what octane do you use?

[cp04]

.I use 87.

 

[craig007]

I use 87 most of the time. Every once in a while I use premium (93). I do this because the premium has a higher levels of valve cleaning additives. When I store the bike for the winter, I also fill it with premium (for the same reason)

 

[Denver_FZ6]

87. In the past I occasionally tried the higher stuff but gave up because I didn't see a difference in power or MPG. In the US, all gasoline grades are federally mandated to include detergents. While the higher octanes may have more, I've peeked down the intake manifold of my Toyota with 140k miles of 87 grade and there is no buildup so I'm not concerned.

 

[and1zeuss]

Thanks for all the quick replies. :thumbup: My former bike was a 97 Ninja ZX7r which def. ran better on premium... but thats quite a different bike.

It seems like most use 87, but their's quite a mixed bag of replies. I'll give the 87 a try and see if it makes a difference in performance or mileage if not I suppose it doesnt hurt. I def. agree with at least filling up once or twice a season with premium though.

I suppose the R6 recommends 87 as well since its the same engine? anyone know for sure?

 

[Shamus McFeeley]

Those additives that the stations sell are bunk (except for Techron). Unless your pinging, there is no reason to use a high grade of gasoline. Like cubic inches, most people are fooled by the retailers into thinking that the bigger the number the better. It's more like golf, not football: the lower the number the better. I think that people get duped too because of "racing" fuels that have high octane numbers. That fuel is rated high because of the specific needs for that motor. Your daily driver does not need 110 pump gas. Also, those "octane boosters" sold at auto parts stores usually have a lot of methanol or alcohols in them. Kind of works like a red bull for your motor.

 

[Motogiro]

My motors seem to like the 91. I also get better mileage. And then again, isn't this sort of like an oil thread? Hahaha...
My tuner also recommended the higher. I don't think there's anything wrong using the lower octane because the CPU senses and adjusts accordingly.

 

[Nekros]

I am in Canada and when I bought my bike the sales guy had to go through this check sheet provided by Yamaha. He had to show me things like where the oil filter was, oil cap, rear brake, etc. One of the things he said and checked off on the sheet was to always fill the bike with premium (91). Did he make a mistake or is that the case. I have been filling it up with premium, as well as filling it up at Mohawk which sells 10% ethanol in their fuel. It's supposed to be cleaner burning. Reading this post makes me feel like I have been doing it wrong. :/

 

[SovietRobot]

I've always run a minimum of 91 (R+M)/2, which is sold as "premium" or "supreme" here, depending on the gas station. I wouldn't run less.

Everyone is different. Modern cares are designed to run on as low as 85-87, but high performance vehicles, and most motorcycles, require a higher rating due to higher compression ratios and engine design.

Are you 'wrong' for running any one rating over another? Not neccessarily.

 

[SovietRobot]

My motors seem to like the 91. I also get better mileage. And then again, isn't this sort of like an oil thread? Hahaha...
My tuner also recommended the higher. I don't think there's anything wrong using the lower octane because the CPU senses and adjusts accordingly.

I don't think the computer on our bikes can adjust the timing to counter the effects of lower octane fuel.

The most the CPU can do is change the A/F ratio, as it does on the 07+ models which have O2 sensors.
With low rating gas on a high compression motor, the biggest problem you have is predetonation, or "pinging/knocking". To counter this you would have to change the timing.

Or i might just be talking out of my ass, correct me if I'm wrong! :iconbeer:

 

[Fred]

The most the CPU can do is change the A/F ratio, as it does on the 07+ models which have O2 sensors.
With low rating gas on a high compression motor, the biggest problem you have is predetonation, or "pinging/knocking". To counter this you would have to change the timing.

Or i might just be talking out of my ass, correct me if I'm wrong! :iconbeer:

I have no idea which orifice you use to speak, but you are correct. The FZ6 doesn't have a knock sensor, so there's no way for the computer to sense the fuel's octane and adjust accordingly.

This means two things.

1. If the bike knocks due to a batch of bad gas, you'd better know about it, because the computer won't.
2. You're wasting your money when you put in high octane fuel. The bike is not capable of taking advantage of it.

