vangto02

Hi Guys,
Brand new to the forum and to the Altima world! But I have a few questions on this. I just bought a 08' 3.5 SE Coupe and I'm told several different things about gas and oil. First off, I've put regular gasoline in my car as I read from several different posts that regular gas is fine but will affect performance (I'm not into racing my Altima, just want to have it for good commute and nice looks). Is there a big difference in using Premium vs. Regular? (Will putting premium give me more HP and better gas mileage to a significant degree?)

Next is oil, I just bought my Altima used and gotten coupons good for free oil changes for the next 50k miles I drive. My friend has told me that cheap low grade conventional oil is used at dealerships and it would be better for me to go synthetic, or whatever the purest synthetic oil brand/type was, for having the best longest lasting engine so throwing away the free oil changes is best because the dealership will likely not use synthetic oil (so I'll pretty much have to change the oil myself). Is this a good idea? Is there a big difference in performance using cheap conventional oil vs. high grade synthetic oil?

Thanks in advance!

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MrHiggles

Well your going to find quite a few 3.5 owners heres say regular wont hurt gas mileage. I have always used premium in my car except for 2 times last year to test the difference. I noticed a HUGE performance difference when just using reg. than premium. Oil....hmmm.. I just now switched from conventional oil to synthetic and first thing I noticed was that my engine seemed quieter. Not that it was terribly loud to begin with but I did notice it a little quieter. As for my gas mileage being effected, I mostly get between 25-26 on avg per tank (im getting SO close to 27) and my car used to get 23mpg. I use Royal Purple btw with a Mobile one filter. Fram sucks. Don't EVER use FRAM. Im going to try to go 10k miles before an oil change. Royal purple said I can go 7.5k and the mobile one filter says it can extend it to 15k.

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mikejamesbyma

I'm one of those guys that has never noticed a difference using high octane gas. You will be fine using 87 octane. The engine uses knock sensors and may slightly de-tune your motor if it detects knock, (higher octane = more resistance to pre-detonation or combustion from compression not spark). I have a hard time believing our small motors can feel that much difference from using lower octane gas. The end result is you'll have to try both, maybe 3 tanks a grade, and make the call for yourself. If you find it's making a difference for you then, by all means, use premium.

I have also used synthetic oil, 'premium' oil and no name oil with no noticeable difference. If you have free oil changes take advantage of them, imo; save yourself some money for the first year or two of your ownership.

I'm not sure where the Fram complaint comes from. I've used and sold Fram for years without issue. I've had issues with their economy line Defense going into bypass before I'm due for my next oil change, but the Fram 'premium' line has been solid.

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03 Altima 3.5
4AT, Muff delete,
ebay CAI w/AEM filter
vias mod
Vogtland springs/KYB GR-2/Godspeed camber arms
Transgo RE4F04B-HD2
- (valve body removed)

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Penguinchit

I notice a mileage difference between regular and premium as well. Performance...It's hard to tell.

Oil...I'm still on dino. I tried a synthetic blend and it sounded like a train was running through my block. I probably should have tried a 10w-30 instead of the 5 since it's so much finer than dino, but I decided to just go back to regular, old-fashioned oil because it's proven. And I don't burn any oil like some other VQs are prone to doing.

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05 3.5SE AT

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gameguru1360

what's wrong with Fram filters?? I've never used Fram, but seen the commercials. Are they just low quality??

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Penguinchit

I'm with Higgles. Fram blows. You'll get better filtration sticking a used Kleenex inside a Coke can. I'm a Wix fan when it comes to filters.

