my opinion. DONT buy gas from Arco (dirty gas, hurts engine components), and I doubt this applies to anyone else on this board but also DONT buy gas from AAFES (they water down their ****). Texaco and Shell are also OK, but Chevron is superior *Techron is good*.

 

I also had a 240SX and noticed a loss in performance when using regular gas. I also noticed a loss in fuel economy, in fact, when I ran premium my mileage was so much better that it offset the cost of the premium fuel. Using regular fuel won't harm your engine because the knock sensor will retard timing if there is detonation. I would still recommend premium though, you will get better performance and gas mileage and in the long run you might also save yourself some money.
As for brand of gasoline, I usually buy Exxon or Sunoco. We are lucky here in PA. Almost every Sunoco station has 94 octane gas, and a select few have a 100 octane pump!