EEK! you cannot honestly say that your motor performs the same running 87 as it does running 91 or 93.

but to answer the original question truthfully, you will be fine with regular grade as long as you dont lay on the throttle. even if you do have a lead foot, nissan/infiniti installs knock sensors on all the VQ motors to detect pinging and will automatically retard the timing to protect itself

 

you are performing "butt" dyno tests. on a true dyno, you will see a difference running higher octane. it has been proven. if it was bs, top fuel cars would be running regular and not race gas. higher octane burns easier and cleaner and will give you better performance and more mpg plain and simple

 

Good for you. The fact that MANY other people here have had problems with <91 octane makes your posts irrelevant. You go ahead and run 87 octane in your car, I honestly could careless. But, I can tell you there is a reason why the G35 makes 20 more HP compared to the Maxima, at least in 06 and below. Not sure when they changed the Maxima, if they have.

Unless you have proof other than, "Look ma, I did it and it works!" do us all a favor and keep your rude and retarded comments to yourself.

 

Proof is at the track I ran my second best time STOCK on 87 octane (14.6)... rather than 3.9 gears, intake manifold, CAI, exhaust and test pipes which I ran a 14.5

Thats proof for me right there.

 

Again, good for you. Keep running 87 in your car. Like I said, I could careless. All I know is it is a simple fact our cars do require 91 octane. Whether or not you believe it is your own damn fault.

 

I also have a 2K SE Max and, even those cars require premium fuel. You're so right about our cars fuel requirements but, whenever I have used anything less than 91 the car knocks like crap. Don't think I'd suggest using cheap gas on 20k or 30K+ cars. I too am sick and tired of people coming on here and spreading their brightness.

 

track times can show a difference of a full second depending on temperature,conditions of the track,which track and trap software is used. what were your traps for each run? that will also tell us if it was driver error or track issues. 1/10th of a second faster could have all been just a matter of wheel spin or getting hung up on a gear

 

Stop spreading FUD...

Last time I put 87 in my G it pings like crazy and had a noticable drop in power.

Either you aren't really driving a G, your G is fubar'd, or your ears are blocked...

 

^^+1000000000

 

You seem to be a very technical and logical person about how engines work and the chemistry behind different octane levels

To the OP: Putting a tank of 87 gas isn't going to destroy your engine. But I recommend you just drive it normal. Lower octane may produce knocking on this engine (especially if you have a revup, where it explicitly states premium gas is REQUIRED). Once you put 91 back on and the 87 is out of your fuel lines/gas tank, it should drive like normal. Don't stress it...your engine will survive

 

The track times would be even better if the tool bag in the driver's seat was removed.

 

Ummm, last I checked, bore, stroke and compression specs were the same on my brothers 2002 3.5 Altima and my 2004 G35.

Regardless, both of our cars get premium fuel only.

*EDIT* Per the owner's manual, if the wrong octane gas is used it is recommended that at 1/2 tank premium fuel be used to top off the tank.

 

EDIT

but yes either way, always run premium. there have been many tests proving that the extra few pennies spent on premium will outweigh the pennies you save by burning cleaner for less maintenance, and extra mpg

 

I personally measured the difference on the dyno.

Compared to 91 octane as the baseline, 96 octane produced a good clean 8-10 HP more power over almost the entire power curve. And the car ran beautifully with the higher octane. You can really feel the difference.

You can put 87 octane in your tank too, but if you do, don't punch it. 87 octane will be OK if you are really light on the gas pedal and cruise lightly.

If you do punch the gas with 87 octane, its guaranteed to ping. The ECU will hear the ping via the knock sensors and retard the timing in response. ...but reduced timing reduces power and fuel efficiency.

 

2004 G35 Sedan Specs Per Infinitihelp.com

2004 Infiniti G35 Coupe Specs Per Infinitihelp.com

2002 Nissan Altima 2.5 & 3.5 Specs Per Nissanhelp.com

2002 Nissan Maxima Specs Per Nissanhelp.com

2006 Nissan 350Z Specs Per Nissanhelp.com

All specs for the VQ35 are the same with regards to bore, stroke and compression. The specs you listed are for the Altima 2.5

Premium Unleaded Fuel Is Recommended For All These Vehicles Per Manufacturer. You can put 87 Octane in them, but as stated before the ECU will pull timing to compensate with a loss of power and performance as a result.