[s2cmpugh]

Just curious to see what octane everyone reccommends. I currently use 93, but if it doesnt require it then I wont use it. Also how is everyone getting such good gas mileage while I can only seem to muster 43mpg, and thats being real easy on it?

thanks
Cris

 

[bugduc]

Octane does not have a direct correlation to MPG. Unless your bike is knocking/pinging, I wouldn't use anything more than the factory recommended minimum.

 

[Jared1]

I put 93 in mine just because I figured it can't hurt to have the extra octaine. Maybe I am wrong. Anyway, I get around 41 and thats not being easy on it. I'll see what it is next time.

 

[ZeuSeason]

I've tried all the octanes (recommended is 87) and I have noticed some difference in them.

87 will give me about 48 mpg with good performance.

89 the in between of performance & mpg.

93 will give me about 50 mpg with less performance.

In the theory of gas, the gist of it is the higher octane will burn slower thus giving you better gas mileage but reduced performance. The lower octane will burn faster giving you better performance but reduced mileage. The differences are so slight in them all that it really isn't worth contemplating about. The higher octane will reduce pinging in the engine for those in higher land elevations.

 

[ZeuSeason]

Just curious to see what octane everyone reccommends. I currently use 93, but if it doesnt require it then I wont use it. Also how is everyone getting such good gas mileage while I can only seem to muster 43mpg, and thats being real easy on it?

thanks
Cris

Usually at fill up, I have gone 190 miles and I put in 3.8ish gallons. 50 mpg. If I have been dogging it hard doing launches 'n such, I'll get 48 mpg.

 

[rennsport]

I've tried all the octanes (recommended is 87) and I have noticed some difference in them.

87 will give me about 48 mpg with good performance.

89 the in between of performance & mpg.

93 will give me about 50 mpg with less performance.

In the theory of gas, the gist of it is the higher octane will burn slower thus giving you better gas mileage but reduced performance. The lower octane will burn faster giving you better performance but reduced mileage. The differences are so slight in them all that it really isn't worth contemplating about. The higher octane will reduce pinging in the engine for those in higher land elevations.

Well not exactly. Higher octane allows you to run advanced timing on an engine to get better performance. If you were to advance your timing and continue to run regular octane gas, you would get knocking/pinging and that is bad. Octane by itself does nothing for performance, though running high octane when it is not needed, may lower the gas mileage.

The C4 and later corvettes havea knock sensor in them. If you put cheap gas in it the knock sensor will detect the increased knocking and retard the timing "on the fly" and the car will run fine, but the performance will suffer. Put high octane in it and the ECM will try to advance the timing as far as possible until the knock sensor complains and then it will back off just enough to make the knock sensor happy and perfomance is enhanced.

 

[rennsport]

Just curious to see what octane everyone reccommends. I currently use 93, but if it doesnt require it then I wont use it. Also how is everyone getting such good gas mileage while I can only seem to muster 43mpg, and thats being real easy on it?

thanks
Cris

I just came back from four day rally in the mountains of N.C. with various riding. twisty two-lane and interstate (on the return trip home). I filled up five times and averaged any where from 42 miles/gallon to 52 miles/gallon. On the return trip (all interstate) speeds ranging from 75-85, I averaged 45 miles/gallon. I always use regular gas.

 

[bugduc]

though running high octane when it is not needed, may lower the gas mileage.

This is always hard to tell. I think, within limits, any newer vehicle is fully capable of a full burn using common pump gas. It's when you start getting into the race octanes that you'll really throw your engine for a loop.

For the most part, it's probably just wasted money. The only theoretical benefit is the detergents they add to the premium, but that need be only a periodic additive anyways (iow, Techron off the auto store shelf) .

 

[narcoden]

The greezy looking dude in the back of the shop at my dealer said to just use 87 when I bought it. I went back where the guys prep the bikes. I asked one of the mechanics since they didn't have a manual for it.

So far, I've been using 87 and getting 50mpg. Of course I'm only 500 miles into break-in and haven't had it over 7000 rpms yet. I expect this to change once I get my grubby hands on an 12000rpm run

 

[s2cmpugh]

So should I try a lower octane w/ the hopes of increasing my gas mileage? I know about the whole knock sensor thing as my maxima has one, but I know the bike doesnt have one. Is something wrong where I'm getting only 42 mpg babying it??

 

[laimbeer]

I use 89 and average 50+ MPG. I notice no performance difference between 93 and 89.

 

[virtualt]

So should I try a lower octane w/ the hopes of increasing my gas mileage? I know about the whole knock sensor thing as my maxima has one, but I know the bike doesnt have one. Is something wrong where I'm getting only 42 mpg babying it??

That is not an unacceptable MPG amount, I get anywhere between 40-48 MPG, depending on many conditions and how i ride it.

Every bike is different, and you may notice it get better as you put more miles on it.

Skippy

 

[[email protected]]

ok

here in Finland my owners manual says to use 95 octaine but local dealer say to me when i got bike that allways use 98 octaine... he said that valves in engine last longer :leghump meybe we have different gas here :moon

and i wonder how im not having any proublems whit my bike than most of you guys... bikes are same here aswell yours.

 

[FZ6]

I use 93 octane because it runs better on it. If you really want to scientifiically test this octane theory thing try the 87 vs 93 in a small push lawnmower with really high grass.

