Regular vs. Premium gas in 09 Murano

[ron-svmale]

I know this topic was covered before, but I haven't read anything on it since the 09 Murano came out.

I am wondering if anyone knows if there is much of a difference in performance & MPG by using regular gasoline...damn sure don't won't to wear my new engine out, but on the other hand, I don't want to pay an extra .20 cents per gal if not necessary.

I understand the manual states regular can be used, but premium is recommended. Any comments?

WHAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE ON THIS SUBJECT???

Thx,

Ron
Modified by ron-svmale at 11:56 AM 2/15/2008

[J-Owner]

I in considering an '09 murano as well as after speaking with the dealer sales manager, he stated that the engine is geared towards use of regular 87 octane gas. He stated there is no need to run premium. He stated that the engine is tuned differently then the infiniti verisions in the G sedans and coupes. I pointed out to him that I drive a G coupe and that use of 87 octane causes my engine to ping. He assured me I would not have that problem with 87 in the '09 murano so I guess take that info for what it is worth.

Hope it helps.

Thanks,Brandon

[wftright]

Thanks for asking this question, and I hope that bringing the thread back to the beginning will give the question more attention. I just drove a Murano for the first time today, and I liked this vehicle very much. If I'm going to have to buy 93 or 89 octane gas, I like the vehicle much less. I would like to hear what others are using and what kind of luck they are having.

I spoke to the salesman, and he says that they use regular gas in the ones at the dealership. He said that they only use premium in some sports car whose name I forgot.

Bill

[martinrrrr]

As long as Nissan says that it's ok to use Regular then you can safely use it. If, however, you want maximum acceleration times and torque and MPG then use Premium. I did the following before buying an 09 and doing the math yields the following:

Assume you drive 15,00 miles per year and assume that you get 20 MPG

Price of Regular = $3.00/gall x 15,000 miles = $2,250 per year in gas purchases.Price of premium = $3.25/gall x 15,000 miles = $2,438

Difference in cost per year is only $188.

I still have a big mental block buying premium so I buy the mid grade.

[wftright]

I'm still surprised that anyone would design an engine to run better on premium. In today's economy, folks are going to avoid buying the expensive stuff, and they'll be more likely to buy a vehicle that doesn't require the more expensive gasoline.

[Timmbo]

As long as Nissan says that it's ok to use Regular then you can safely use it. If, however, you want maximum acceleration times and torque and MPG then use Premium. I did the following before buying an 09 and doing the math yields the following:

Assume you drive 15,00 miles per year and assume that you get 20 MPG

Price of Regular = $3.00/gall x 15,000 miles = $2,250 per year in gas purchases.Price of premium = $3.25/gall x 15,000 miles = $2,438

Difference in cost per year is only $188.

I still have a big mental block buying premium so I buy the mid grade.

I think this puts it all into perspective. I have no problem running premium in my G35x, and when the dealer calls and says my '09 Murano is in, I will only run premium in that as well. I think it is worth the extra $200 to have the piece of mind and maximum performance, after all, performance is one of the reasons I love Nissan! I have a Shell card for both my wife and myself, so that helps save a bit as well. Just my thoughts.

[teammcw]

Wow, I wish I could be getting any gas for under $4/gal...

But, yeah, same thing - Nissan guys said that when they were trained on the 2009 Murano, that (gas type) was one thing brought up... According to him and what they were told - regular gas will do just fine, and there shouldn't be any problems... He even told me that all Muranos there were running on regular - and when we test drove, they ran great...

[chspanther]

from everything i have read it will not hurt your engine to use regular gas. but the gas millage will not be quite as good so the difference you will pay for the premium gas means a little better gas mileage, so it kinda equals itself out. i have also read some articles saying they get a little ping when accelarating and a little loss of power. if at all possible i would stick with what is recommended, i do we have an 09 murano LE.

[xman21]

i wonder if the recent posts apply only to "09s. i have an '04 and live in NY. premium at the moment is $4.03 a gallon. kinda blows away those calculations. i have been thinking of using 87 or 89. but worried about engine issues. guess i'll give nissan a call and get more info.

[Timmbo]

Get a Shell card and save 5%!

[martinrrrr]

The price per gallon doesn't matter. If the difference between regular and premium is $.25 per gallon then cost difference is the same.

[Timmbo]

The price per gallon doesn't matter. If the difference between regular and premium is $.25 per gallon then cost difference is the same.

Actually, to some this may sound strange, but one reason I never have a problem filling my G35x with premium is that the price difference between regular and premium is always the same. I understand that saving every few cents is especially important these days, however, it would really stink if the difference between reg. and prem. increased as gas prices increased.

[FLAMEX]

Have run my 04 Murano for 50,000 miles on regular with no issues. You do give up a bit of performance and a bit of gas mileage.

[mramaek]

I dont have an '09 Murano, but I can tell you of some "unscientific" tests I have run on the Premium vs Regular issue. I'd advise you experiment my filling your empty tank with regular and closely monitoring the mileage for at least one and maybe two tankfuls.Then, under similar driving circumstances, do the same thing with premium and compare the results.I think you will find noticeable improvements in performance--especially true under hard accellerations, and significant fuel economy improvement.Recently under highway conditions, i did this test again and found my I-35 got an average of 31 mpg with regular and an amazing 37.5 mpg with the premium. I dont need to be a math major to that premium wins this battle hands down.Not thinking that the cars mileage computer was correct, I calculated it again by hand after filling and got the same number.Admittedly, this test was done at 60 mph with no wind, no A/C on and only with no passenger weight. I have conducted similar mileage experiments in my 2003 Yukon XL Denali with 6.0 litre engine and found comparably similar mileage ratios between regular and premium.You get what you pay for I guess.

[Dave5715]

For whatever its worth I am running reg. on my 09 Murano & its working just fine (1K miles) I used premium only on my 05 Murano but now the prices made me try regular & preformance is gr8. although I never tried premium to see the difference. maybe when gas goes back to $2.00 p/gallon I'll compare it then.

[brainguyus]

"maybe when gas goes back to $2.00 p/gallon I'll compare it then."

I have that dream too Dave...

I run 89 octane in all my cars (except my old Lincoln which pings like a jackhammer unless I use premium). So far after 3 tanks with my Murano AWD I'm getting 21.5 with mixed city/hwy driving. Pretty good considering I live in Pittsburgh and ALL THE MAJOR ROADS IN THE CITY ARE UNDER CONSTRUCTION!! Much of my time is spent in crawling traffic.

Can't wait to see what I get on a long highway cruise.
Modified by brainguyus at 7:11 PM 5/23/2008