Regular gas in my new G37 !! please help.

[DAAN.]

You can use 87 religiously.

The computer will adapt, you lose a bit of go and save quite a bit of money (if you drive a lot, like I do).

[pfarmer]

You can use 87 religiously.

The computer will adapt, you lose a bit of go and save quite a bit of money (if you drive a lot, like I do).

If you drive a G37 like the poster you run the risk of voiding the warranty regardless of the possibility of damage to the engine.

Perry

[DAAN.]

my feel is the poster would be worried if the headlight fluid would be low, thus not allowing for an even spread of projector tractor beam

...

with that being said, for normal people, regular is fine.

[pfarmer]

my feel is the poster would be worried if the headlight fluid would be low, thus not allowing for an even spread of projector tractor beam

...

with that being said, for normal people, regular is fine.

Consider this. Many here are worried enough that they have purchased an aftermarket warranty for lots of bucks. Now the Infiniti warranty has a value as well. By failing to follow what is not only recommended but REQUIRED you may now have tossed away whatever value you may have placed on that warranty, at least when it comes to the engine.

In Telecoms case he has kept a good record of the cost difference between regular and premium. I haven't added up the total cost but lets say that the savings is less than the value of the warranty which you now have voided by the use of regular. So which would make more sense (note Telecom did not void his warranty for his car), save money on the gas or save money and don't purchase a warranty that may now be voided by trying to save money on the gas?

Of course the other option is to risk it. That is buy the cheaper gas and if something does occur that could be related to pre detonation maybe Infiniti will fix it. It all about risks.

Perry

[pfarmer]

The difference though, is a car that "recommends" premium vs. one that "requires" it. The VQ37 requires premium. The VQ35 just recommends it.

A lower octane fuel will make better mpgs if it's within the tolerance of the knock sensor to retard the timing enough where it won't damage the engine. That's the case on the VQ35. The VQ37 has less room to budge when it comes to the knock sensor compensating for the low octane. It is on the edge of damaging, not just decreased power.

I came across an article that maybe Telecom may have some input in, but not sure if he really paid attention to this.

According to this article one benefit of premium over regular in a car that doesn't require the premium is a possible lower running temperature on premium. Now I can understand the concept of how this could be true, but what I am wondering is if Telecom noticed any difference? Also if it did run a little cooler is that really all that much of a benefit when it comes to the wear and tear department?

Perry

[pfarmer]

The difference though, is a car that "recommends" premium vs. one that "requires" it. The VQ37 requires premium. The VQ35 just recommends it.

A lower octane fuel will make better mpgs if it's within the tolerance of the knock sensor to retard the timing enough where it won't damage the engine. That's the case on the VQ35. The VQ37 has less room to budge when it comes to the knock sensor compensating for the low octane. It is on the edge of damaging, not just decreased power.

I think this (mpgs) concept would depend on the rpm and load. A longer burn time of the load could be of benefit that would be dependant on application.

Perry

[DAAN.]

warranty which you now have voided by the use of regular.

Perry, why does it void warranty ?

[EZcheese15]

Perry, why does it void warranty ?

It states in the G37 owners manual that if the use of anything less than 91 octane causes engine damage, it is not covered under warranty.

[telcoman]

I came across an article that maybe Telecom may have some input in, but not sure if he really paid attention to this.

According to this article one benefit of premium over regular in a car that doesn't require the premium is a possible lower running temperature on premium. Now I can understand the concept of how this could be true, but what I am wondering is if Telecom noticed any difference? Also if it did run a little cooler is that really all that much of a benefit when it comes to the wear and tear department?

Perry

There was no noticable difference in running temperature while using/testing the multiple grades of gasoline.

Tire pressure is 35-37 lbs when cold and elevation over my 50 mile commute begins at approx 21ft above sea level and rises over the 50 miles to approx 51 ft above sea level. The similar decrease in altitude occurs on the return trip home.

I can understand the apprehension of some of the new younger drivers over the use of regular when the vehicle documentation recomends premium, but what I find difficult to understand is how many are doing engine modifications spending in some cases thousands of dollars with little concern over possible warranty issues.

As I stated previously I have never had an engine issue using regular in over 40 years of driving many different vehicles and well over 1/2 to 3/4 million miles.

BTW, I wonder if the use of regular in my 58 Ford was the reason it wouldn't start in rainy or damp weather?

What a POS that first car of mine was

Telcoman

[pfarmer]

There was no noticable difference in running temperature while using/testing the multiple grades of gasoline.

Tire pressure is 35-37 lbs when cold and elevation over my 50 mile commute begins at approx 21ft above sea level and rises over the 50 miles to approx 51 ft above sea level. The similar decrease in altitude occurs on the return trip home.

I can understand the apprehension of some of the new younger drivers over the use of regular when the vehicle documentation recomends premium, but what I find difficult to understand is how many are doing engine modifications spending in some cases thousands of dollars with little concern over possible warranty issues.

As I stated previously I have never had an engine issue using regular in over 40 years of driving many different vehicles and well over 1/2 to 3/4 million miles.

BTW, I wonder if the use of regular in my 58 Ford was the reason it wouldn't start in rainy or damp weather?

What a POS that first car of mine was

Telcoman

The warranty thing to me is an issue. I figured that when it comes to the required part I follow that. Recommended, well depends if it makes sense. But it depends on cost, treat it like insurance. Premium too high (such as your statement about oil), then you don't buy the insurance. I figure that if you both follow the recommended and the required, then you have the upper hand as far as warranty repairs (or at least a better hand).

