Improve Gas Mileage on Your Nissan Vehicle

If you already own a car, there are several gas consumption factors which you can't control: engine size and design, vehicle weight and wind resistance, gasoline quality and formulation. There are, however, a few ways in which you are the master of your driving fate, so let's concentrate on those. All of the strategies boil down to two words: maintenance and driving habits.

Maintain optimum tire pressure
It sounds like a no-brainer, but when was the last time that you checked your tire pressure? It takes more effort for an engine to propel an under inflated tire than a properly inflated one--the engine uses more gas to move it along.

The trickiest part of checking your tire pressure is that you actually have to check it twice: once before the vehicle has been moved that day, and again when you're at a gas station with an air hose. The first reading is from a cold tire, and it's the accurate one, while the second is from a tire that has warmed up from rolling on the pavement. The second reading will be a bit higher than the first. Here's the routine:

Get a good quality tire gauge, and measure the pressure in all four tires before you move the vehicle. You'll do this by removing the plastic caps on your valve stems and pressing the gauge firmly down over the metal threads on the end of the stem. You'll hear a little hiss as a bit of air escapes, but when you press the gauge firmly down and hold it there, the noise will stop and the gauge will register the tire pressure.

Write down the measurement for each tire--this is your cold measurement. Tire companies specifications reflect cold tire pressures, and pressure is measured in PSI, or pounds per square inch.

The auto manufacturer has specified tire pressures for both front and back tires. Look for these specs on the inside edge of the driver's door, on the inside of the glove compartment door, or in the owner's manual. Use these numbers, rather than the numbers printed on the outside of the tire, to find out how much pressure should be in the tires.

Tires lose pressure at different rates. If you measure tire pressure every few weeks or so, you'll get a better idea of how often adjustments are necessary. Don't try to go by the tires appearance, as modern radial tires often look under inflated when they're not.

Overly inflated tires can wear unevenly, so don't try to over inflate them into balloons.

Keep your engine tuned properly
Nowadays, most cars on the road have electronic ignitions that are simpler to maintain than they used to be, but there are still a few items that need attention.

The air filter should be replaced when you can't easily see light through it.

The timing should be properly adjusted.

The spark plugs should be clean.

Keep your exhaust system in good shape. A hole in your muffler or along your exhaust pipe will reduce your gas mileage as well as making noise and a bad smell.

In general, the faster you go, the more gas you use.
The defunct "Drive 55" campaign in the U.S.A. was not only a safety measure, it was also an energy conservation measure: cars use less gas at 55 mph than at 65 mph). Leave ten minutes earlier than you planned to, and drive a little slower than you normally do. As a bonus, you'll have more reaction time and may keep yourself out of an accident.

Heavy acceleration and hard braking greatly reduce gas mileage. Smooth acceleration from traffic lights and gradual braking at stop signs will help more than you might think. And if you're driving through a residential area, you'll make it a safer and more pleasant place for the folks who live there.

Constant speeds, rather than speeding up and slowing down, help enormously. That's why highway gas mileage estimates are always higher than the estimates for around-town driving. If you can plan your route to avoid strings of traffic lights, stop signs or children's play areas, your gas mileage will definitely improve.

In most cars, the air conditioner draws power from the engine, using a belt. Every time that you turn on the air conditioner, the engine has to use more gas to keep the car moving. Although opening the windows can also reduce your gas mileage by reducing the aerodynamic efficiency, it's still better than running the air conditioner.

Overloading the car makes the engine work overly hard and consume extra gas. If you can split the luggage (or building supplies) between two vehicles, then do it. This doesn't mean, however, that you ought to take two cars when one car will suffice.

1 — According to the U.S. Department of Energy, nearly four million gallons of gasoline could be saved nationwide each day for every one pound per square inch (PSI) of tire under-inflation, compared to the mileage if ALL vehicle tires were kept inflated to the manufacturer's recommended pressure.

2 — The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that for 145 million passenger vehicles idling five minutes per day, approximately four million gallons of gasoline are consumed without going anywhere.

3 — According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a vehicle loses about one percent in fuel economy for every one mile per hour above 55 m.p.h. that it is driven. A passenger car that averages 30 miles per gallon at 55 m.p.h. could typically get 28.5 m.p.g. at 60 m.p.h., 27 m.p.g. at 65 m.p.h. and 25.5 m.p.g. at 70 m.p.h. Remember, however, that for different speeds, the changes in fuel economy will vary by vehicle model.

