Octane:What are yall using??

[Turk]

The age old question/argument about what octane gas to put in your quad?

When I bought mine from the dealer I asked them what I should run in it and they told me to run 93 octane,i've been running 93 in my quad since it was new but i'm wondering if i'm wasting my money buying 93 octane.I asked one of my cousins who has an outlander 800 and he says he uses mostly 89 octane and sometimes 93 octane.Another cousin tells me he puts whatever octane his wallet can afford in his grizzly,so that means he uses 87 octane most of if not all the time.

So the question is what octane do yall put in your quads?? and why do you use that particular octane in your quad.

[Riven]

I have run everything from 87 to 94 with octane boosters as well to bring it to 101-104?

The only thing i have found is the 94 cost me more with no gains what so ever!
I only run 87 now with some carb cleaner now & then.

Now i was told by drag sled builder if you start messing with timing advance then you might need a higher octane fuel.
He said if you go over an .03 key you should run 93/94. It will work with 87 but gives much more power with the 94.

[SCRAMMYTODD]

You really need to be carefull. Some bikes like the Bomb 800 I think require 93. Unless you have bumped the timing check the owners manual. I think mine says 89 and thats all I run. You probably won't be able to hear the bike pinging if you have a pipe and or snorkels. It'll sound like a popcorn machine if it's pinging, and that noise is the fuel/air mixture igniting before the spark plug sparks. The noise is the sound of the flame front of the preignition hitting the flame front of the spark plug spark. When the flame fronts colide it COULD blow holes in the tops of your pistons!!

So it is very important to run the right fuel thru the bike, but if the bike calls for 89 running 93 without timing or compression mods will only cost you more money in the long run. People say higher octane fuels burn cleaner, but because it's harder to ignite, it may not completly burn in the time of the power stroke.

Just something to keep in mind next time you fuel up

[OnlyPolaris]

we've only run 87 octane in all out bikes. actaully in everything we own.

[Turk]

we've only run 87 octane in all out bikes. actaully in everything we own.


I run 87 in everything except the polaris but I filled it up with 87 last night from empty and went out for a half an hour or so.It runs fine and I didnt notice any diffference in the way it ran.I'll moniter it and feel for any performance changes.

[Dirtbmw20]

I've run nothing but the cheapest 87 octane I could find since I bought both of them.

[Turk]

What got me wondering if I was wasting money on the 93 octane is that gas prices in florida have gone up almost 30 cents a gallon in the last 2 weeks.Then I was reading my polaris owners manual and it says minimum octane rating of 87 and thats what got me thinking about the 93 octane and that i'm throwing money away.It would be one thing if the manual said "only 93 octane" but it says 87 is just fine.

[Rubberdown]

I've run nothing but the cheapest 87 octane I could find since I bought both of them.

Same here, I use the pump with the lowest $$$ next to it :D

[Bigdog800EFI]

The higher the compression the higher the octane required. Most stock motors run best on the 87-89 range. One other point. Most of the mid grade 89-91 get the higher octane rating with alcohol. Alcohol and rubber do not get along, So just a lookout for you mid grade users. Carb boots, O rings.

[Turk]

The higher the compression the higher the octane required.


Let me ask you this,my model is an 500 HO model.Does it up the compression at all (enough to justify 93 octane)because it's an HO model??

[Bigdog800EFI]

nope. Use the 87. it will run just fine.

[slapnuts8725]

Nop I have a 06 500EFI and it says right in the book 87.

[SPORTSMAN70003]

I usually use 93 with octane booster. Right know I have 110 race fuel in. Before all my mods I always run 87 and it did just fine.

[Turk]

Well i've been running the 87 all week and it's running fine,almost seems to run better but that could be the K&N air filter I added but I put the 87 in a few days before I got the K&N.I still wonder why the hell the dealer would tell me to run 93 when it really doesnt need it.Got me sitting here thinking of all the $$$ i've wasted over the last year and a half paying extra for a higher octane when I my qaud really didnt need it.

[Parttime]

I usually use 93 with octane booster. Right know I have 110 race fuel in. Before all my mods I always run 87 and it did just fine.

have ya tried VP U4. its a oxygenated fuel and 4 stroke love it.

