Octane: Regular 87 or Premium 91?

[macmac]

Originally Posted by Duc796canada

I will be running 91 plus, here where I'm at, anything lower has ethanol. Ethanol was wasn't good for the plastic tanks of the Ducatis stateside.

There is no good reason to add Ethanol from the buyers point of view period.

All it does is take up 10% of the volume in your gas tanks, Rob us of 10% MPG, Rob us of 10% power, leans the mix well past bearing, and does no good to clean any air or anything else. The only good it does is add dollars to the wallets of those who make it, and to the people who sell it period.

It eats fuel strainer baskets where used on injected fuel systems, eats fuel lines on most small gas engine like chain saws, causes such a lean mix on chain saws that it kills pistons, same thing for out board engines, weed wackers and all 2 strokes.

If you can get real gas at a airport or a mariner do so. octane doesn't matter for a Nomad and so if you can get real gas at 87 octane that's fine.

The EPA is insane. There is not one good thing about adding Ethanol to gasoline period.

If you want to burn that crap buy a dragster made to run on pure Alcohol :)

On Edit:

What octane is used IS based on what the compression ratio is, and hi octane is for high compression. 9:1 is not high not even close to high compression. Hi octane used in a low comp engine MAKES carbon build ..... The industry is full of BS, and so is the EPA. Ma kawi is cheating us buy building to EPA specs. Ma kawi is cheating the engine, and starving it for fuel telling us to run any fuel with Ethanol no matter what the comp is. And Ma kawi has overly lean spec on the ECU. If you fool the ecu you can, and I do run 87 octane with 0 ping.

[dshelly]

Well said, MAC

[bthomasail]

I've been running nothing but premium 91-93 since I started riding the Nomad a few weeks ago. Stopped on my way to work today because I was almost out and the station only had 87. I only put $1.00 in just to get me to the next station. I was amazed at how much better the bike ran. I've had a shimmy/vibration between 50-60 mph that got a little less when I went richer on the fuel module, but on 87 it was gone. Always wondered why 91 was recommended with 9:1 compression but the factory leanness explains it. Still only in the mid 60's, so we'll see how it is once the temperatures start to climb.

[macmac]

Originally Posted by bthomasail

I've been running nothing but premium 91-93 since I started riding the Nomad a few weeks ago. Stopped on my way to work today because I was almost out and the station only had 87. I only put $1.00 in just to get me to the next station. I was amazed at how much better the bike ran. I've had a shimmy/vibration between 50-60 mph that got a little less when I went richer on the fuel module, but on 87 it was gone. Always wondered why 91 was recommended with 9:1 compression but the factory leanness explains it. Still only in the mid 60's, so we'll see how it is once the temperatures start to climb.

Which device is it you have ? Cobra or TFI ? And yes the EPA has the regs so lean that once you go with the TFI anyway you may find on 87 is helps the wallet, you gain power and even get better MPG's because stock these bikes are starving for fuel to just idle. in time you will cool that carbon you built out if your lucky and you add SEAFOAM on occasions.

If you really want that carbon out wait for just before a oil change and pull 1 plug from each jug and add 2 table spoons into the plug hole and let that sit over night. next day pull the other set of plug wires off and have a helper to hold a rag over the plug hole you can't reach while cranking the engine over and BLOW the Sea foam into the rags.

Then install all plugs and wires and run the engine to operation temps say riding 8 miles and then change the oil. Chances are all the carbon will be washed off the piston tops.

( I see this on chain saws, so on them it is easy to see. And in these cases there is 0 compression due to seized rings. Doing this cleans the gook sticking the rings and the pistons are nearly spotless. )

[lar]

Mine runs great on 87 octane.

[Jllm02199]

87 regular. The more you run 91-93 the more it will demand it because of the carbon build up. Carbon build up increases compression ratio. I have a dobeck TFI. When I first install it occasionally ping. Now never.
I read last week on a fuel site that high octane really only was for ping control.
It burns slower so it carbons more.
Nothing that Mac hasn't said over and over.

Thanks Mac. I should have listened sooner.

[Top Cat]

Originally Posted by blowndodge

another poll??

A 2 1/2 year old poll at that

[macmac]

Originally Posted by Top Cat

A 2 1/2 year old poll at that

yup ;)

[nomad ryder]

Since doing the big 3, it runs better on 87.

[dshelly]

I've always run 91 but I am a little concerned about the carbon buildup. So I'm gonna try 87 and run some of this in each tank.

http://www.starbrite.com/item/star-t...ategory_id=587

[macmac]

Originally Posted by dshelly

I've always run 91 but I am a little concerned about the carbon buildup. So I'm gonna try 87 and run some of this in each tank.

http://www.starbrite.com/item/star-t...ategory_id=587

In week 1 of the 1600 i did all 3, and ever since ran 87 octane. (;! comp ratio calls for regular. There is more bang in regular. If you can get real gas run that. Airports might have it and maybe mariners do.