4 — Each 100 pounds of needless weight will cost up to one-half mile per gallon, on the average.

Nissan to take on Ford, Holden in V8s

Rick and Todd Kelly will lead Nissan's factory V8 Supercar team. 

Nissan has confirmed it is entering the V8 Supercar sport it was once banned from.
Nissan will use V8 Supercars to try and propel itself to Australia's leading importer car brand.
Nissan Australia CEO Dan Thompson announced the Japanese brand's return to Australia motorsport this morning at Crown Casino in Melbourne.
The company will join forces with Melbourne-based Kelly Racing to develop a new Nissan V8 Supercar to take on Holden and Ford.
Nissan is being welcomed back "with more than open arms" according to V8 Supercars chairman Tony Cochrane, despite the Japanese brand being ousted from local touring car racing in 1993.
What was eventually called V8 Supercars was a category created to effectively get rid of brands such as Nissan; the Nissan GT-R was dominant over the Fords (Sierras) and Holdens (Commodores) of the day
Thompson says the deal to enter Australia's biggest motor sport category is designed to grow sales and underline the company's racing heritage, which includes the all-conquering GT-R of the early 1990s.
"We plan to use our presence in the series to strengthen our passenger car credentials in Australia," Thompson said this morning.
"Nissan believes that, alongside Ford and Holden, we possess the most convincing motorsport DNA and track history in Australia, making a V8 Supercars debut in 2013 an obvious initiative.
"We are targeting number one importer status in Australia and already making progress towards that as one of the country's fastest growing brands. V8 Supercars will boost that momentum."
The deal between Nissan and Kelly Racing was brokered by the team's chairman, and former head of HSV and the Holden Racing Team, John Crennan. He was influential in drafting the Car of the Future rules and it is believed had already had discussions with several other car brands about joining the sport.
Kelly Racing co-owners Todd and Rick Kelly have already begun preparing for next year's four-car factory-backed assault.
"Rick and I have had one clear goal that we have been striving for since we started Kelly Racing, that was to become a benchmark race-winning team with factory support," said Todd Kelly.
"The timing with Car of the Future has enabled us to engage a manufacturer and achieve that. We couldn't be happier to be a factory Nissan team and factory Nissan drivers."
Details about which car and engine the team will use haven't been revealed yet. Under the new-for-2013 Car of the Future rules Nissan will be able to enter a V8-powered rear-wheel drive sedan even if it doesn't have a road car with those specifications.
The most likely candidate for the Nissan racer is the Altima mid-size sedan which will replace the Maxima next year.
Todd Kelly confirmed that the engine will be sourced from Nissan's current V8 line-up, unlike the racing-specific Holden and Ford units.
The bore and stroke will have to be altered to meet the 5.0-litre regulations but the block and cylinder head will be from a production engine and include overhead camshafts instead of the pushrod setup used in the Ford and Holden race cars.
Kelly Racing will build the cars and engines in-house but have already held discussions with Nissan's motorsport division, NISMO, to get technical support.

2012 Nissan Murano SL: Review notes

Crossovers continue to be a white-hot segment of the new-car market for a variety of reasons, and this 2012 Nissan Murano SL could easily be Exhibit A as to the reason why. These vehicles are the station wagons of the new millennium, only they look a bit better. Or at least they blend in a bit better, looking like smaller knockoffs of all of the sport-utes patrolling the nation's highways.
Nissan calls the Murano a "premium crafted crossover," and while some marketing agency was probably paid tens of thousands of dollars for that line, after an hour or so behind the wheel, I understood why and started looking to see if this was an Infiniti rather than a Nissan.
The ute comes pretty well appointed, with comfortable leather seats, dual-zone temperature control, keyless entry and one of the highest-resolution backup cameras I've experienced. This tester was additionally equipped with a navigation system playing through a seven-inch, high-resolution monitor. The navigation system quickly became one of my favorites, with easy, intuitive controls that made my navigation around the Valley of the Sun so much easier. Nearly everyone today has turn-by-turn navigation capabilities on their cell phone, but I liked kicking it old-school, using a vehicle's onboard nav system, especially one with real-time traffic, as in the Murano.
If there's a downside, it would be the powertrain. The 3.5-liter V6 is stout and is one of my favorite engines that Nissan uses throughout its lineup. There's decent torque down low, and the 24-mpg highway mileage is fine in a vehicle this size. The problem here is that the fine engine is mated with a CVT, and while Nissan calls it "Intelligent Xtronic," there's no getting away from the annoying buzziness that happens when you hit the throttle at launch. The revs run up and you begin to gain speed. Maybe, if you've never experienced a good automatic or even a manual transmission, then this CVT would be just fine. But I've not met a CVT yet that I like, and frankly, if I were shopping for a vehicle, a CVT would be a deal-breaker.
And that's too bad because the Murano is more than a player in this segment. It's comfortable, quiet (once it got up to speed) on the pool-table-like smooth roads around Phoenix, and the ability to fold flat the rear seats made for more than enough room to swallow up luggage needed for a week in the sun.

