Are you using PREMIUM Fuel?

[Pikeslayer]

Originally Posted by Scrubs

Whew...after 5 pages of ping this and octane that, I just skipped to the last page for the epilogue.

The one subject within this topic thread that got my attention was the age of the fuel in the station holding tanks.
I'd worry NOT about the degradation of the fuel in those tanks while it's waiting to be pumped by a consumer.
What I do avoid (and worry about), is the tanker truck sitting there with hoses gushing gasoline into those holding tanks churning up all of the garbage resting on the bottom!

Whenever I see this I'll press my luck getting to the next station, even as my red LED is flashing at me, even if it means an extra 20 miles...who knows if he just left the last station and that stuff is just lurking at the top of the tanks to be pumped into my machine.

DIRTY-YUCK-EWWWW!

Do you know how many filters are between the tank and your bike? A few. I wouldn't worry about debris in the tank. Run the lowest octane you can without pinging. That's what I do. When I'm done with the 117" I'll be running 91 or higher, as that is what I will tune on.

[bill corkey]

i most always use the highest grade available especially in the summer (prevents pinging) , but sometimes mix it with a half tank of 89 octane during cooler weather.

[route66paul]

Originally Posted by EchoPapa

Octane rating is simply based on the fuel's knock tendency (also called pre-ignition or pressure induced self-ignition).
Knock tendency is based on free radicals present in the fuel prior to ignition.
Octane is not a measure of power or energy but a measure of burn. Higher octane can burn slower but may not.
Octane actually makes the fuel harder to ignite, hence its use in very high performance engines. These engines make their power from the compression, not the octane in the fuel. An engine's power output is a function of the pressure created in the combustion chamber above the piston. The more compression, the higher the pressure at the moment of ignition and the more "push" down on the piston.

A fuel that does not knock will produce the same power as a higher octane.
If your vehicle knocks with a certain octane, go up to the next rating. Other than that, it matters not. Use the lowest octane that does not knock.

Racing Gasoline and Alcohol (Methanol or Ethanol) is different and is really only needed when detonation problems are evident. Their energies are not really different from gas. 10% ethanol in pump gas is fine.

Standard vehicles engines can perform better with higher octane gas, but the ignition timing must be advanced as well. Some engines have a "knock sensor" that helps the computer control the ignition timing, to keep it just before the point of knocking. This kind of system can adjust to the grade of fuel on its own, if there is any benefit to be had. Again, the vehicle must have a knock sensor in this scenario.

Some claim that premium (91) has better detergents in it and is cleaner.
The manufacturer recommends 91 octane in the latest models.

Whatever floats your boat.

Octane is the simple answer, but fuel does more than just that. There are additives for cleaning the fuel injectors in the name brand fuels, the unbranded fuels are made at the same places, but those additives might not be there. They are not usually in the lower grades, it is not law. There are additives that hurt performance. In certain parts of the country and in certain seasons, they ozengenate the fuel, they add different chemicals for polution control and the ethanol has some binders?(for want of a word) that keep the ethonal mixed properly. these chemicals are there to make sure that you burn ALL of the fuel, and the engines are designed for this also. This is why the newer Harleys all run hot, it is by design.

From one area of the country to another, the blends of fuel are different and have different properties in different engines, Florida 92 octane runs different than Calif 92 octane. Just ask anyone who has gone cross country and they will tell you that the fuel in different places. even the smae brand and octane, runs differently.

[hardluk1]

Pikeslayer There's been some stations in the news lately that have cause problems for cars that also then had there fuel tested at the next tank fill that had to have there tanks filterd out ,drained and refilled also payed the 6oo+ dollar ,bills on cars to go through the fuel systems to get the water and trash out of them so you can gas when there filling , not me knowingly. Ito have had bad gas for old tanks in flaorida where you could get moisture just from low tank levels and condensation but that was alsostill the carb and more basic throttle body days . Thankfully i now have a old regular gas carb'd bike that will run on most any gas. But my last bike i always had to add a bit a lucus additive to the high test to help with ping before finally changeing ignition. You just come on down to nc mountains where there was not much gas for a couple months and when stastions did get gas it was around half what they wanted and they would pump dry before the day was out. There is crap in those tanks .more so in old ass tanks you can find in small back road towns. I grew up hunting with a guy that did station pump and tank testing. So if you can alway gas at a newer station ,less chace of a problem when times get tight. Dam hurricans.

