Originally Posted by
Vapor
Engine additives are anyones guess, and I wouldn't mention it to the dealer just because of what it says in the manual, but just because a car is engineered to be able to run on low octane gas does not mean that is the healthiest choice for your engine. Lower octane gas forces sensors in the car to read and adjust the timing accordingly to prevent possible premature detonation. That does not mean the premature detonation doesn't occur but that when it's detected the CPU adjusts accordingly. High octane gas prevents premature detonation in the first place making it a cleaner burn thus not gumming up your injectors and intake.
Actually, this is bad information. Not only is high octane fuel more expensive, it's engineered to detonate at higher compression levels. Our Micra engines are not high compression, so high octane fuel doesn't burn correctly. The result is that your mileage and performance will suffer.
Originally Posted by
Vapor
Your car will run smoother and quieter as a result. As well when I take my car to the dealer I request synthetic and it costs more. . Why because it's engineered to be better than conventional oil. FACT: It is better to run in new engines. Not so much on old worn ones because it runs thinner and tends to cause leaks. But for a new engine synthetic is the way to go. I went to school for this stuff I'd hate to think it was all a waste of my time when I could have just read the Micra manual.
Again, another myth, although the synthetic oil probably won't hurt anything, there's really no benefit in our low compression, non-turbocharged, naturally aspirated, simple 1.6L engines, but if you got money to burn, go at it. Just don't be disappointed that your Micra doesn't perform better or last longer than a Micra with proper oil changes with regular oil. To demonstrate what it could really cost, Mr. Lube charges $38 extra for a synthetic oil change. We need to change our oil every 8,000 km. If we did that every time on the mark, then at 200,000 km, we would have changed our oil 25 times at an extra expense of $950. Thinking about 400,000km? It's possible that a Micra on synthetic or regular oil could make that mark, but with synthetic, you're now out $1900.
Between synthetic oil changes and high octane fuel, the benefits of driving this economy car evaporate pretty quickly, which leads me to wonder, what's the point?
In our culture obsessed with absurd excess, the Nissan Micra is my counterculture car of choice.
Be sure to visit my blog at
mymicra.com!
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View my fuel log 2015 Micra SV manual: 6.4 L/100 km ... 44.3 mpg (Imp) ... 15.7 km/L ... 36.9 mpg (US) ...