What gasoline do most Nizzan Z Sport owners use?

[RobotAZ]

I saw a youtube video of some quarter mile comparisons. They didn't do so well without premium, but switched over and saw vast improvement. So I conclude the car will run fine on cheaper stuff, but if you are needing top performance, use the expensive stuff. For daily driving, it's not a big deal.

Octane makes it premium, not the quality of the additive package.

 

[RobotAZ]

Unless you live in a zone between refineries where distributors to your stations are pulling from different refiners, all of the gas is the same gas. It’s only the additives that are different. The tankers all go to the same place and if they distribute to Shell, the put the Shell add pack in, fill up, and deliver to Shell stations. Chevron they pull up, put Chevron add pack in, fill up, distribute to Chevron stations. Same gas. What makes gas Top Tier is meeting the Top Tier add pack spec. Some brands like Pilot and Flying J will transport long distance along the interstates and the gas is likely different unless you live where they distribute. I think Flying J uses their own refinery. I believe Sunoco does too. Within hundreds of miles of the Marathon refinery in Ashland, KY, the Marathon stations use their own gas, but all of the other stations do, too. So where I live Marathon brings raw fuel to the distributor and all the brands fill up. I noticed today that FiveStar stations here in western KY are 91 while almost all stations use Marathon 93 base fuel, which means FiveStar is coming from a distributor fed by a different refinery, which is rare here.

Source: I’m 4th generation lifelong oil and gas industry.

 

[Larry]

Octane makes it premium, not the quality of the additive package.

 

[Larry]

Of course, yes, premium is higher octane rating. Higher octane has less 'volatiles' that predetenate at higher compression. On our boosted Z's this is a concern. Most modern cars have a knock sensor that detects predetenation and retard the spark timing to reduce it. When you retard timing, you give up potential power. So running lower octane fuel that can predetonate in a high performance engine is relatively safe if the computer can compensate. But if you want the extra performance you can run the higher octane rated fuel to allow the computer to advance spark giving better performance. It's up to you. The video I saw was pitting a Supra and Mustang (if I remember correctly) against a Z in quarter mile. The Z did poorly. The Z was a loaner from Nissan for the test. They mentioned that since it was a loaner they had no knowledge of what was in the tank and suspected fuel..They ran the tank out and refilled with premium. They reran the test and the Z made a much stronger showing with the premium. Frankly I had no idea it would make that much difference, but am now convinced. I also believe if you run premium for daily driving and are taking it easy, you will see a bit better mileage than regular which partially makes up for the price difference.

 

[EarlsFat]

Having jumped into the Z from a Ram Rebel... I don't care what the gas costs... $6 per gallon would still be easy cheaper than filling up that thirsty bitch with 87, lol.

 

[ShaneZ]

I only use Sinclair and Exxon. Where I live in the intermountain west we don't have as much choice. I want to get some VP fuel and try that just to see hw my Girl re-acts. I would also like to go to Vegas and get some Trick racing fuel 110 Octane. I put a tank of that in my Trans Am and could barely keep the tires from spinning.. Just curious how my Z with a tuner would perfrom.

 

[Larry]

100% incorrect.

That's a bold statement. Without significant elaboration it's just a random opinion and has no merit.

 

[Larry]

" The octane rating is a fuel's ability to resist spontaneous ignition (knocking) under pressure." Not an opinion, just a fact.

Yup - that's what I said. So what do you believe is incorrect?

 

[Larry]

I am not sure what you are referring to, but octane has nothing to do with

I had it mixed up, octane is used to determine grade.

Yes, but it's 'octane equivalent.' Octane in a chemical sense is a molecule made up of a chain of 8 carbon atoms, each atom having the rest of it's bonds connected to hydrogen atoms. That's it. So refiners have ways to 'distill' fuel to a high percentage of this, but there is always some non octane that is left since the process is not perfect. One way to get a higher percentage is to just distill more, but another thing they can do is add other chemicals to get a similar performance as if it was higher percentage octane. They used to add lead, but that was outlawed. Then they would add phosphorus. Not sure what they do now, but they also have to add other things because of the EPA. Anyway, the 'octane' listed on the pump is octane equivalent. So about the performance of the fuel I've discussed in the previous post.

 

[haohmaru]

He's not wrong, by definition premium is based on octane which is the most important measurement. You're not going to harm the engine as long as you have at least 91. But some of the premiums do have added degergents, friction modifiers and corrosion inhibitors which can increase it's performance. Also, it's better to get your premium at a busy station so the gas hasn't sit too long. Shells in my area are pretty busy.

 

[818RZ34]

West coast can't get 93 at all, we're stuck with 91. And Arizona, California, and Nevada get a version that's particularly shitty. I only use Chevron, but if I ever had to use something else, I'd look for a Shell, Mobil, or Sinclair...in that order. My gf says I'm a gasoline snob

I hear ya. We get crappy 91 fuel. Only thing I do is every few fill ups I mix some 101 into it to get me to 93. There is a gas station at the corner that sells 101 but it isn't cheap lol

 

[ED-NWI-Heritage]

You want to to hear something really stupid? I grew up 4 miles from their refinery In PA. The farther you are from that refinery, the cheaper their gas is.

There is a Tank farm about 2 miles north of my house and gas is always the highst in the midwest right here.

 

[Gerwulf918]

Only 93 I have found in Oklahoma is at a Maverick station, I have been happy with that....I have to drive 20+ miles to get it, 91 in town is a LOT more expensive, but it is like that in my county, outside the county prices drop dramatically

 

[5amp5on]

Only 93 for me. My Z does not seem to care what "brand" lol.

 

[Bumflik]

94 Sunoco