Battery Life Information for your Nissan Vehicle

How can I tell if my battery is good or bad?

The condition of the cell plates inside the battery determines whether or not a battery is still serviceable. Current is produced when sulfuric acid in the battery reacts with lead in the cell plates. As the battery discharges, sulfate accumulates on the plates and reduces the battery's ability to make current. The sulfate is returned to solution when the alternator recharges the battery by forcing current to flow in the opposite direction.

Over time, some of the sulfate becomes permanently attached to the plates. The sulfate forms a barrier that diminishes the battery's ability to produce and store electricity. This process can be accelerated if the battery is run down frequently or is allowed to remain in a discharged state for more than a few days. If the plates have become sulfated, therefore, the battery won't accept a charge and will have to be replaced.

Average battery life is only about four to five years under the best of circumstances -- and sometimes as short as two to three years in extremely hot climates such as Arizona and New Mexico. But the battery may become "sulfated" prematurely if it is chronically undercharged (charging problems or frequent short-trip driving), or if the water level inside the battery drops below the top of the cell plates as a result of hot weather or overcharging and allows the cell plates to dry out.

Nissan Vans Help Buses Stay On Route

Nissan has signed a deal with tyre company Bridgestone to supply Primastar vans.
Bridgestone, the world’s largest tyre and rubber company, selected the Nissan Primastar to join its fleet of LCVs providing fleet inspection and tyre replacement services -in particular for First Group, Britain’s biggest bus operator running almost 8,000 vehicles.
Nichola Randall, manager responsible for fleet vehicles at Bridgestone UK, said: “The three Nissan Primastars are used by the regional technicians who support the Bridgestone UK Bus Operations Team.
“The role of the regional technician is to offer cover and support to the UK-wide team of technicians while the vehicles will be used to carry light equipment for electronic fleet inspections and heavyweight equipment such as tyres and wheels.
“When making a choice of new vans for the fleet, we found the Primastar SE to have the best specification for the price, as well as being appropriate for the job.”
Nissan’s fleet sales director, Barry Beeston, says: “The Primastar is a great match for Bridgestone’s requirements, enabling them to transport various items of equipment, whilst providing a high level of flexibility. The Primastar’s high specification, including Bluetooth and reverse parking sensors combined with competitive leasing rates, low maintenance costs and excellent residual values provides a strong solution for the business user.”
The Primastar vans will be located at Bridgestone depots in Suffolk, Leicestershire and South Wales.

Nissan Juke Design

How forward-thinking design and functionality came together to make a remarkable car.

Probably the greatest challenge facing automotive designers these days are matching the many safety and other demands within a given vehicle with something that is both aesthetically pleasing and fun to drive –not an easy task. Can one design a car that is both stimulating from a visual point of view while also being safe? Can form follow function?

In today’s world of automotive design, the discipline gets somewhat overshadowed by the myriad constraints governing every make and model of car being made. Is it enough to have a car that simply follows the rules? Is there room to roam,so to speak –and do better, more challenging designs make better cars, which in turn, createdeeper relationships with customers? The 2011 Nissan JUKE went on sale across Japan in early June, and sales of the car to date indicate there is a strong link between what JUKE offers and what customers are looking for. The story of JUKE is indeed an interesting one. It’s an SUV, but it’s

nimble and sporty – something that under normal circumstances would be oxymoronic.

