What Octane gasoline to use ?

[aeisan]

I wish premium was ethanol free here. I have to pay even more for ethanol free. Of course as you say when you are only buying a couple of gallons at a time the cost difference is not too bad.

I'm not even certain I have ever seen ethanol free around here.  I wouldn't know where to find it.  

[hippiebikerchick]

I wish premium was ethanol free here. I have to pay even more for ethanol free. Of course as you say when you are only buying a couple of gallons at a time the cost difference is not too bad.

I'm not even certain I have ever seen ethanol free around here.  I wouldn't know where to find it.  

Try this site to (hopefully) find ethanol free gas near you. pure-gas.org

[aeisan]

Wow, thanks! There are about 8 in this area it looks like. They all sound like some mom'n'pop type places. I know one on the list and it's been closed down for years. I may have to check the others out. Thanks again!

[hobbs]

You guys think a fuel additive for ethanol like starbrite (blue bottle) is worth it? It would literally be a bottle for about 5,000 miles if you don't overdose. Costs about as much as 2 to 3 gallons of gas or so.
 
My old neighbor who is a biker vet since the late 50s, early 60s told me it's good to use. He's very experienced, but I dunno. Gonna toss the bottle I have in my panniers when they arrive and see. Right now it's too inconvenient to carry around.

[hobbs]

Well, I found a place that I pass twice daily that has a 24/7 ethanol free pump. 87 octane at about 10 cents more per gal than premium. I'll just start getting all of my fuel there.

[cassecou]

I'm not even certain I have ever seen ethanol free around here.  I wouldn't know where to find it.  

Try this site to (hopefully) find ethanol free gas near you. pure-gas.org

Thanks hippiebikerchick, I had no idea those were still around. 

[howworkclutch]

i'm not sure why people avoid ethanol. in the old days it damaged o-rings and other rubber-ish parts, but that was forever ago.
 
you might lose a mpg or two, but at 50 mpg and cheap regular gas prices, there just is no economy in premium fuel.
 
the only real problems i have with ethanol is sometimes i drink too much and get a headache, and it turns to goo in a few months of setting (basically just run the law mower dry before you put it away for winter).
 
its your money spend it however you wish but just keep in mind there is really no reason to use anything but regular gas, even if it has ethanol.
 
 

[mjh937]

I probably do not need to use ethanol free gas, but when I am buying 2.5 gallons at a time the extra cost is not much. I know in my car I get about 15% better milage on ethanol free than regular ethanol gas, but it gets too expensive when I am filling a fifteen gallon tank.

[fromthecage]

I always figured the whole ethanol free gas was more meant for "stored items". With ethanol being hydrascopic, it can attract water into the gas while sitting for long periods. For those of us commuting daily on our bikes, it wouldn't have too much of a factor. Correct me if I'm wrong though

[qjohnson]

So this might sound weird but I after 1500 miles and plenty of tanks full, I feel like the bike likes mid grade better than premium. Never tried regular unleaded but I now fill up with mid grade. I believe it's 89 octane if I remember correctly. The bike just didn't seem to run right and actually felt slower while using premium fuel rather than running mid grade 89. I can't remember if shell uses 91 or 93 for premium but that's the one my bike doesn't like.

[aeisan]

That's because it's tuned for regular.

[cassecou]

Ethanol is just a rip off. It pushes us to grow corn, with lots of government subsidies. So there is no more corn for feed. So the price of corn feed get higher. So the price of beef, pig and chicken gets higher.
Some of our taxes goes to help farmers to raise corn and because of it we have to pay higher prices for meat?
Plus, it takes more than a gallon of gas to produce a gallon of ethanol.
Plus, ethanol is not as efficient as gas in a gas engine. Its a loose, loose, loose situation. I don't get it.
OK, I am removing the soap box.

[cassecou]

Deleted
 

[Guest montana07]

i'm not sure why people avoid ethanol. in the old days it damaged o-rings and other rubber-ish parts, but that was forever ago. 
you might lose a mpg or two, but at 50 mpg and cheap regular gas prices, there just is no economy in premium fuel.
 
the only real problems i have with ethanol is sometimes i drink too much and get a headache, and it turns to goo in a few months of setting (basically just run the law mower dry before you put it away for winter).
 
its your money spend it however you wish but just keep in mind there is really no reason to use anything but regular gas, even if it has ethanol.
 

Non-ethanol gas costs the same as ethanol gas around here, so I'll take the better fuel efficiency.  Also just not a fan of the ethanol industry, I'm all for improving the environment, but ethanol isn't the way to to do.  It's as bad for the environment, increases food costs and live stock costs.  The subsidies for ethanol production are just the result of politics.

[aeisan]

Plus, ethanol is what is known as a net-energy-negative. It costs more energy to produce it (think diesel fuel in the tractors, the refining process, etc) than it will actually net as a fuel source. Corn is a tasty food, but a good fuel it is not.