[Coolmaker]

I rode through the upper part of SC, Ga, NC, and Tn last weekend. We were lucky at times to get gas. Just added some octane booster and all was well. No 92 anywhere until we go back to the lower part of SC.

[DHENRY]

Air-cooling, plus any compression ratio over 9.5:1, equals premium gas (91 octane or higher).
Period.
Yeah, you c o u l d use regular if necessary, but why jeopardize such a great engine?
DHENRY

[Pikeslayer]

Originally Posted by hardluk1

Pikeslayer There's been some stations in the news lately that have cause problems for cars that also then had there fuel tested at the next tank fill that had to have there tanks filterd out ,drained and refilled also payed the 6oo+ dollar ,bills on cars to go through the fuel systems to get the water and trash out of them so you can gas when there filling , not me knowingly. Ito have had bad gas for old tanks in flaorida where you could get moisture just from low tank levels and condensation but that was alsostill the carb and more basic throttle body days . Thankfully i now have a old regular gas carb'd bike that will run on most any gas. But my last bike i always had to add a bit a lucus additive to the high test to help with ping before finally changeing ignition. You just come on down to nc mountains where there was not much gas for a couple months and when stastions did get gas it was around half what they wanted and they would pump dry before the day was out. There is crap in those tanks .more so in old ass tanks you can find in small back road towns. I grew up hunting with a guy that did station pump and tank testing. So if you can alway gas at a newer station ,less chace of a problem when times get tight. Dam hurricans.

Wouldn't water always be on the bottom of the tank, regardless wether it was 1/2 full or bone dry?

[Pikeslayer]

Originally Posted by DHENRY

Air-cooling, plus any compression ratio over 9.5:1, equals premium gas (91 octane or higher).
Period.
Yeah, you c o u l d use regular if necessary, but why jeopardize such a great engine?
DHENRY

If it doesn't ping you have plenty of octane. If it isn't pinging there is no risk.

[CopperTop]

Our state recently did an audit of over 1,000 gas stations and cited more than a third for dispensing lower than indicated volume or the wrong grade of gas. Nice, huh? You've got a 1 in 3 chance of being ripped off.

[Buddy Seat]

CopperTop-

Guess that info should NOT be a surprise..But it is..
Damn crooks are everywhere.. I think they stay up thinking bout ways to screw people.. (look at the government)...

[RamDude]

I prefer BP 93. Sunoco when I can find it. Won't run Shell unless I have too. I get preignition under heavy load conditions with it.

[Montyl]

route66paul,

I have not been following this thread since the bigining so I am playing catch-up. As I am doing so I read an earlier post about the one-hose multi-grade pumps and how there is left over fuel in the pumps from the last guy. Several people I know have enquired to service station owners and gas pump manufacterers, and all say that there is up to as much as 1 gallon of fuel left in the pump system of whatever grade was pumped by the last person. The reason for this is the contents of the hose and the metering system that are after the valves from the individual station fuel tanks. Heck the 12 foot hose would be capable of holding between a pint and quart in itself.

[CopperTop]

I always buy premium, but I'm not opposed to stepping down a grade if I knew it was safe. Around me, all I seem to see are 87, 89 and 93 octane. I'm not sure I'd know what pinging sounded like if I heard it. I know what my exhaust sounds like, I know what 5th-gear whine sounds like, I know what the sewing-machine sound of my engine before I did Stage 1 sounds like -- I just don't know pinging. For a few dimes, that's OK.

[texaswiz]

I feed my new Harley with 87 octane and my old wife with hamburgers at McDonalds.

I fill my tank at Walmart Murphy stations because they are easy to find when on trips. I use 87 octane because it is cheaper and never talks back to me. I feed the wife at Mickey D's because it is cheaper. The wife never quits talking. I can't win everytime.

[farfromiowa]

you only need premium if you up your compression. Use the lowest grade that does not detonate