HELP! Fuel octane question
Where I live in Canada, We have 87, 89 ans 91. I've ran premium unleaded (91) in my 02 f4i, 03 civic and my 06 Ski-doo 800 ever since I bought them new. So far, All I've had to do for maintenance is oil changes (except for the ski-doo(2 stroke))..What's this about higher octane having a harder time starting in colder weather? We get temperatures ranging from -20oF to -60oF and my car has always started... As for better fuel economy with lower fuel grade, I think that's a load of bull. Higher grade burns hotter and cleaner, both which contribute to better feul milage. Just my opinion....
ORIGINAL: F4Boy
From the 2008 Owners Manual:
Premium unleaded - 91 octane or higher (we have 91 out here in CA)
"We recommend you use premium unleaded fuel because it produces fewer engine deposits and extends the life of exhaust system components....Use of a lower octane gasoline can cause persistent 'pinging' or 'spark knock' which, if severe, can lead to engine damage...." (pg 91)
EASY, the bike runs better on premium, PERIOD! Don't be cheap and save less than a buck when you get gas. Jeez, to me it's STUPID to put anything less than the best and recommended fuel in these high performance motorcycles.
From the 2008 Owners Manual:
Premium unleaded - 91 octane or higher (we have 91 out here in CA)
"We recommend you use premium unleaded fuel because it produces fewer engine deposits and extends the life of exhaust system components....Use of a lower octane gasoline can cause persistent 'pinging' or 'spark knock' which, if severe, can lead to engine damage...." (pg 91)
EASY, the bike runs better on premium, PERIOD! Don't be cheap and save less than a buck when you get gas. Jeez, to me it's STUPID to put anything less than the best and recommended fuel in these high performance motorcycles.
fuel/capacity...unleaded gasoline,pump octane number 86 or higher 4.76 us gal ....
so i guess the 05's arent high performance motorcycles like the 08's....
my 07 says to run super .. thats what i run . my 2001 eclipse .. says to run super .. thast what i run . i use to work at automax ford here in killeen i did alot of UCI's (used car inspections) and i had another eclipse run through .. boy was it running some kind of rough ... it was almost empty so i went and got a gas ticket .. put super in it .. drove it around for about 10 miles .. boy did it clear that right up .. they put that stuff on there for a reason . i will do what they ask . if it means i have to pay a little more for my gas, for my toy to run longer/better then i will .
ORIGINAL: iroc
i just love to beat a dead horse so heres a lil scripture reading out of my 05 manual:
fuel/capacity...unleaded gasoline,pump octane number 86 or higher 4.76 us gal ....
so i guess the 05's arent high performance motorcycles like the 08's....
ORIGINAL: F4Boy
From the 2008 Owners Manual:
Premium unleaded - 91 octane or higher (we have 91 out here in CA)
"We recommend you use premium unleaded fuel because it produces fewer engine deposits and extends the life of exhaust system components....Use of a lower octane gasoline can cause persistent 'pinging' or 'spark knock' which, if severe, can lead to engine damage...." (pg 91)
EASY, the bike runs better on premium, PERIOD! Don't be cheap and save less than a buck when you get gas. Jeez, to me it's STUPID to put anything less than the best and recommended fuel in these high performance motorcycles.
From the 2008 Owners Manual:
Premium unleaded - 91 octane or higher (we have 91 out here in CA)
"We recommend you use premium unleaded fuel because it produces fewer engine deposits and extends the life of exhaust system components....Use of a lower octane gasoline can cause persistent 'pinging' or 'spark knock' which, if severe, can lead to engine damage...." (pg 91)
EASY, the bike runs better on premium, PERIOD! Don't be cheap and save less than a buck when you get gas. Jeez, to me it's STUPID to put anything less than the best and recommended fuel in these high performance motorcycles.
fuel/capacity...unleaded gasoline,pump octane number 86 or higher 4.76 us gal ....
so i guess the 05's arent high performance motorcycles like the 08's....
I once saw a dude driving a Cadillac Escalade put $5 dollars worth of gas into his tank.
He actually had to dig thru his ash tray for some change since he went over $5 dollars at the pump.
I made a comment to him that if you could only put $5 bucks of gas into a vehicle worth 50 grand
maybe he needed to invest into something cheaper.
If you can't avoid 93 octane for your bike, maybe you need to start on a scooter or moped.
