Motorcycle News
08-07-2008, 04:46 AM
Premium Fuel - Pump Predicament
http://images.superstreetbike.com/images/0806_sbkp_01_z+pump_predicament+.jpgIf you're anything like us you take your car to the station that offers the cheapest gas. There isn't much marketing that would convince us to buy the good stuff-so in goes the 87 octane. But, when we make a stop on our beloved two-wheeler for a squirt of go juice we always reach for the highest octane available. Is there good reason for going with the best fuel available or are we simply wasting our precious money on a preconceived notion?
The automobile industry has been developing its engines to run on 87 octane-check your owner's manual and you'll see that your car's motor has been optimized for 87 and actually requests that you don't run premium. Motorcycle engines, on the other hand, are considered "high performance" (high compression ratio) and require higher octane fuel to run their best. European-spec sportbikes even come with a sticker on the tank requesting nothing less than 95 octane, but we haven't had such luxurious petrol in America since the '90s. Naturally, there's an argument that higher octane fuel will be cleaner and in the long run be better for the engine. So what gives?
We headed to our dyno to find out what the cold, hard numbers would tell us. First and foremost, we wanted to find out if there was any horsepower difference between 87, 89 and 91 octane-the three most common fuels available at the pump.
The test was simple: four dyno runs with a tank of each type of gas followed by a quick cruise. The fuel was then siphoned out so the tank was completely dry and ready for the next gas.
Conclusion:
When we ran the bike with each fuel at cruising speeds there was a noticeable "smoothness" factor that the cheaper gas suffered from. The dyno gave us the cold, hard numbers, but when fuel mapping and emissions are factored along with actual riding there's an important impression also-one that would prompt us to reach for the best gas possible each time.
The difference of one horsepower is pretty insignificant on the dyno, but over time your engine could perhaps show more wear and tear from running cheap fuel and suffer detonation issues because the lesser octane will potentially run hotter than the cleaner high-octane option.
The next time you roll up to the pump you'll know which pump to reach for...hopefully. With the way gas prices are going we're going to be at four bucks per gallon for the good stuff, and if saving three or so dollars per fill-up means that much to you then the cheap stuff will do, but you'll possibly notice a difference and perhaps cause internal issues down the line.
Photo Gallery: Premium Fuel - Pump Predicament - Super Streetbike Magazine Online (http://www.superstreetbike.com/tested/0806_sbkp_bike_fuel)
http://images.superstreetbike.com/images/0806_sbkp_01_s+pump_predicament+.jpghttp://images.superstreetbike.com/images/0806_sbkp_02_s+pump_predicament+on_the_dyno.jpghtt p://images.superstreetbike.com/images/0806_sbkp_03_s+pump_predicament+.jpghttp://images.superstreetbike.com/images/0806_sbkp_04_s+pump_predicament+.jpghttp://images.superstreetbike.com/tested/0806_sbkp_05_s+pump_predicament+containers.jpg
Read More (http://www.superstreetbike.com/tested/0806_sbkp_bike_fuel) | Digg It (http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http://www.superstreetbike.com/tested/0806_sbkp_bike_fuel&title=Premium Fuel - Pump Predicament) | Add to del.icio.us (http://del.icio.us/post?url=2&url=http://www.superstreetbike.com/tested/0806_sbkp_bike_fuel&title=Premium Fuel - Pump Predicament)
More... (http://www.superstreetbike.com/tested/0806_sbkp_bike_fuel)
http://images.superstreetbike.com/images/0806_sbkp_01_z+pump_predicament+.jpgIf you're anything like us you take your car to the station that offers the cheapest gas. There isn't much marketing that would convince us to buy the good stuff-so in goes the 87 octane. But, when we make a stop on our beloved two-wheeler for a squirt of go juice we always reach for the highest octane available. Is there good reason for going with the best fuel available or are we simply wasting our precious money on a preconceived notion?
The automobile industry has been developing its engines to run on 87 octane-check your owner's manual and you'll see that your car's motor has been optimized for 87 and actually requests that you don't run premium. Motorcycle engines, on the other hand, are considered "high performance" (high compression ratio) and require higher octane fuel to run their best. European-spec sportbikes even come with a sticker on the tank requesting nothing less than 95 octane, but we haven't had such luxurious petrol in America since the '90s. Naturally, there's an argument that higher octane fuel will be cleaner and in the long run be better for the engine. So what gives?
We headed to our dyno to find out what the cold, hard numbers would tell us. First and foremost, we wanted to find out if there was any horsepower difference between 87, 89 and 91 octane-the three most common fuels available at the pump.
The test was simple: four dyno runs with a tank of each type of gas followed by a quick cruise. The fuel was then siphoned out so the tank was completely dry and ready for the next gas.
Conclusion:
When we ran the bike with each fuel at cruising speeds there was a noticeable "smoothness" factor that the cheaper gas suffered from. The dyno gave us the cold, hard numbers, but when fuel mapping and emissions are factored along with actual riding there's an important impression also-one that would prompt us to reach for the best gas possible each time.
The difference of one horsepower is pretty insignificant on the dyno, but over time your engine could perhaps show more wear and tear from running cheap fuel and suffer detonation issues because the lesser octane will potentially run hotter than the cleaner high-octane option.
The next time you roll up to the pump you'll know which pump to reach for...hopefully. With the way gas prices are going we're going to be at four bucks per gallon for the good stuff, and if saving three or so dollars per fill-up means that much to you then the cheap stuff will do, but you'll possibly notice a difference and perhaps cause internal issues down the line.
Photo Gallery: Premium Fuel - Pump Predicament - Super Streetbike Magazine Online (http://www.superstreetbike.com/tested/0806_sbkp_bike_fuel)
http://images.superstreetbike.com/images/0806_sbkp_01_s+pump_predicament+.jpghttp://images.superstreetbike.com/images/0806_sbkp_02_s+pump_predicament+on_the_dyno.jpghtt p://images.superstreetbike.com/images/0806_sbkp_03_s+pump_predicament+.jpghttp://images.superstreetbike.com/images/0806_sbkp_04_s+pump_predicament+.jpghttp://images.superstreetbike.com/tested/0806_sbkp_05_s+pump_predicament+containers.jpg
Read More (http://www.superstreetbike.com/tested/0806_sbkp_bike_fuel) | Digg It (http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http://www.superstreetbike.com/tested/0806_sbkp_bike_fuel&title=Premium Fuel - Pump Predicament) | Add to del.icio.us (http://del.icio.us/post?url=2&url=http://www.superstreetbike.com/tested/0806_sbkp_bike_fuel&title=Premium Fuel - Pump Predicament)
More... (http://www.superstreetbike.com/tested/0806_sbkp_bike_fuel)