Question about premium fuel

Someone told me that it's not good to ALWAYS run it, which i do.
Any truth to this?

I don't know if it will harm your engine in the long run, but you are probably not running very smooth right now.....our bikes are NOT made to take the 91 octane premium (i am assuming your premium is 91)...they are made to take regular 87 octane...there is a big thread on why it's not good to run the 91 and why running 87 is a LOT better, but i am too lazy to find the post... 

EDIT: WHOOPS!!

Sounds like I need to go ahead and run all the preimium out of mine then and go cheap!!

In my experience...it doesnt matter.

quote:

In my experience...it doesnt matter

 
agreed. If premium was 100+ octane then maybe it wouldn't fully combust, but 91 or 93 would most likely be fine. It just can be a waste of money.

What does matter is either going to Circle K or Shell.

Ugh... this topic gets kicked around more than a redheaded stepchild. 

Page 91 in the 2007 Honda CBR 600rr owners manual... direct from the honda engineers themselves...

"Your engine is designed to use any premium gasoline that has a pump octane number of 91 and higher." (Bold for emphasis)

Not sure what bike you run... and it could be different. Hell, my owners manual for my Yamaha, if I recall correctly, states 89 or higher (and if it has too, it can even run leaded! Hell, to open a whole NOTHER can of worms, it also specificly states NOT to shift without the use of the clutch under any circumstances, up or down, and that, for the Yamaha, it could will cause damage to the transmission/engine) So read your manual for your bike, and, for me personally, I'll let everyone who thinks themselves to be a fuel-scientist 'cause they read something some guy wrote somewhere about some kind of fuel and whatever do whatever they want. The people who MADE the engine, the electronics, all of it, say use grade <blah> and up... I'm gonna stick too it. Seems smart enough to me. Hell, it's not like these things just guzzle gas anyways!

Do a search...
 
But long story short: Run the lowest Octane rating that will NOT cause pinging.

Page 87 in my '06 F4i manual simply states:
 
type: unleaded
pump octane number: 86 (or higher)
 
Honda recommends 86 octane for my F4i, but anything higher is ok (reading between the lines).  Ofcourse, alot higher might result in detonation.
 
My $.02
 
Tommy

So more octane is for higher compression motors...
And my F4i has a CR of 12:1.
Most cars i've ever owned was ideally 10.5(ish):1. or lower.
Would that not mean i need better fuel? (assuming that petroleum companies wouldn't waste the money to make gas grade higher than most cars would need to run. I guess that's what makes or breaks this discussion.)


Not trying to argue and call anyone wrong, just doing my research to kepp my machine tip-top.
 
Edit: Tommy's backed by honda, i'll take his word for it and save me a few $$. Thanks for everyone's input. At least now i understand alot more than i did about octane and such.

volume of compression make a big difference on what fuel is required. if there's one thing about fuel hat i've learned is that when they say use a specific octane fuel, they mean it. understand however that there are three different standards worldwide:

RON (Reserch Octane numer)
MON (Motor Octane Number)
PON (Pump octane number, aka r+m/2 method)

here in the US, we use the PON most frequently. RON is usually used every where else, MON is used in the southern hemi.

it's not just all about high compression requiring higher octane, that's just one part of it, there's also timing and a/f, etc.
 
so you can't say a motor needs high octane just based on compression ratio.
 
i think a search is in order here...USE THE SEARCH FUNCTION...unless it's broken.

On my 1996 CBR600 F3 I felt a HUGE difference between 87 and 93.  The 87 was much much much better.  It was a major improvement in power and response.

My bike is set up with a stock air filter, new Factory needles shimmed for a Vance&Hines full exhaust(Which I don't have yet) and a stock exhaust.
 
It might change with a full exhaust and become better to run 93.  Which I'm going to have it dynotuned later on so I guess I can try both and see it on the charts.

quote:

Ofcourse, alot higher might result in detonation.

 
Alot higher will result in incomplete combustion, not pre-detonation. Octane is a scale of how a fuel RESISTS detonation.

93 or 91 is great for your bike.. just burns cooler.. thats all..

 i believe that most premium fuels have additives as well..
 
also i know is that DO NOT BUY FROM HOLIDAY!
 
Blue planit fuel SUCKS!
 
i am saying that from much experiance with my own vehicles and all of my buddys cars, trucks, bikes, quads ext.. cheveron and shell are probably the only ones around where i live that i trust..

2004 original printed owner's manual, from dealer, for 04 CBR 600RR says simply to use gas ""at least 86 octane".

I always put premium in.

Or if you want to be cheap and **** get the crapiest gas you can find like 86 or 85 octane water fuel ethanol combo juice
from RaceTrac. MMM.....suck it up...and then buy apack of gum with all that money you save.

 

quote:

ORIGINAL: fishfryer527

quote:

Ofcourse, alot higher might result in detonation.

Alot higher will result in incomplete combustion, not pre-detonation. Octane is a scale of how a fuel RESISTS detonation.

 
Not "pre-detonation", detonation.  At some arbitrary point that is dependent on numerous factors(of which, octane is one), the fuel/air mixture does not burn, it explodes......it detonates.  We are saying the same thing in essence.  You say incomplete combustion, I say detonate.  The racing and engine building world I work in uses "detonation" mostly. 
 
The point that was trying to be made by myself and many respondants was that you just can't use any fuel that you can get your hands on and not expect adverse consequences.  Some fuels can be advantageous in their use; the key is learning which ones.  That is part of the fun/risk of test and tune.  What parts/gadgets/chemicals will give you the edge?
 
My $.02 again.
 
Tommy

Octane is almost like a RESISTENCE to burning. The higher the number (PON), the more it takes to ignite the fuel and the cooler it burns. The lowest cctane you can use will get you the most power.  Use what HONDA says to use.