As far as the mods go I do have a problem with a heavily modded car that has a major failure getting fixed under warranty by fraud (taking the mods off before going to the dealer). This raises the cost of a vehicle to others.

The same with racing in general. Take it to the track (not the street), race all you want but you absorb the cost of racing.

Did your Ford have a 6 volt system? Actually I had several 50s cars and the common problem was often simply the ignition. Wipe it clean and away it would go. I know of some who swore on the concept of putting a plug in the exhaust or air intake to keep damp air out of the engine as well. Newspapers were often used at night to keep the damp air away from the 'vitals'.

My Plymouths had trouble in the morning which I could never figure out. Jump start with a 12 volt on a toy wagon and go to school. After school they would start just fine even though they sat for the same amount of time, often in almost exactly the same weather conditions, must have been 'fm'. But for one thing, they sure were easy to work on.

As far as using regular back in those days, yep I have seen lots of problems for some cars. The larger V8s often did not like it at all. I worked at one station that had a solution. It had a pump with a selector that had about 10 positions. It simply mixed regular with premium and you ordered your gas by the number. For example 500 was regular and 550 was premium. A big chart above the pump gave you the 'recommended' number.

Some cars do require it to run without issues. I believe most with an Infiniti can get by with regular as far as the car goes but I also believe you may want to protect your insurance policy by following its conditions.

Perry

[pfarmer]

P.S. How often do you change your plugs and what do you find?

Perry

[DAAN.]

Urban myth - techs find out you're using lower grade. Client blames gas pumping station. Gas station argues margin of error in presented sample. Lab presents facts that most gas samples are optimal, the evidence was a 'bad batch'. . . Sample is circumstantial, gets thrown out of court . . . etcetera. Warranty claim stands.

Regular is fine, for most.

[pfarmer]

Urban myth - techs find out you're using lower grade. Client blames gas pumping station. Gas station argues margin of error in presented sample. Lab presents facts that most gas samples are optimal, the evidence was a 'bad batch'. . . Sample is circumstantial, gets thrown out of court . . . etcetera. Warranty claim stands.

Regular is fine, for most.

Site your source! Things can get tested and a double blind sample will most likely stand. The fact is a refinery most likely constantly takes samples during the entire process. I do know that after it leaves it is tracked.

Not to say that an Infiniti dealer will take a sample. But I would not be the least surprised if they had a reason to do so. They would have more trouble proving how you operated the vehicle than what was in the tank when they got it.

The other thing that occurs with insurance companies is they do in fact cruise various forums. While I do not know how often they may cruise an auto forum such as this, I do know they cruise support groups for diseases. No reason to think a auto company could not do the same if they wanted to. So one may think twice before they spill all of the beans on what they do with their covered vehicle. Certainly children racing children may well catch their eye if they suspect you are trying to get an item covered under warranty and you spend your weekends drag racing your machine.

Perry

[marlin29311]

The other thing that occurs with insurance companies is they do in fact cruise various forums. While I do not know how often they may cruise an auto forum such as this, I do know they cruise support groups for diseases. No reason to think a auto company could not do the same if they wanted to. So one may think twice before they spill all of the beans on what they do with their covered vehicle. Certainly children racing children may well catch their eye if they suspect you are trying to get an item covered under warranty and you spend your weekends drag racing your machine.

Perry

Check out my occupation

Not saying that's what I'm doing here....but I certianly look over the web at clients backgrounds and such when making underwriting decisions about clients.

[telcoman]

P.S. How often do you change your plugs and what do you find?

Perry

Perry

Well I changed them in my 58 Ford. It didn't help. It still wouldn't start in the rain, damp weather even after replacing plugs, points, condensor, wires, coil,distributor cap and rotor. #*#Mf POS

My Sears Craftsmen snow blower is over 30 years old still on the original spark plug as is my 20+ year old Honda Lawn Mower.

I believe on my 200k mile 88 Mazda 929 I may have replaced the plugs once?

Never on my 92 Lexus ES 300 with over 100k miles and not so far on my G35 @88k miles.

I did change them every 25k miles on my two VW beedles as I could see the MPG dropping. They also needed regular valve adjustments

Basically what I discovered over many years is if you monitor MPG on your vehicle closely it will alert you when something needs attention.

Fixing something that isn't broke is a waste of money in my opinion.

I just change oil & filter every 3k miles along with regular air and cabin filter changes and tire rotation. I check all fluids under the hood weekly.

BTW, latest MPG results with today's fillup with regular 87 octane

324 miles on 13.485 gallons =24.02 MPG @$2.29 gal

Telcoman

[DAAN.]

look over the web at clients backgrounds and such when making underwriting decisions about clients.

We keep pushing the envelope ... and this thread will soon become a movie

[pfarmer]

Perry

Well I changed them in my 58 Ford. It didn't help. It still wouldn't start in the rain, damp weather even after replacing plugs, points, condensor, wires, coil,distributor cap and rotor. #*#Mf POS

My Sears Craftsmen snow blower is over 30 years old still on the original spark plug as is my 20+ year old Honda Lawn Mower.

Never on my 92 Lexus ES 300 with over 100k miles and not so far on my G35 @88k miles.

Basically what I discovered over many years is if you monitor MPG on your vehicle closely it will alert you when something needs attention.

Telcoman

I figured the 'G' if treated right could easily go 90-100 or more on a set of plugs. Like I said earlier I have just under 150 on my 300 m and it runs just fine. I am thinking about changing them however as my only problem with not changing plugs in the past on newer cars is taking them out easily.

My biggest thing besides watching the mileage is simply starting the car up and listening to the exhaust cold and then every so often do the same hot. It can tell you a lot about what is going on if you know what to listen for.

Perry