Fred

 

[rbesr]

87 octane for me in all three bikes. I've run 86 octane in the high altitudes before and done well with it. The only additive I ever use is a bit of Seafoam occasionally to clean things out.

 

[sm00thpapa]

I always wondered. A fueling station has 1 hole in the ground which a truck fuels the station. So how does the fuel get separated coming out?

 

[bmccrary]

I have been filling it up with premium, as well as filling it up at Mohawk which sells 10% ethanol in their fuel. It's supposed to be cleaner burning.

Do what you like, but that ethanol stuff is a joke. I do my best to avoid it, however this is getting much harder.

I run 93 in the bike because it is not my commuting vehical. So when I park it after a ride, there is no telling how long it may sit. However, this has not been the case this summer :rockon:

-bryan

 

[Erci]

2. You're wasting your money when you put in high octane fuel. The bike is not capable of taking advantage of it.

Fred

+1. Same goes for any other vehicle which is designed to run on 87. The higher the octane, the harder the air / gas mixture can be compressed without exploding. Detonation (knocking) = air+gas exploding before spark plug has a chance to fire. No motor designed to run on 87 should have this issue if it's working properly. Using higher octane provides zero benefit with this set up as the air+gas will not be compressed to the point where it can explode on its own before the spark plug fires.

 

[Smittyboy]

The only time I use anything other than the low grade is when I'm at a station that doesn't add ethanol to their premium. Most places by me have 10-15% of that crap in their gas, but whitewater there's my oasis which doesn't add any. YAY! A little stabil ethanol treatment before storage and less for the first ride the following season is all the special treatment my gas gets...DAMN ETHANOL!!! Cobs were more expensive at summerfest, hmm, coincidence?

 

[Motogiro]

I don't think the computer on our bikes can adjust the timing to counter the effects of lower octane fuel.

The most the CPU can do is change the A/F ratio, as it does on the 07+ models which have O2 sensors.
With low rating gas on a high compression motor, the biggest problem you have is predetonation, or "pinging/knocking". To counter this you would have to change the timing.

Or i might just be talking out of my ass, correct me if I'm wrong! :iconbeer:

I could be wrong but I think most vehicles have a way to tell if there's a predetonation and adjusts timing accordingly. That would probably retard the spark at a pretdet. condition.

 

[bigdog9191999]

our fz gets 87 and 89, 89 when we ride together cuz the tiger calls for it and it is easy to fill both at once and 87 when she is solo usually cuz it is cheaper, she has not complained about any differeces between the two

 

[urbanj]

If the engine is designed to run on 87 that means it won't detonate on 87 and it runs appropriate timing for that gas among other things. Which means using anything higher is actually giving you less power as the higher the octane the lower the btu's in the fuel. It may be negligible but it's the fact.

the static compression ratio of the fz6 is only .2 off the r6s but that doesn't mean it's has the same dynamic ratio. the effective pressure could be much more off. The r6's cam is obviously different which would affect this.

stick with 87

 

[DefyInertia]

I run 87 and always have

Can someone teach me how to notice/identify when there is pinging/knocking??? I've been hearing about it since I was a kid but can't say I've ever actually witnessed it.

 

[gt89stang393]

+1. Same goes for any other vehicle which is designed to run on 87. The higher the octane, the harder the air / gas mixture can be compressed without exploding. Detonation (knocking) = air+gas exploding before spark plug has a chance to fire. No motor designed to run on 87 should have this issue if it's working properly. Using higher octane provides zero benefit with this set up as the air+gas will not be compressed to the point where it can explode on its own before the spark plug fires.

My wife's 2003 Honda Accord V6 is designed to run on 87 octane. Running a mix of 87/89 octane we managed 25mpg cruising at 80mph on the highway. Now, running a few tank fulls of 93 through it we managed 28mpg doing the same 80mph including around town driving and multiple shots to 100+mph. Nothing changed but the octane of the fuel. I always run the same oil, weight, filter, air pressure etc. Also, all our fuel around here is 10% ethanol now. Ran 89 in the bike once and it had no power above 10000rpm. I used this example before, its like running 87 octane in a 12.5:1 compression in a V8, you can do it, but you can sure tune a lot more power with higher octane.