But it’s not just a crossover. It actually represents a whole new genrefor NISSAN; the compact sports crossover segment. It is an area consumers are responding to in a big way.

NISSAN Design Newsletter had the opportunity to sit down with three key personnel involved in the design of JUKE, Product Chief Designer Seiji Watanabe, Exterior Designer Takashi Noguchi and Interior Designer Patrick Reimer.

Watanabe is a cheerful and very talkative fellow who looks a lotyounger than his 45 years. When queried about his main aims for JUKE, he mentioned three aspects; originality, presence and something called robiotic. “The car has to be compact but tough, giving it the feel of a larger vehicle. This also adds an element of ‘premium’ to the car and helps with the overall strong presence of JUKE. Just because a car is compact shouldn’t mean it’s cheap.”

Watanabe cited the importance of making something that hasn’t been created before – and won’t be copied by other manufacturers. This is true of another of Nissan’s iconic models, which itself created a new genre, the CUBE.

Robiotic is a mix of the words robotic and biological – representing the combination of mechanical and human elements found in the vehicle’s design.

Watanabe opined that when people see JUKE, they look at it more as a partner or pet than a transporter or mechanical object. “It’s a little closer to human, and less machine - or object-like,” he says.

The lines of the car and the rounded theme seen throughout certainly give it an organic look, less angular and machine-like than one usually sees.

The engineers faced many obstacles in designing JUKE, from the raised floor (and higher centre of gravity) to the bigger wheels and tapered cabin and short overhang at both ends of the car. Getting the vehicle’s proportions right was a key element for the design team, and something on which they focused a lot of their attention.

Surprising to some will be the relative similarity of the original sketches to the refined vehicle that’s available to the public. But looks can be deceiving; there aremany changes and developments throughout the car, both to the interior and exterior, some of which are not readily recognizable. Watanabe also confides that a unique challenge in the design of the car was the rear door handles. “With the rear fenders so high up on the car, it meant designing handles that would be easy to operate from that position.”

Like the X-TRAIL before it, JUKE is breaking new ground in terms of design for its genre, but as to whether there will be a line of cars similar in appearance to JUKE in the future, this is not expected.

When asked about his inspiration for the car’s design, Watanabe recalls seeing a messenger on a crossover bicycle (half road, half mountain bike) in London jumping the city’s kerbs with ease. “That gave me a hint towards the design initially. I wanted to create something for the urban jungle, but in a sporty compact vehicle – like that bike I saw.”

With its rugged and partially exposed underbelly and sophisticated cabin area, JUKE clearly ticks all boxes for those wanting the surefootedness offered by an SUV with the sporty compact feel of a sports car.

Another design aspect that‘s most interesting is the car’s roof, utilising a sloped half-pipe canopy, constructed of two rounded pillars. This allows for thelarge frontal area and smaller rear part of the cabin around the 'c' pillar.

The Product Chief Designer claims to be satisfied with the outcome of the car, though would have opted for a greater range of available colours and materials had he had the choice.

“JUKE is unique because when you drive this car, there’s a feeling of excitement. That’s the car’s special point - its particular appeal. Unlike in the past, cars that are fun todrive aren’t being offered anymore.” He tells us that designing a car that combines good gas mileagewith roominess, is inexpensive to run and has a light carbon footprint are difficult elements to balance out – but have been achieved with JUKE.

“In my view, it is critical that a car has a personality. JUKE has originality, and when you either see it or drive it, it strikes a pose.”He uses the Japanese term ‘uramasari’–meaning reserved and poised on the outside, while being bright and flashy on the inside. This is reflected in the many bright accents found within the cabin, particularly the door trim, power window switches, and most of all, the centre console. Exterior Designer Takashi Noguchi has been at Nissan for most ofhis working life, though interestingly, was first employed by the brand as an engineer. After going back to school and graduating from a design academy, he was hired by Nissan Design, and has moved up to lead the exterior design team on JUKE. “The car has a unique design, and a presence that instantly sets it

apart. JUKE is actually a sports car and the Boomerang-shaped rear lights show Nissan’s sports car DNA –influenced by the FAIRLADY Z. It is of course, a lot more than that.”

