Fuel Grade (regular, mid-range or premium)

[ChanceCoats123]

I think placebo has alot to do with it, additional detergents aside. I bet if you were given regular once or twice unknowingly you probably wouldn't notice. You may be more critical of noise/feel when riding with anything other than "top shelf". Ya know?

On a stock bike (or any vehicle for that matter), I think you're 100% correct. If you've got engine work done, increased compression ratio, advanced timing, any number of things, then you'll definitely notice. This doesn't apply to many people, however.

 

[iviyth0s]

On a stock bike (or any vehicle for that matter), I think you're 100% correct. If you've got engine work done, increased compression ratio, advanced timing, any number of things, then you'll definitely notice. This doesn't apply to many people, however.

Well YEAH Blah
But I'm speaking strictly of a stock bike with stock compression lol

 

[raja777m]

I've never had a problem with regular (87 octane). We have ethanol in our gas in MA, for winter storage we have to use the blue STABIL for ethanol.

Is it necessary/good to use Lucas fluid?
I used to use it on my 145k Nissan sentra, once for every other full tanks.
Mine is 3200 miles only, but purchased recently, and inspected a month before i purchased. I'm being cautious/over-reacting, as this is my first bike in USA.

 

[beatle]

Seems to be a lot of misinformation here. Octane rating is just a measure of how resistant to knock a fuel is. If the bike doesn't knock with 87 octane, 93 won't help it. The decision would be whether the added detergents would help clean the engine or keep it clean. Detergents don't add power. It's probably more important to buy from a reputable station with a lot of business so water doesn't collect in the tanks.

Ethanol actually has a very high octane rating. The problem is that it has less energy content than gasoline, so you need to inject more of it to produce the same amount of power. Vehicles that don't compensate for this lack of energy will run poorly on a high ethanol blend (or not at all). This has nothing to do with octane. E85 is over 100 octane, and is great for tuning a vehicle for more power if you can give the engine enough fuel.

 

[ChanceCoats123]

Seems to be a lot of misinformation here. Octane rating is just a measure of how resistant to knock a fuel is. If the bike doesn't knock with 87 octane, 93 won't help it. The decision would be whether the added detergents would help clean the engine or keep it clean. Detergents don't add power. It's probably more important to buy from a reputable station with a lot of business so water doesn't collect in the tanks.

Ethanol actually has a very high octane rating. The problem is that it has less energy content than gasoline, so you need to inject more of it to produce the same amount of power. Vehicles that don't compensate for this lack of energy will run poorly on a high ethanol blend (or not at all). This has nothing to do with octane. E85 is over 100 octane, and is great for tuning a vehicle for more power if you can give the engine enough fuel.

This is very true for our bikes because we don't have an anti-knock sensor or VVT. In general though, vehicles that do have an anti-knock sensor will see a power increase because the ignition can be advanced more. Along that same vein, vehicles with advanced timing will also see a power improvement due to the decreased pre-ignition.

In terms of our bike, the increased detergents in premium gas just help an engine remain efficient. Adding a single tank of premium won't show any differences from regular (granted that the timing is correct), but repeated use should help reduce carbon build up and allow fuel injectors to spray the correct amounts of fuel each time they operate. This will lead to a more efficient engine and, if the build-up has gotten bad enough, may free up some power.

 

[FinalImpact]

This is very true for our bikes because we don't have an anti-knock sensor or VVT. In general though, vehicles that do have an anti-knock sensor will see a power increase because the ignition can be advanced more. Along that same vein, vehicles with advanced timing will also see a power improvement due to the decreased pre-ignition.

In terms of our bike, the increased detergents in premium gas just help an engine remain efficient. Adding a single tank of premium won't show any differences from regular (granted that the timing is correct), but repeated use should help reduce carbon build up and allow fuel injectors to spray the correct amounts of fuel each time they operate. This will lead to a more efficient engine and, if the build-up has gotten bad enough, may free up some power.

This has progressed nicely....

Adding to this; when do you think the bulk of the deposits are accumulated on the intake side? Hint: this is where the grocery getters get slammed.

Each time the engine is shut off, the fuel vapor is and combustion gases are still present. So, for each cool down cycle, those vapors (fuel or combustion) now attached and build up on surfaces like the intake plenum, injectors, spark plugs, pistons, cylinder head, etc. This is where the detergents in fuels do the work. As it comes up to temp and flow is restored, if all goes well the deposits are removed! :thumbup:

For the folks that never rev the engine, MORE deposits tend to build up. And for those who treat this engine like diesel tractor motor, well - you see where this it going. Volume = Flow = better cleaning of upper end.

 

[Extremity]

I just want to chime in and say that while I see a *ton* of people posting claims that octane is "resistance to burn" that it is, more realistically, resistance to compression.

 

[raja777m]

I feel like a case study should be conducted where people ask for mid grade or premium but get regular (and charged for regular of course) and still see if they "feel" the difference to see if it's placebo or actually helpful.