He actually had to dig thru his ash tray for some change since he went over $5 dollars at the pump.
I made a comment to him that if you could only put $5 bucks of gas into a vehicle worth 50 grand
maybe he needed to invest into something cheaper.
If you can't avoid 93 octane for your bike, maybe you need to start on a scooter or moped.

ORIGINAL: F4Boy
Iroc, you could beat your dead horse all you want, but you are being quite stubborn and, for lack of a better word, stupid. Of course an '05 is high performance, look what I said, referencing all these bikes as high performance. My '98 VFR gets premium as did my '00 F4, regardless of the recommendation. You're missing the big point here. If Honda recommended lower octane in '05 (and earlier) and now recommends premium (91 or higher), why would you think they would do that? Well, as a company, Honda sees more engines come through their facilities and shops than anyone else. Their racing program is top notch. They have the largest research budget of any motorcycle manufacturer. Who would know the best about motorcycles and the engines that they build??????? You or Honda? If Honda now recommends 91 or higher, they KNOW it's better for their engines. (and exhausts) Whether you have an '08 or '05 doesn't matter, Honda has seen evidence that higher octane makes their motorcycles run better and cleaner, and now they recommend it. (To me this is common sense) Maybe you should listen TO HONDA. Forget what I say. As far as you're concerned, you could keep running lower octane and save $0.80 per fill up (4 gals x .20/gal diff) orhave yourbike perform at it's best, with the best, cleanest fuel running through it. C'mon, don't be such a cheap bastard!
ORIGINAL: iroc
i just love to beat a dead horse so heres a lil scripture reading out of my 05 manual:
fuel/capacity...unleaded gasoline,pump octane number 86 or higher 4.76 us gal ....
so i guess the 05's arent high performance motorcycles like the 08's....
ORIGINAL: F4Boy
From the 2008 Owners Manual:
Premium unleaded - 91 octane or higher (we have 91 out here in CA)
"We recommend you use premium unleaded fuel because it produces fewer engine deposits and extends the life of exhaust system components....Use of a lower octane gasoline can cause persistent 'pinging' or 'spark knock' which, if severe, can lead to engine damage...." (pg 91)
EASY, the bike runs better on premium, PERIOD! Don't be cheap and save less than a buck when you get gas. Jeez, to me it's STUPID to put anything less than the best and recommended fuel in these high performance motorcycles.
From the 2008 Owners Manual:
Premium unleaded - 91 octane or higher (we have 91 out here in CA)
"We recommend you use premium unleaded fuel because it produces fewer engine deposits and extends the life of exhaust system components....Use of a lower octane gasoline can cause persistent 'pinging' or 'spark knock' which, if severe, can lead to engine damage...." (pg 91)
EASY, the bike runs better on premium, PERIOD! Don't be cheap and save less than a buck when you get gas. Jeez, to me it's STUPID to put anything less than the best and recommended fuel in these high performance motorcycles.
fuel/capacity...unleaded gasoline,pump octane number 86 or higher 4.76 us gal ....
so i guess the 05's arent high performance motorcycles like the 08's....
Hey Iroc, didn't mean to slam ya...but you'll be better off with 93, especially over the LONG RUN cause it is a cleaner fuel and your engine will be happier!! You may even feel a slight power increase. I used 103 or 104 (I forget exactly) at a track day once when racing fuel was available and you can't imagine the immediate difference you feel.
Good luck!
Good luck!
I run 92 octane in my 03 RR notwithstanding the fact that the manual says 87 is fine. I tried the 94 from Sunoco and the bike hesitates. I assume this is a result of the 94 being a minimum of 10% ethanol. My bike has 50,000 miles on it and still purrs.... but I guess octane is like oil options ... to each his/her own
For arguements sake I also have a 99 R6 which is done up for the track - ported, polished, factory kit cams, factory kit CDI, full race exhaust, modified ram air system etc. We experimented with it at the track with unlimited dyno time. It made it's best HP at 94 octane (106 HP). At 102and 106octane it lost HP (103 and 102 HP respectively).
For arguements sake I also have a 99 R6 which is done up for the track - ported, polished, factory kit cams, factory kit CDI, full race exhaust, modified ram air system etc. We experimented with it at the track with unlimited dyno time. It made it's best HP at 94 octane (106 HP). At 102and 106octane it lost HP (103 and 102 HP respectively).