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MrHiggles

Fran has a thin case, the paper filter is sometimes not even glued right or not at all, and yes its just low quality. I tore up Google on each filter. Mobile one and royal purple was the best. Even tho most are made by the same manufacture which is Champion, royal is the best but I'm prolly gunna stick mobile one due to price

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altimusprime

a sensitive issue that always gets people riled up, so let me throw my two cents in. working in the service station business, ive noticed that the difference in octane all depends on your car. what your manual recommends is what is probably the best for your car. its safe to say the engineers at nissan knew what they were doing when they recommended using 93 octane in the vq35. me having the qr, i even use gulf 93 and swear by it. regular gas has given me knocks in the past and would never use it again. im sure the car runs fine, but then again compare it to a human diet. sure u could eat the basic food needed to keep you goin but doesnt a juicy steak really get you going? gas unfortunatly is one of those things where you get what you pay for, why not just fill it up with 93 everytime and save that dollar or two by not buying a redbull or something like that. i will never forget one time a guy filled up his 760i with regular and the car didnt start!!! cheap asshole had to get his car towed. u can afford a 100k car but want to save a few cents a gallon on gas. but oil i think is okay if you use the regular kinds. be comforted by the fact that all oil sold in the u.s. has to pass strict testing by the petroleum board or something like that. the only thing is that you have to get the non-synthetic changed more frequently then the synthetic. and imo fram sucks also. in all my cars i run gulf 93 octane and castrol synthetic. and sorry for this whole rant, im bored at work

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First 3rd gen 2.5 Auto to 6 speed conversion owner! New Toy--->http://www.altimaforums.net/check-out-my-t4848.html

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vangto02

Thanks for the feedback everyone. It sounds like premium is the way to go. I appreciate all the advice and opinions. I'll stick with using conventional oil for now since I have a bunch of free oil change coupons from the dealership.

How should I change my gasoline? I currently have regular, it's at the half mark right now. Is it best to wait till I drive it to barely empty (bad for the fuel pump, right?) and just fill it up full with premium afterwards?

Another question, I noticed the Octane rating on premium here in St. Paul, MN is different. The Holiday Gas Station near my house sells premium with an Octane rating of 91. I stopped by a BP and see that their premium has octane rated at 93! Is it better for me to just shoot for the 93?

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2008 Altima 3.5 SE Coupe 6 Speed - No mods yet.

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altimusprime

yea just get the 93. usually unbranded gas stations sell 91 or 92 octane(they want the cheapest ish to sell to you, they dont have a reputation to live up to) we used to contract with bp and their 93 is one of my favorites. now were with gulf and their 93 is also really good. i think sunoco even sells 94 octane, but u start goin any higher and u'd be running on meth or alch. lol

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First 3rd gen 2.5 Auto to 6 speed conversion owner! New Toy--->http://www.altimaforums.net/check-out-my-t4848.html

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vangto02

LoL...cool. I'll hit up BP and do the 93 Premium. I'll post up my results!

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2008 Altima 3.5 SE Coupe 6 Speed - No mods yet.

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altimusprime

even after the first tank you'll see, and love the difference. good luck

__________________
First 3rd gen 2.5 Auto to 6 speed conversion owner! New Toy--->http://www.altimaforums.net/check-out-my-t4848.html

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Penguinchit

Just fill up with premium...It'll mix with the lower octane and burn just fine. I fill up with 91 at Holiday off of 252 & 694 in Brooklyn Center. If I'm down south, I'll fill up at Holiday on Normandale and 494 in Bloomington...They offer 93. Don't go with Super America around here. I notice a lot more moisture coming out of my exhaust with their gas.

Where is this BP? There's one in Bloomington on Penn & 84th that I like as well.

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05 3.5SE AT

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mikejamesbyma

I look forward to hearing your results. Just be honest, the placebo effect can be pretty strong.

__________________

03 Altima 3.5
4AT, Muff delete,
ebay CAI w/AEM filter
vias mod
Vogtland springs/KYB GR-2/Godspeed camber arms
Transgo RE4F04B-HD2
- (valve body removed)

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vangto02

LoL. I know. I've already floored the car a few times to feel the pull and i imagine after putting in premium..it'll probably feel the same and I couldn't tell a big difference. I'm really going off the owner's manual here since it's stating that 91 octane is recommended for engine performance and quality. I'll have to trust the engineers on this one! Anyway, gas tank is starting to empty out. I'll be putting in premium this saturday.

I live just outside st.paul, there's two BPs i'm close to, one off of hwy 94 and whitebear avenue, and the other at Hwy 35e and Wheelock Pkwy. I probably will go to the one off Wheelock sometime this weekend.

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2008 Altima 3.5 SE Coupe 6 Speed - No mods yet.

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