The car had to be very different from anything else out there. Nissan already has SUVs like the Qashqai, so the sporty nature of JUKE needed to be shown – it’s the differentiation of the car. The design process saw little in the way of compromises from thesketch phase to refined design – something very satisfying for the design team, and most uncommon these days.

Each part of JUKE is very distinctive from a regular car – meaning it’s also very difficult to produce. Aerodynamics is a very important point with the car. The original roof design was more angled at the rear, but to meet fuel efficiency requirements and other aspects, had to be re-designed.

Meanwhile, the L-shaped rear lights, as well as being reminiscent of the FAIRLADYZ, also have an aerodynamic, flat surface, making them functional as well as beautiful.

Noguchi explains the rules for successful products: “There are two rules for a top selling product. One –it must be authentic, orthodox and of a conventional design, but of good quality. The other element is distinction –there must be nothing else like it. This sets Nissan and JUKE apart from other offerings.”

The design process hasn’t all been easy however, Noguchi revealing that finding a solution to the pedestrian protection rules was an area that required special attention, and another reason the front of the car is so large – and positioned high up.

“What I tried to do in designing the exterior of the car was to create a premium effect. JUKE is small but that doesn’t mean it should look inexpensive or cheap.”

Proportions, he tells us, are most important. Compact cars generally have small, flat surfaces. JUKE has three-dimensional surfaces and big wheels, giving it a stance like no other car in its size class.

Distinctive cars don’t usually sell well, but JUKE sold over 10,000 units in its first month, showing that people do, in fact, want more stimulation from their cars. Creating a unique product is key.

For Noguchi, the single most satisfying point is the front combination lamp. “The intention of this lamp is that we wanted to put the eyes in a higher position, demonstrating confidence, standing tall and proud. JUKE is small, but easily holds its own, it is not intimidated by larger vehicles.”

Noguchi concludes that the entire process for JUKE – from initial sketches to the finished product that’s available in dealerships, took only three years. For such a distinctive automobile, that is indeed fast.

On dispatch from European Satellite Studio NDE (NISSAN Design Europe) Patrick Reimer, an experienced former Interior Designer for a European manufacturer shared his views on JUKE.

“We try to combine comfort, safety and technology. JUKE has a thick skin, providing a protective environment like a diver’s suit. Unlike at the European carmakers, we use a lot of key words. For example ‘biotic,’which, for us, means ‘human-centered.’It is one of the pillars for Nissan. It is most important that the customer feels comfortable.” The striking appearance of the interior is not at all by chance,Reimer explains. “It’s important that it’s got a theme, that it looks different. People sit inside the car and they say, “This is somehow new and different.” He goes on to tell of his pride that even though the car is

very affordable, they have achieved such a strong separation from the rest of the market. “I think this is Nissan’s way. It is our corporate identity.” “Each Nissan has a separate character. We don’t make a JUKE A-class, a JUKE off-roader, a JUKE D-sedan. We make a JUKE, we make a CUBE, and we make the Z car. JUKE-ness, each product has its own singular identity. We try to keep concepts very separate –that’s simply the way we do it here.”

“We are happy if we see that customers actually recognise our idea. They look inside and see there’s something else going on, it looks different to other cars.”

On the car’s instantly recognizable centre console, “Engineering even proposed to make it in metal, which really impressed me. In the end, ergonomics and safety come first. It has to be safe; you have to have fun driving it.” One thing that keeps popping up with this car, following Qashqai, he says, is to make it as up-market as possible, even though it’s not that segment – to add something aspirational. It should look as luxurious as possible, he concludes.

On fuel efficiency and aerodynamics having an influence on the interior design of the car, he replies; “We had to make it as small and compact as possible but keep the high seatposition. It’s very comfortable for the driver, and also contributes to safety.”Cars in the same segment look and feel smaller, he says.

“Finding the best balance between what we can offer within the price point is our task. We want the customer to think, “I’m getting more for my money.””

For Reimer, the single most satisfying moment on JUKE was winning the project. “We had to prove as a satellite studio that we could do proper projects. I believe we achieved that.”“We hope it’s the right car for the right era. America’s changing, cities are getting more crowded, and cities are key markets for us.”

JUKE has an unmistakingly strong presence, in terms of both its exterior and interior. The car’s presence is the first thing that sets it apart, then the design details, the accents, the treatments. Something exceedingly rare for a small vehicle, JUKE punches above its weight.