Premium vs Regular Gas???

First time Infiniti Buyer said:

Just picked up my new QX 60 and would like to know from you experienced users if you put premium or regular gas in the car. I know the owners manual says the premium is recommended, but is it really necessary?

Please tell me your experiences. Thanks.

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Tried both. Did not see any of the 20% mileage boost or power boost that the 20% price premium for premium gas would demand. So I went back to using regular.

I tend to switch between premium then mid-grade and occasionally regular. If I'm at COSTCO, I go with premium since its cheaper than commercial brand mid-grade fuels.

On our cross country 8,500 mile trip we pretty much stayed with premium unless it wasn't available. The best fuel milage was using premium at 24.5 mpg and the worse was 17.2 using regular. However during the low milage tank we were in the mountains and hitting severe head winds and had a fully loaded cargo box which I have no doubt made a difference.

I've never heard pinging or noticed a big difference between fuel grades but prefer to stay with the higher octane fuels.

I owned a 2001 Acura TL Type S that 'required' premium, just like the QX60, for peak power. I ran regular in it for the 4 years I owned it and never experienced an issue from running regular. Computers in modern cars adjust for running regular and it will not harm anything.

Biggest benefit to running premium is they add more detergents to premium so it'll keep things cleaner but you can just run regular and toss in a bottle of Chevron Techron purchased at Walmart every 3000-4000 miles and it'll do the same thing.

I own the hybrid QX60 and unlike the V6 model, the I4 in the hybrid only calls for regular in the manual.

sandydeb said:

Tried both. Did not see any of the 20% mileage boost or power boost that the 20% price premium for premium gas would demand. So I went back to using regular.

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how did you calculate 20%?
in California, regular is about 4 bucks a gallon, and premium 20 cents more... so it's only a 5% increase...

Non hybrid, salesperson told us didn't need to put in the premium so have been using regular (86 octane). Not happy with gas mileage at all; definitely not what salesperson and the sticker advertised. We are getting about 16-17 which is based on mix of both highway and city driving.

Will be following this thread as have been wondering if it would be worth seeing if can get better mileage (and then whether worth the cost increase)

The most important to question ask is do you hear any pinging when you drive on regular gasoline? Engine pinging indicates severe premature ignition which can cause engine damage. Pinging can be caused by using a low octane fuel in a high-compression (high performance) engine.

Lower octane fuel will detonate sooner under high pressure then high octane fuel. Premature ignition will affect performance and the power output of the engine. If your vehicle is experiencing lower gas mileage using regular fuel then you're experiencing some degree of premature ignition, even if you don't hear engine pinging. Bottom-line that will put more stress on your engine(specifically the valves) than would otherwise occur using higher octane fuel. I 'd use 91 octane

To make it simple. You spend a little more for the premium up front, but in the long run I think you're doing your engine a favor, and it will pay off in the long run. You have a high performance engine in a luxury vehicle, and you want to put in the lowest grade of gas. Just doesn't make sense to me.

If you want the stated horsepower, use premium. The motor will compensate for the octane level and won't ping. Engineers have made the ping a thing of the past.

I picked up my QX60 last week and did one fill up with 87 regular gas at Petro Canada the computer showed about 475km. I filled again the empty tank with 91 premium gasoline and the computer show 590km. The drive is a lot more smoother and firm when using 91 gasoline.

Skrap said:

Non hybrid, salesperson told us didn't need to put in the premium so have been using regular (86 octane). Not happy with gas mileage at all; definitely not what salesperson and the sticker advertised. We are getting about 16-17 which is based on mix of both highway and city driving.

Will be following this thread as have been wondering if it would be worth seeing if can get better mileage (and then whether worth the cost increase)

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Sorry, but I can't resist...


So you believe the salesperson regarding the fuel suggestion, but not on the fuel economy? You need to pick a side. >


And if your salesperson really did tell you not to put in premium, and promised you'd get the mileage on the window sticker, I'd pick a better salesperson next time - one who doesn't lie.

I'm still on my first tank since purchasing my QX60 this Monday. Cap says premium recommended, I filled up with premium. Really, it's not a huge price difference and as some have said, we paid a premium for a premium car, why skimp on the gas?

I will say, I'm not particularly thrilled with the mileage. But then again, it wasn't even a consideration for me. I wanted the car for the third row, and for the looks. I reset all the stats when purchased, and I'm averaging 17.2 MPG ... but with an average speed of 22 MPH. Gotta love city traffic :-(

Premium Brand but it's the same engine used in the Pathfinder and various other Nissan vehicles and they do not "require" premium. Most vehicles will run better on premium but it's not a requirement.

16-17mpg avg sounds like something else may be wrong. My 2015 is averaging 21mpg with mixed driving on 87 octane.

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I get between 21-23 mpg with 87 octane.

What is your average speed? My mechanic friend seems to think there is nothing wrong with 17.4 mpg average (as of today) with only 7 days of data driving in South Florida stop and go traffic. To date, my average speed is 23 mph. I would love to see how it does with more highway driving, but that's just not my daily drive. I'll keep an eye out for something else being wrong, but I'd love to know about your average speed and consider how that plays into the mpg average.

With that much stop and go in could see it having an impact on mpg. You're a prime candidate for an electric vehicle

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I don't see how. Neither my home nor my work would allow me to charge, and there really isn't a ton of charging spots in Miami that I've seen. Not to mention, my reason for purchasing the QX60 was for the third row. Haven't seen any electrics that do that.

In any case, drove to my sister's today, which is about an hour drive via expressway. My average mpg shot up to 18 from 17.4. In one trip. So it does have a lot to do with my driving habits for my daily commute.

NemoEsq said:

I don't see how. Neither my home nor my work would allow me to charge, and there really isn't a ton of charging spots in Miami that I've seen. Not to mention, my reason for purchasing the QX60 was for the third row. Haven't seen any electrics that do that.

In any case, drove to my sister's today, which is about an hour drive via expressway. My average mpg shot up to 18 from 17.4. In one trip. So it does have a lot to do with my driving habits for my daily commute.

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Driving habit does make a big difference. NYC driving here. Average speed of 17mph. Average use of 16mpg. Hopefully it'll get higher as car is only 1 month old. with about 1200 miles.

Running on 91 and getting 35 MPG (Imperial) on the highway.

Premium. I'm sure the engineers would not have suggested premium fuel if the vehicle was designed to run on 87 and not all fuel is the same quality regardless of what people tell you. You paid a premium price for a vehicle then bicker about paying $.20 more a gallon. Should have bought an explorer!