Liquid performance boost: Premium gas

[Mittzy]

@Neville Lush posted some photos comparing two engines (1 ran premium all the time and the other used the cheaper fuel) the difference was quite amazing -just how clean the premium engine was compared to the sootty Carbon engine on the cheap fuel.
I use the highest (98RON) octane fuel I can get as I now have higher compression.

 

[Rick McC.]

I'v been using 90 octane ethanol free gas in all my small, marine, and motorcycle engines for longer than I've had the rocket.

It costs around $1.00 more per gallon than the mid-grade gas with ethanol that we use in our Chargers.

 

[MarvinM]

In reference to Mittzy's post, Cheap low octane unleaded (87 in the US) is potentially bad if it is unbranded (no detergent additives). While the increased octane typically doesn't help, and ethanol lowers your economy and power, the detergent additives are useful. In the US, you see this gas at grocery store lots and big box store lots. You shouldn't use it in anything.

MarvinM

 

[Dalan]

Marvin,

Normally, Chevron or Texaco for me. But Shell has this ethanol free fuel hand and the Rocket likes it.

I am not much on the bargain fuel places.

And, the 74 Evinrude outboard will probably like it a lot better. Small two stroke engines never run right on ethanol blends more than a month old. I expect because of the water pulled from the air into the ethanol.

Corn ought to be eaten and not burned anyway.

 

[Rick McC.]

Marvin,

Normally, Chevron or Texaco for me. But Shell has this ethanol free fuel hand and the Rocket likes it.

I am not much on the bargain fuel places.

And, the 74 Evinrude outboard will probably like it a lot better. Small two stroke engines never run right on ethanol blends more than a month old. I expect because of the water pulled from the air into the ethanol.

Corn ought to be eaten and not burned anyway.

Absent the use of a fuel stabilizer; over time ethanol settles out of the gas to the bottom of the tank.

 

[DJ]

Interesting subject.
With that in mind, does anybody really know which brand of fuel is better (if in fact there is a "better" fuel). When I say better, I mean which is better for the engine.
I'm thinking of a few types of engines.
1) The Rockets engine.
2) Small turbo charged 4 cylinder engines. Typical Honda, VW, type of engine
3) Larger V8s as in Ford, Chevy, Rams

I've always heard Chevron and Shell were better due to the additives. But, I really don't know and have no knowledge. Hell, I'd put soda in my tank if it would burn.

Regarding the ethanol crap. I tried that in my truck once. Only once. What a joke. More expensive to run with less MPG, dirtier. Its just junk! Just another Government subsidy for the farmers. What I would love to run my cars on is CNG. However that won't happen in California until they figure out how to tax it at your house or tax you on mileage driven. The California EPA is on record as stating the reason they won't allow it to be added by "backyard Mechanics" is due to financial reasons. In short they would lose too much tax revenue from the decrease in gasoline sales.

 

[cootertwo]

It's true, it works, I've been running it in all my bikes (4) and of course my lawn mowers, chain saws, etc. etc. My Bro in law hauls the stuff for a gas company. He was the first to tell me how he got better mileage in his P/U truck. So I tried it in the Rocket. WOW! Smells nice too! Kinda like the old Amaco high test used to. (you have to be old to understand that). It's right at 90 octane. Just filled 2, 5 gallon cans yesterday for $30 here in Labelle. $3.09 per/gal. Drug one of my Hardleys out a few weeks ago, that had been sitting for a year or so, (since I got the Rocket, Ha!), and had been on the ethanol crap. Had to use ether to get it started, and it wouldn't idle. Took the carb off (Mikuni flat slide), all gooped up, idle jet completely stopped up, and residue in the bottom of the float bowl. Got that all cleaned out, had to drill the idle jet out with a micro drill bit. Filled it up with the "REAL" gas, and it runs like a scalded ape! Corn is for eatin, not runnin in your machine!

 

[Tripps]

In reference to Mittzy's post, Cheap low octane unleaded (87 in the US) is potentially bad if it is unbranded (no detergent additives). While the increased octane typically doesn't help, and ethanol lowers your economy and power, the detergent additives are useful. In the US, you see this gas at grocery store lots and big box store lots. You shouldn't use it in anything.

MarvinM

Yup. Indian Rez here gets most of their gas out of Canada, has non ethanol premium, he says they sometimes get non ethanol regular, but it's random and gets mixed with whatrs still in the tanks, so they don't guarantee nor advertise it as ethanol free.

 

[JackG]

Non-Ethanol fuel is becoming more common again in this area but is quite a bit pricier. I can buy 87 ethanol for $1.85/gal but the non-ethanol 89 is $3.27/gal. I would love to go back to non-ethanol but, I think, they are gouging on the price as I think everyone knows it is more expensive to make ethanol fuels. When I vacationed in Sturgis, SD this summer, I could get non-ethanol for just 20 cents more than ethanol fuel. As for performance, I didn't really notice the diff.

 

[dougl]

Liquid performance boost - Jack Daniel's