["Bankrupt"]

i run 93 because most of the gas stations around here have really crappy 87. its the most consumed gas grade around here so its usually the one with the most water in the storage tanks.

[SPORTSMAN70003]

have ya tried VP U4. its a oxygenated fuel and 4 stroke love it.
Nope I've never tried it. I've heard it does increase hp. I think the VP U4 is just oxygenated fuel and not high octane right?

[Parttime]

Nope I've never tried it. I've heard it does increase hp. I think the VP U4 is just oxygenated fuel and not high octane right?

i think its 114 but i will have to look when i get back to the shop.it is rather exspenive though almost 20.00 a gallon.although it burns slower than 110 hard to justify the ppg

[SPORTSMAN70003]

Man $20 a gallon I'd be broke in just a little while. I think I pay around $4.50 a gallon for the 110.

[PoPoRZR]

I know we run helicopter fuel in our racing lawnmowers...I dunno what the current price is but it is around 4.50....

[shady357]

Although the bike may not need the higher octane, i put the 93 just cause its only a couple gallons to fill , not like a car.I dont mind spending it on the bike.
(The prices of gas are out-of-hand here in florida)
In the end, using the higher octane will only benefit in the long run...long long run...

What can i say."I SPOILED MY BIKE"....

But my car gets the cheap s_hit !!!!

[Turk]

(The prices of gas are out-of-hand here in florida)

Yeah tell me about it.What are you paying?? Paying about $3.21 for a gallon of regular.I'm guessing your not to far south down the highway from me.I'm off of I-75 and Griffin Road in west Davie where bouts are you located??

[Turk]

In the end, using the higher octane will only benefit in the long run...long long run...


In what way??

[shady357]

Yeah tell me about it.What are you paying?? Paying about $3.21 for a gallon of regular.I'm guessing your not to far south down the highway from me.I'm off of I-75 and Griffin Road in west Davie where bouts are you located??


I'm off of I-75 and Miami Gardens.Sounds like its about the same price.I don't even bother looking anymore, it just depress me and depletes the money in my wallet.

[shady357]

In what way??


I suppose just like in a car.

"Cheap" gas= "Cheap" Perfomance.

Besides, its more expensive for a reason, wouldn't you think?

I am no mechanic but "life" has taught me time and time again,
"You get what you pay for".

[Turk]

"Cheap" gas= "Cheap" Perfomance.


Depends on what you consider to be cheap gas.Do you consider any octane rating below 93 octane to be cheap gas or do you go by the brand name of gas?? Such as comparing BP or Mobile to say the little corner store with 2 pumps and an unnamed brand of gas??

[Bigdog800EFI]

Running High octane fuel in a low compression motor is just wasting money. Name brand and a higher use station( more turn over) is more important than octane in an ATV. A station that goes through less fuel will gerneraly have more contaminates in the fuel. When the big gas truck fills the tanks it will stir everything up and it will self clean the junk out. Allitle goes to every car that fills up. Tanks that get filled less often will have more sediment(junk) in the bottom of the tank. Over time the junk get stirred in and settles out agian and it will keep adding up. So if you fill up near the day the small , less used gas station get their fuel, you will get more of the junk. In junk I mean dirt, water and anythink else that settles out in the big tank.

[Turk]

Name brand and a higher use station( more turn over) is more important than octane in an ATV.


Thats what I was trying to say in my last post.I was reading my Ford owners manual the other day and I noticed under the section regarding Fuel & Octane ratings it says "Ford recommends you use a Brand name gasoline when filling up your vehicle". To me cheap gas is of an unknown brand of gas.

A good example of what may happen to your vehicle after many fill-ups with an unknown brand of gas is what happened to my co-workers truck.He always uses the little 2 pump corner store when he fills up his Dodge pickup,he's been doing that for a little over a year.Now his trucks fuel system is having all types of problems and i'm sure they will have to drop the gas tank as well to deal with the fuel pump also.Mechanic says constant use of the cheap qaulity gas which doesnt have certain additives & detergents that the major oil companies add to their fuels has taken it's toll on the trucks fuel system,he's looking at a pricey repair bill.

[shady357]

That Theory Sounds Right To Me...