Regular gas

[intimid8er]

Originally Posted by tricker

Ok but back to the post at hand. I've used 89-93 octane in my zzr. It says it can use regular gas. On my way to NC i got between 52-60 mpg while using premium gas. Now that i'm back in the flat lands of minnesota with 89 octane i'm only getting 46-48mpg (that's with the wonderful ethanol additive). I do get better gas millage with higher octane but at nearly 15 cents more a gallon i don't think its worth it to me. I've had no ill effects with the bike engine with using different octanes of fuel.

Hopefully that helps with the calling of shenanigans on 87 gas causing chaos in a sportbike's engine

Unfortunately, it doesn't. Because not all engines are created equal.

Higher octane is usually called for in engines with higher compression to prevent detonation.

Yes..your ZZR is a Sport-Bike engine. But....detuned for the "Sport-Touring" Kawi designated it for. When your manual calls for any octane...you're good to go with anything from the pump. However, if the book calls for high octane...there's usually a reason...high compression being the main one. It's not usually a good idea to deviate from their recommendations on that call.


Por ejemplo. I made a boneheaded (nothing new) error with the Uly last year or so ago at a gas pump. I didn't even get an eighth of a mile away, and it started pingin' and knocking. I pulled in to a parts store and bought some octane booster. Did some redneck math in the dirt. Reckoned the amount needed by eyesight, and poured it in. Didn't cure it, but it was close. I just incrementally added more until it was cured.

[tricker]

oh boy... here we go again

oh and tim.. my bad.. made a few assumptions with my post

[intimid8er]

Originally Posted by tricker

oh and tim.. my bad.. made a few assumptions with my post

You did nothing wrong sir.

Hopefully, I didn't come across as a pretentious douche since I didn't use any emoties!

[tricker]

Originally Posted by intimid8er

You did nothing wrong sir.

Hopefully, I didn't come across as a pretentious douche since I didn't use any emoties!

Naw... if so i'd call you on it out on the forum and say you were being a pretentious douche.. i'm not shy about being a bastid at times

[intimid8er]

See...a high ridin' douche I could live with. Because....I excel at all things assholish. Not that I wake up in the morning and decide that I'm going to be an ash-hole.....I just excel at it in an offhanded way. An accidental ash-hole if you will. Natural talent at it's finest. And see that's fine...but there's absolutely no way I could live with being a pretentious douche. No sir! Uh..uh! Take that to your failing bank and deposit it!

[wookie]

I live in California and what I absolutely don't get is why in the hell is it damn near impossibly to get pump fuel with 91+ octane at a regular gas station. I can get 100+ but only a specialty fuel station where I get my race fuels.

[Clint]

Because you're up in altitude, maybe? I've noticed that in mountainous regions they often lower octane offerings. It's not uncommon to see 85.5 in Montana.

[intimid8er]

Originally Posted by wookie

I live in California and what I absolutely don't get is why in the hell is it damn near impossibly to get pump fuel with 91+ octane at a regular gas station. I can get 100+ but only a specialty fuel stations where I get my race fuels.

Have you tried a local air field?

Of course, not as convenient as the local gas station, but still worth a try if you got one nearby?

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by geoffsimpson

And BACK to the topic at hand.

OK, fine. Apparently some people can't take a friendly jab as it is intended.....even with a smiley attached. Noted for future reference.

So let's try this again:

Originally Posted by geoffsimpson

No, not true.

My last vehicle called for 91 octane, running standard 87 lost me 3% mileage and very little in the way of performance

I don't understand how that relates to having a different engine with higher comperssion and getting better mileage from it.

[wookie]

That specialty race fuel station is about 20 miles from my home. Closer than the nearest airfield. I've also heard that it's a bad idea to put aviation fuel into auto engines.

[Nimbly]

Sorry to dig up a dead thread but this is interesting.

Originally Posted by wookie

I live in California and what I absolutely don't get is why in the hell is it damn near impossibly to get pump fuel with 91+ octane at a regular gas station. I can get 100+ but only a specialty fuel station where I get my race fuels.

That is because California has nutty emission standards. The chemicals they put in road fuel to reduce emissions reduces the fuel's anti-knock properties. In Texas super is 93 in Cali its 91. In Colorado its even lower then that.

When you read in your manual as to the recommended octane rating make sure they are talking about the US/Canada standard octane rating. They do it a little different in Europe and Japan. There is a 8 to 10 point between European octane and US octane. 87 octane in the US or Canada is 91-92 in the UK. Europe uses the 'road octane number' (RON) while the US/Can uses the road octane number, plus the pump octane, divided by two (expressed (R+M)/2).

[Porcelina Goddess]

I think it is a COMPLETE conspiracy to "have to" have your car run on premium gas. That is just ridiculous. My grandma used to fill her little Pontiac Sunbird up with the premium stuff and swore that it made her car run like a charm. After she passed away, my mom followed suit and filled up with premium and didn't swear at all about it. I told her that it was unnecessary to empty her pockets on premium gas, when any engine is clearly capable on running on the regular unleaded stuff. I may be talking out of turn, b/c I'll be honest that I don't know much about it. But I know how much premium costs versus how much regular unleaded costs, and my brain works with the logic on that part -- and not with whatever petty science luxuries there may be involved. Seriously, when did we get into a life where .20 or a .30 cent more gas becomes a luxury ... lmao!

If I had a souped up sports car, I might be more inclined to spoil her. But I haven't got one, and gas is already up around 2.00 again or more. I feel for the deisel runners!! When does deisel EVER get cheap?!

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by Porcelina Goddess

when any engine is clearly capable on running on the regular unleaded stuff.

When does deisel EVER get cheap?!

Well ALL engines are not capable of running RIGHT on low octane regular.

Some high performance, high comperssion engines can actually be damaged by not having the proper octane fuel. MOST engines are designed for regular but not all.

The price gap for diesel will probably never go away. The oil companies have convinced "us" that it costs more to achieve the new low-sulphur requirements so that extra 30-50 cents will always be there.......even if they find a cheaper way to do it in the future. That's free (unregulated) enterprise at work for you.

[Nimbly]

Originally Posted by Easy Rider

That's free (unregulated) enterprise at work for you.

Are you a socialist?

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by Nimbly

Are you a socialist?

No.

Are you a "ditto head" ?

Find a good book about unregulated monopolies at the turn of the last century.
There will be books about the similar situation going on right now at the turn of THIS century, after the smoke has cleared and things come into good focus.

Hindsight is not necessarily 20/20 but it usually is MUCH less clouded by hype.

[tricker]

here goes the neighborhood.... again....

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by tricker

here goes the neighborhood.... again....

Yep and MY fault this time.

Sorry.

[tricker]

Originally Posted by Easy Rider

Yep and MY fault this time.

Sorry.

if you would have said poopy head i'd said yeah that's old school

[Nimbly]

Originally Posted by ricketycricket

Some of the price for oil comes from when refineries switch from making heating oil for winter months, to making oil for cars and such. If there is a cold winter, the price will rise faster in the spring since not as much gas will be availble due to less refineries producing gas vs heating oil.

Or at least that is the excuse they use to price gouge the hell out of us.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by ricketycricket

You do realize there are regulations now correct?

The subject of the discussion changed when someone accused me of being a socialist. Do TRY to keep up.

I was thinking more of financial institutions than oil companies, actually.

I made a mistake by mentioning it in the first place; I will NOT argue the point in somebody else's thread.