Which Fuel Should I Use in My Nissan Dualis?
QUESTION
Hi john,
I just got off the phone with you on Radio 2UE and you asked me to email you. I bought the Nissan Dualis new and have been putting 98 Octane Premium Unleaded in it. You said that's definitely waste of money. Should I put 91 in it? I'm not a fan of e10. Thanks.
Cheers, Anne.
ANSWER
Hi Anne - the Dualis can take 91 Octane standard unleaded petrol just fine. Here's the spec sheet from Redbook.com.au below. Note up the top it says "petrol - Unleaded ULP" and down towards the bottom it says "Recommended RON Rating - 91". (RON is 'Research Octane Number, more commonly just called Octane Rating.
Here in Australia we have three types of petrol: standard unleaded (91) and two premiums (95 & 98). You need to use at least the lowest number specified by the manufacturer of the vehicle (in your case, 91).
Using 95 or 98 won't hurt, but it is expensive and there's no tangible benefit in a car like the Nissan Dualis.
As for not being a "fan" of e10 - I don't understand this. You can be a fan or the Roosters or the Sharks, or a fan of Michelle Bridges, or Tom Cruze, or even chocolate brownies, but you cannot be a fan of a particular fuel. It's just a chemical cocktail you need to tip into your car to stop it from becoming roadside furniture because the tank is empty. Your car is completely compatible with e10 (which has an octane rating of about 94.5 mostly). E10 cannot hurt your car. It's not an inferior fuel. The only question about when to use it or not is economic: if it's five cents a litre cheaper than 91 then it's a good deal economically. If not then you're ripping yourself off.
Using e10 is absolutely fine in your dualis. Not only that, using it boosts our national energy independence by diluting our vulnerability to international oil markets. And it's renewable, so we can just keep growing it.
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