Octane: Regular 87 or Premium 91?

[boomerang2120]

What Octane do you regularly put in the tank?

Regular 87
Premium 91

[Honest Abe]

What ever the owners Manual Calls for. and 1 can of sea foam about every 5-6000 miles.

[blowndodge]

another poll??

[crazygene49]

Usually 93. Nothing less than 91.

[danimal2]

I absolutely can't run less than 91 octane. It'll even ping on that when it's 100+ degrees ambient temp here in Arizona. Thankfully it runs fine in the winter months. Still can't run 87 even then though.

Got caught out in the middle of the desert one day and the only gas station had run out of premium. Wasn't sure if I'd be able to get to the next town/station it was pinging so hard. No choice though.

[macmac]

If the bike is stock then run the highest octane you can buy.... That sort of compensates for the EPA overly lean mix and don't lug the bike around so it PINGS! PING is a real little bad guy with a big hammer and cold chisel wacking on vales, valve seats and the piston.

If the engine has a fuel module, and it's set up right, then run 87 octane. This will get you max power, less carbon build, and more correct octane for the comp ratio these engine are.

Octane ratings are based on comp ratio, not what some bean counter at the EPA thinks.

IMO no engine should be built with no possible factory way to adjust for a proper fuel mix. A proper Fuel Mix is critical to engine life and performance.

For anyone who has done intake mods, exhaust aftermarket and has a fuel mod he should NOT run hi test fuel because it will carbon up to high Hell!

[markclark57]

Originally Posted by macmac

If the bike is stock then run the highest octane you can buy.... That sort of compensates for the EPA overly lean mix and don't lug the bike around so it PINGS! PING is a real little bad guy with a big hammer and cold chisel wacking on vales, valve seats and the piston.

If the engine has a fuel module, and it's set up right, then run 87 octane. This will get you max power, less carbon build, and more correct octane for the comp ratio these engine are.

Octane ratings are based on comp ratio, not what some bean counter at the EPA thinks.

IMO no engine should be built with no possible factory way to adjust for a proper fuel mix. A proper Fuel Mix is critical to engine life and performance.

For anyone who has done intake mods, exhaust aftermarket and has a fuel mod he should NOT run hi test fuel because it will carbon up to high Hell!

+1 What Mac said.

I ran Premium when Grace was stock and she would still ping and pop at times. Added PCIII, Cobra Tru-duals, Chuckster's Single plate intake, and had it MAPed on regular. Now I run regular all the time (even @ 117°). I tried a couple of tanks on premium (just a test) and it got worse fuel mileage and no improvement in performance.

[macmac]

Hi test burns slower and more regular, not creating as much power as regular fuels. It also is harder to start any engine on hi test in the cold.

There is only one good reason to run high test, and that reason is comp over 10.5 to 1

It should be against the LAW that these engine are said to need hi test.... The only reason that works and it doesn't even work well is because the mix is overly lean.

My 01 pinged and so did my 06 until I was able to make the mods.

The only surprise i got was getting better MPG's than stock and by adding more fuel! I have added fuel to other engines before and it always cost a little more. never gained me anything but power..

I can get better MPG's on real gas in 87 octane by apx 10%, which is enough for me to say it's proof ethanol is no more than highway robbery.

Many local mariners have real gas since eth is so Hygroscopic.., and one other station in Freedom has real gas, only that over there, they spell it REEL.

Another factor is we Americans always will buy the "Best", even if it ends up killing machines with kindness.

[ponch]

When I owned a Nomad, it would ping on anything less than 91. The fuel injection management isn't closed loop and it can't adjust mixture and timing to prevent ping. My beemer has 12:1 compression ratio and will run on 87 (Trosco and I had to use it on the redwoods trip at one point as that's all there was), but it will run a lot better on 91 and up octane. I put 91 in that and I wish I could get 94 as that is spec for the bike to run it's best.

So, if your Nomad runs ok on 89, good for you. If it doesn't, then move up until it stops. You can add a fuel processor as some have said and that will do the trick if you want to run the cheaper gas.

[ringadingh]

Ive always ran 87 until a couple weeks ago. My bike started pinging because of a defective Power Commander, so now I use 91.

[dshelly]

For less than 50 cents a tankfull, I'm sticking with 91 (we don't have 93) Plus most of the 87 and 85 octane has 10% ethanol in it.

[ponch]

Originally Posted by dshelly

For less than 50 cents a tankfull, I'm sticking with 91 (we don't have 93) Plus most of the 87 and 85 octane has 10% ethanol in it.

Seems like everything has ethanol in it.

[jrecken]

I have a 2001 Nomad with a carb. I run 87 octane and it never spark knocks but I do avoid ethanol fuel.
I have had to use ethanol a few times and it did not ping on it either.

[Top Cat]

If the weather is hot I need 91 or 93 octane.
Cooler weather I can get away with 87.
Bike is stock except for debaffle and solenoid removal.

[yoda]

I run 89, cause it still pings on 87. Did the Cadmann intake, Cobra true duals, and a Cobra processor. Runs better, cooler, and gets about the same mileage as stock on 91. And on 91 it would still ping when stock...