5th Gear - High Octane Fuels
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQghB4asSnI)
something like this should be done.
I could do that, but I don't have any friends who owns a Dyno, so, it'll be too expensive for me.
Maybe I need to start a little crowd funding on this site.. Blah :thumbup:

 

[Serzedo]

I only use regular 95 octane, not the low-cost 95 octane. There aren't 87 octane around here.

"V"

 

[FZ6 Gotta Go!]

I used premium gas figuring it would be more stable and more likely to prevent problems during storage over winter months. Don't know if this is the case, but I also never had any issues with it.

Well I just googled it and it turns out that marine fuel has no ethanol in it and stores longer. Curious how that would run.

 

[TheMicahLay]

I've always ran premium in my bikes just to keep the internals a bit cleaner. Less than a dollar difference with a fill up so price isn't a big issue.

 

[Lofty]

Is there a difference in noticable power between the 3 octanes? Maybe.

Is there a difference in how smooth a motor feels on higher octane? Probably, most ECUs are smart enough to be able to control the way the motor runs to make no difference to the rider.

Now-- is there noticable differences in power on Premium NON ETHANOL vs Premium ETHANOL? Yes, absolutely. I've done a lot of "testing" on this matter, every vehicle I throw the non ethanol premium in idles smoother.

Take what I said for what it is.

 

[WI_Webster]

Here in SE WI we can pretty much only get the 10% ethanol blend because of EPA concerns being near the lake. I think if you travel westward within the state the blends change slightly - at least they used to. There is a gas station near me that sells non-ethanol for $9.99 a gallon - that is just a little too much for me. I do use Premium though if only to feel better about it. Like TheMicahLay said - it is only about a buck a tank.

 

[Laurence243]

There's really no point using premium, your ECU adjusts your compression back down to 87 octane levels so you don't get any benefit.

 

[Serzedo]

There's really no point using premium, your ECU adjusts your compression back down to 87 octane levels so you don't get any benefit.

Maybe it's different around there, but around here works like this:

All fuel is 95 octane, what makes it low-cost, medium or premium isn't the octane level, it's the addictives they put into that make the combustion cleaner and it also cleans the engine.

So the low-cost is pure 95 fuel, the regular is 95 with some addictives, the premium is 95 with a better formula than the one before.

In this poll I choose the mid-range, since it isn't the low-cost alternative, neither is the most expensive.

"V"

 

[Laurence243]

Additives are one benefit to premium but yamaha has a recommended fuel additive that is about an extra dollar per tank

 

[iSteve]

There's really no point using premium, your ECU adjusts your compression back down to 87 octane levels so you don't get any benefit.

The ECU can not change compression it can only change air/fuel ratio and spark advance. Octane rating only indicate the resistance fuel has to ignition. This is to keep the fuel from pre igniting.

 

[Lofty]

Here in SE WI we can pretty much only get the 10% ethanol blend because of EPA concerns being near the lake. I think if you travel westward within the state the blends change slightly - at least they used to. There is a gas station near me that sells non-ethanol for $9.99 a gallon - that is just a little too much for me. I do use Premium though if only to feel better about it. Like TheMicahLay said - it is only about a buck a tank.

I find non ethanol in Jefferson country area--specifically watertown Price is the same as ethanol gas.

 

[sdriv3r]

I always run regural (87 octane) in everything I own. I really do believe there is no point in higher grade unless the manufacturer mandates it or if you are experiencing pinging. One thing I do know is that ethanol-free gas does make a difference. There are many reports showing that most engines run much more smoothly on ethanol free gas and report better mileage.

Where I live only a few stations offer ethanol free gas and it is always the highest grade (91 octane R+M/2). Will have to try it in my bike and see if the increased mileage can offset the higher cost. If it doesn't then it is not worth it.

 

[vinmansbrew]

Kills me that people still use premium in engines that do not require it. And then they use "additive package" to justify it. IF you run a fuel filter(as you should) and IF you buy from a reputable station, then it takes a LONG time for an engine to get dirty where the additives matter.

Also, better stations use higher additive packs than lesser stations. For example, I fill at costco most of the time. Their regular is considered "top tier" fuel. Top Tier Gasoline

Most cases where a person thinks their engine runs smoother is merely placebo effect. They think premium is better, therefore their engine feels like it runs better. The only real time you need to up the octane is if you get ping or knock.

Obviously, if the motor is not stock, and I don't mean ecu mods, then you may need premium. Higher compression, more advanced timing, engine load, these are factors for determining is premium is needed.

Also, in older bikes, the ignition systems were not very strong, primarily points ignitions. Premium doesn't always fully burn in these engines. Fuel that doesn't burn fully increases carbon buildup on the pistons and cylinders. It is possible for carbon to flake off and actually score the walls.

It is your bike though. You can use premium if you want, but you will almost certainly not gain anything by doing so.