[howworkclutch]

Corn isn't digestible. The bulk of politicking is lies.
 
I'm ok with ethanol. I'm also ok with science.

[Guest MXRider]

Corn isn't digestible. The bulk of politicking is lies.  
I'm ok with ethanol. I'm also ok with science.

So you're ok with paying more for food because the feed the livestock was fed is more expensive? You're ok with less efficient fuel that gums up fuel systems, destroys rubber and plastic components, and attracts water? You're ok that ethanol production uses 1.3 gallons of oil to produce 1 gallon of ethanol fuel? You're ok with the corn lobby forcing this crap on us (they want higher percentages to be government mandated by the way)?
 
What science are you subscribing to?
 
Oh and although it appears that corn passes through your gastrointestinal system undigested, most of the internal nutrients are broken down and absorbed into your bloodstream. The fibrous outer shells of corn kernels, however, do not break down due to lack of the necessary digestive enzymes.
 
 
 

[hippiebikerchick]

The true winner in all this is Monsanto with their Roundup-ready corn. Down with GMOs! 

[hobbs]

Down with Monsanto!
 
But anyway not to remain off ropic. I'm getting a solid 63-66 mpg using pure gasoline. Might experiment for a few tanks and see what the difference in economy is.
 
Probably won't - corn is better eaten, and not genetically modified. And I like how the pump is always empty.

[cassecou]

The true winner in all this is Monsanto with their Roundup-ready corn. Down with GMOs! 

You are right. The all time winners on the corn scheme are Monsanto, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Cargill, John Deer, banks and many many more, all making profit from the tax payers and the farmers. Data collected from "Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan.
 

[howworkclutch]

Rhetoric is not my cup of tea. I like facts.
 
Corn is fed to livestock as a supliment. In some animals it ferments in the stomachs creating ethanol. The animals enjoy a mild drunk and suddenly want more water. If you ever had to get up several times a day to water livestock in the dead of winter you know I'm talking real. I grew up on a farm.
 
Compare the tax on fuel to the tax on liquor. If that doesn't open your eyes I don't know what will. In case you need a refresher: ethanol is liquor.
 
Corn has never been nutritious. It does taste good. But it's the high amount of fructose that makes it appealing. Someone mentioned Pepsi. I suppose that link is easily made.
 
There is a class in drag racing where the cars burn alcohol. They seem to get plenty of power out of those engines. Oddly enough they use corn oil as a lubricant.
 
The import tuners are getting more power out of e85 than pure gas. Repeatedly and without question.
 
If you ignore the facts in favor of advertisers claims you end up propagating bullshit. Don't do that. Learn to let go of irrational beliefs. You'll make the world a better place.

[Guest MXRider]

You're the one ignoring facts. And I could care less about e85. I'm talking about 10% blended gasoline. This stuff is harmful to engines and that is a fact.

[aeisan]

What I stated earlier about ethanol being a net energy negative is a fact - I used to work for the director of the study conducted by Columbia Gas in the 80s/90s when they were considering getting into the game. Without the government subsidies, there is no money in ethanol, and the lack of sustainability lead to CG not pursuing it. The fact is, it costs more to make then it's worth.

[mojopollo]

I just use 87 octane and then drop a couple of Viagra in the tank. Can't keep the front wheel down though.

Does it specifically have to be Viagra? I only have Cialis.

[Lusiphur]

I am a tuner and run E47. It is a blend of 93 Octane with 10% Ethanol and E85. [it's actually more like E47.5 but lets not split hairs]
You can calculate the Octane this results by going to this handy website
http://www.intercepteft.com/calc.html
 
I am going to try and explain this in layman terms so everyone can understand.
 
The Octane rating allows me to turn the boost up on my turbo and adjust the timing of the engine. This netted me about a 35HP RWHP increase. I could get about 5-10 More hp with E85 depending on how aggressive I got with my tuning.
[What is crazy is it reduced my 60-100mph times from almost 8 seconds to 3.8 seconds.  That's F-Ing fast folks]
I run E47 vs E85 because while E85 can provide a lot of power, the amount of fuel needed to provide this power is more than regular gas. It is not as efficient in creating the power. The amount of additional fuel you need to flow, on my car, exceeds the rate of my fuel delivery system. When the flow of the fuel can't keep up with the tuning, you get misfires at high RPM.
 
There are 2 other issues, one of which I read and that person is correct. Ethanol deteriorates a lot of seals, even on modern vehicles. Another benefit of my car is that it does have a fuel system in which this is not an issue except for my stock Fuel injector seals. I did have to change those out.
The other issue is that Ethanol attracts water. After you get water in your tank, if you let it sit even longer, the water and fuel separate. You never want to let it sit in your tank. At some point this can cause rusting and the engine will not be able to run properly with too much water. Surprisingly, it can handle some water.
These 2 items are what causes the issues in most systems.
 
I hope this is helpful