Proper Feed for the FZ6

[staticghost]

I always put 91 no matter what. I mean we only have like 5 gallon tank so why put anything else but the best. In my mind, high performance Fizzers that make us smile when we twist the throttle, they deserve best fuel. When it comes to gas at least.

 

[Fred]

Doesn't the owner's manual call for 87 octane? This is one of the many benefits of this bike. It is cheap to ride.

Why in God's name would we read the owner's manual and follow its recommendations? It's much more fun to pretend that we are smarter than Yamaha's engineers while at the same time paying extra for gasoline.

*flamesuit on*

 

[urbanj]

I'm too lazy to type stuff out again but this is from a different thread on the exact same topic.

"There is zero added benefit. It actually robs you of power. I said it above. There is less energy in higher octane fuels.

The pinging is the sound when the two flame fronts meet. Preignition is the cause and detonation is the result. When the fuel preignites it doesnt have a nice slow controlled burn like it should. It's more of an explosion. when the explosion from one side of the cylinder collides with the flame from the spark they crash and make that sound. Detonation is bad because it creates huge spikes in combustion pressures that destroy the engine internally. These huge pressures happen when the piston is still on its way up. Severe detonation can not only bust up pistons but bend rods.

Timing advances as rpm goes up because the fuel has a specific burn rate and you want all the energy to act on the crank. As piston speeds speed up, if you were to run the same timing as at slower speeds by the time the fuel finishes burning the piston will be way past TDC and have lost most of its mechanical leverage on the crank. thus reducing power output. when you advance it too much the cylinder pressures rise to fast and thus contribute to detonation.

If our engines are designed for 87 it means that the fuel is suitable and will not preignite and that it will make the most power. with everything else the same the higher octane will burn slower and there is a chance, because of ignition timing, that you wont get the full effects of combustion acting down on the crank."

 

[Jonno271]

Why in God's name would we read the owner's manual and follow its recommendations? It's much more fun to pretend that we are smarter than Yamaha's engineers while at the same time paying extra for gasoline.

*flamesuit on*

:thumbup:

 

[(none)]

I always put 91 no matter what. I mean we only have like 5 gallon tank so why put anything else but the best. In my mind, high performance Fizzers that make us smile when we twist the throttle, they deserve best fuel. When it comes to gas at least.

And that is the problem. People think that just because it has a higher number on it and it's called "premium" that it must be better than regular fuel...

 

[Powerman]

Always 91 for me unless I'm stuck somewhere without it. We're talking pennies here for our size tank. Give her the best.

 

[Pickax]

I noticed one person said they filled up at a station that only sold 87. Additionally, the original post mentions accidentally filling up with 87. That might mean you didn't go to your usual gas station (it might not).

Around here, the "discount" stations only sell 87. I don't know how much of it is nonsense, but sometimes the discount stations supposedly might have a tad more ethanol in them. Also, these stations may not be as well maintained and water or other things might be in the large underground tanks.

This is all total speculation and plenty of people know far better than I do. Around here we had a big scandal where a few gas stations had 60% ethanol in their gas and it did engine damage. Obviously these things can happen. It doesn't necessarily explain why someone would end up with less performance from 87, but higher ethanol, water, or other substance content might explain it.

 

[HowlFZ6]

Mine runs on White Chocolate Mocha Cappuccino. It's cranky in the morning without it.

Edit: There's the Pic!

 

[mcteague]

Always 91 for me unless I'm stuck somewhere without it. We're talking pennies here for our size tank. Give her the best.

Read all the posts. It's not better just formulated for engines that require it. You are just wasting money putting in higher octane.

Tim

 

[Pickax]

Mine runs on White Chocolate Mocha Cappuccino. It's cranky in the morning without it.

Edit: There's the Pic!

I don't know why, but that picture cracks me up. I need to find a gas station like that.

 

[crobinson1324]

i have only used 93 octane in my 08 fz6 since i bought it new, now has 8000 miles on it. Bad fuel does happen, i am a commerical short haul truck driver and get bad fuel all the time. if you buy a common fuel it has to be replenished more often and this stirs up all the debris at the bottom of the underground tank. the added assurance of the extra octane and knowing that my fuel has had more time to settle out due to the less use is worth the extra few cents a gallon in my own opinion.

tip: if you see a tanker unloadin fuel go to a different station, you never know which fuel he is dumpin and you might pick up some of the debris...

 

[gt89stang393]

Does this ever end really? Yamaha Engineers for one didn't tune this motorcycle to be a race bike. They tuned it to run on regular fuel and to meet very strict Euro and Cali emissions standards = LESS POWER!!! Regardless of what anyone thinks or says, motorcycle and car manufacturers need to make a vehicle that will run almost anywhere on cheap fuel (since most people are just too cheap to put the higher stuff in it). It is a fact of life. Once you get into PCIII territory all that is moot, and I would bet dyno tuning for max these bikes would make it with the premium fuel.

 

[FizzySix]

I use NOS energy drink in mine

+1 to the "octane <> performance" and "possibly bad fuel" comments. @ the OP: if your butt-dyno reported that the bike wasn't performing as well as usual, my suggestion is that once your tank is somewhat empty dilute it down with some fresh gas from a different station and try again. If it still seems underpowered, go get an FZ1 like everyone else here seems to be doing.

Seriously, it's easy enough to cross gas off the list. Let us know what you find! :Flash:

 

[Powerman]

Read all the posts. It's not better just formulated for engines that require it. You are just wasting money putting in higher octane.

Tim

Don't care what the manual says, me ear says a slight knock with 87.

 

[mcteague]

Don't care what the manual says, me ear says a slight knock with 87.

Actually, knocking is one of the few valid reasons for upping your octane. The FZ6 should not ping with 87 though, may be time for a tune-up.

Tim