Also: theoretically, as rennsport mentioned higher octane will allow you to advance timing without the preignition of lower octane gasses, this will to a degree (pun intended) give better performance.

As for MPG, I dont really care because its pretty insignificant compared to filling up my truck.

 

[silverbullet]

Way down yonder in Australia the minimum rating by law is 91 with premium being 95+. My dealer told me that you will get prolonged engine life using the higher rated fuels and at just a few cents more each fill up it probably worth it. He did worn me off Shell's Optimax (not sure if you guys get it) as it is designed specifically for cars with intake and emission sensors - apparently its too dense for our simple engines and fouls them quite quickly.

Here's something scary - I only got 180km (about 112miles) from my very first tank. I now get about 250km.

 

[Aenygma]

Mostly I use 93... About every 3rd tank I put in 89. To be honest I have not seen a performance diff between the two, so logically I should have no reason to put the 93 in, yet I do. I suppose it makes "me" feel better. lol

 

[bugduc]

I think the benefits on this bike are more psychological than actual. Run a tank of the lowest acceptable gas. On the next fill up, do the "blind taste test". Have someone else fill up your tank using regular, mid or premium...their choice...without you looking (no cheatin by looking at the receipt ). Ride the bike and see if it feels different, then find out what level of fuel was used.

In a vehicle where there is sophisticated timing components, it is very possible to notice the difference, as your ECU may be retarding the hell out of the timing if you have bad/low octane gas.

 

[dirpnirptik]

The engineers lite explanation.

Well not exactly. Higher octane allows you to run advanced timing on an engine to get better performance. If you were to advance your timing and continue to run regular octane gas, you would get knocking/pinging and that is bad. Octane by itself does nothing for performance, though running high octane when it is not needed, may lower the gas mileage.

Err...well....you're closer than the OTHERS on here.

In truth, higher octane is used on engines that have a higher compression ratio. The higher the compression, the higher the octane needed to get best performance. Note: this does NOT mean that higher powered engines take higher octane!! My fiancee has a Suzu SV 1000....he takes regular because his engine has only an 11.1/1 compression ratio. Ours, however, has a 12.2/1 ratio....(we drive the de-tuned R6 engine that has a 12.4/1).

We take premium because our engines create more pressure on the cylinder walls, and can utilize all the gas that's in there. If you do this with regular gas in ours, you're forcing a ton of pressure onto a piston to pressurize something that's (essentially) already burned....you got that extra pressure from the OTHER pistons pushing too hard on the crap gas in the other chambers, and now you might as well have put in 75, because that's all the power you're really delivering to your wheels. We're already only putting about 88 ponies on the ground...and the power band already doesn't kick in until about 7500 rpm....why make it WORSE?

When you bought the bike, it had two stickers on the tank. The one on top tells you to wear protective gear, daggit! The one *below* tells you to use premium, if you paid any attention before rippin them both off. (I barely did.)

I have a VW new beetle. It's miserable, but if I put supreme in it, I get no milage...it doesn't have the compression required to USE all the gas that's in there....but regular gives me GREAT milage. My firebird, on the other hand, uses premium when in good tune, and will do 70 mph at 1500 for half a billion miles. Put in regular? and I leapfrog from gas station to gas station.

So. Yeah. Premium. Unless you're in oz, in which case, you can use mid-grade.

 

[rennsport]

Err...well....you're closer than the OTHERS on here.

In truth, higher octane is used on engines that have a higher compression ratio. The higher the compression, the higher the octane needed to get best performance. Note: this does NOT mean that higher powered engines take higher octane!! My fiancee has a Suzu SV 1000....he takes regular because his engine has only an 11.1/1 compression ratio. Ours, however, has a 12.2/1 ratio....(we drive the de-tuned R6 engine that has a 12.4/1).

We take premium because our engines create more pressure on the cylinder walls, and can utilize all the gas that's in there. If you do this with regular gas in ours, you're forcing a ton of pressure onto a piston to pressurize something that's (essentially) already burned....you got that extra pressure from the OTHER pistons pushing too hard on the crap gas in the other chambers, and now you might as well have put in 75, because that's all the power you're really delivering to your wheels. We're already only putting about 88 ponies on the ground...and the power band already doesn't kick in until about 7500 rpm....why make it WORSE?

When you bought the bike, it had two stickers on the tank. The one on top tells you to wear protective gear, daggit! The one *below* tells you to use premium, if you paid any attention before rippin them both off. (I barely did.)

I have a VW new beetle. It's miserable, but if I put supreme in it, I get no milage...it doesn't have the compression required to USE all the gas that's in there....but regular gives me GREAT milage. My firebird, on the other hand, uses premium when in good tune, and will do 70 mph at 1500 for half a billion miles. Put in regular? and I leapfrog from gas station to gas station.

So. Yeah. Premium. Unless you're in oz, in which case, you can use mid-grade.

What I said is correct. What you added with regard to compression is also correct for most bikes.

I have not removed any stickers from my bike and there is only one sticker on my tank. it says to read the owner's manual and wear proper safety gear. Sitting here reading the owner's manual on page 3-9, it says, "Your Yamaha engine has been designed to use regular unleaded gasoline with a pump octane rating of [R+M/2] of 86 or higher or a RESEARCH octane number of 91 or higher" (The emphasis on "research" is mine).


What is a "daggit"?

 

[s2cmpugh]

so what does a "research" octane mean?