| Author | Message | ||
     Peter_nikols |
Hello, In most places in the states I found that the octane level on gas was 91. Even worse, many gas companies use 10% Ethanol which makes the bikes run kinda crappy. I have found that 91 octane with no Ethanol runs better than 94 with Ethanol on my V-Rod. Given that the 1125 has such a high compression ratio, is there any benefit to using an Octane Booster? I'm thinking of using the 91 octane gas (with no ethanol) and adding Octane booster. I bought some from Amsoil Octane Booster and want to try it out after I break in my engine. Just wondering what people have experienced and if any of you have tried Octane Boosters. Thanks Peter | ||
| Torquaholic |
Octane number is resistance to detonation. Higher octane will increase power only if detonation is present. | ||
| Peter_nikols |
I think we all know that. Are you trying to say that if it doesn't detonate I can run lower than 91 octane? Peter | ||
| Froggy |
Being that they are designed with 91, they will run the same with 92-94. The ethanol thing is placebo. Don't bother with octane booster, many of them contain lead, and it can damage the O2 sensor. | ||
| Nillaice |
+1 Octane number is resistance to detonation. Higher octane will increase power only if detonation is present one hot hott day; i freaked out cuz it sounded like my XB was gonna grenade. what was happening was pre-detonation (pre-ignition) due to low octane/high temps. this winter i've been running alll around on the cheap stuff with no issues. i actually got the best gas mileage on a tank of 87. it may have been cuz it cold as shit, and i was not trusting my tires in the cold and thus riding in a fuel efficient manner. (Message edited by nillaice on January 29, 2010) | ||
| Rockstarblast1 |
so say someone was to run 110 race gas UNLEADED it wouldnt make any dif in power as 91 unleaded? | ||
| Family_buells |
There is no benefit to using octane booster if your engine is not experiencing detonation. The purpose of higher octane is to prevent detonation or engine knock. It does not increase power as some are suggesting. | ||
| Froggy |
You will be faster, only because your wallet will be empty  | ||
| Justa4banger |
Most octane boosters only raise octane a 1/10th of a point.. so when you see 7-9 points its actually 7/10ths to 9/10ths. only one octane booster is worth is weight and price..thats TORCO. i ran the stuff for 2 years without issues in my mustang.. thats the only way it would live on 28-30 psi of boost...also never had an issue with my WBo2 which was permanant in the car IF your not experiencing preignition, chances are the added octane will do nothing. if its right on the edge, you may see a SMALL gain, but nothing your butt would register.. Also torco is sold in 2 types, leaded and lead free.. it will not harm O2 sensors... it will turn your exhaust ORANGE, so if you have a stock pipe chances are your rear wheel will get some color. | ||
| Illbuell |
oxygenated race fuels has givin our bikes as much as five HP on the dyno.. Thats just changing fuel.. No maps,jets,etc | ||
| Peter_nikols |
Where do you get this "Oxygenated Gas"? Peter | ||
| Jdugger |
> Where do you get this "Oxygenated Gas" Both my local race tracks sell it track side for members and guests using the track. Your bike has to be set up for it, and it's pretty expensive. $8-10 / gal is common. | ||
| Skntpig |
Local car speedshops and bike shops that cater to racing. http://www.vpracingfuels.com/vp-drag-racing.html http://www.racefuels.com.au/ | ||
| Family_buells |
The components of the gasoline that produce a higher octane number are not what produces more power. There are race fuels that will produce more power, but they get very expensive and some are very corrosive requiring that you drain the fuel after use because it will eat up your fuel system. There were many AMA Superbike race teams that weren't even leaving fuel in their bikes overnight because it would damage the bikes that quickly. This is especially significant with a the 1125R considering that the frame is also the fuel tank and you don't want to be corroding your frame from the inside-out. Along with that, the higher-end race fuels pose an increased health hazard for you while handling them. Oxygenated fuel is not necessarily a race fuel. In fact most of the fuel that you buy every day is oxygenated. | ||
| Trekerguy |
They use "Oxygenated Gas" Here in Nevada to reduce emissions ......In winter. We have temp inversions which trap the warm air by cooler dense air on top coming off the mountains . If that helps ....an emission thing . | ||
| Nillaice |
Oxygenated Gas makes sense to me. you could make a bigger fire if the fuel is packaged with the O2. more complete burn so less emissions too. but if you fuel-map it rich, would it be like running boost? ... i'd like to see some dyno runs to test it | ||
| Peter_nikols |
I was reading about it on-line and according to what I read most gas with Ethanol or Methanol additives are oxygenated. I think this activates the additives. In either case that sounds odd since I have experienced negative results with Ethanol mixed gas. I think the environmentally friendly ingredients of the gas outweigh any performance benefits. I can only assume that to truly benefit from oxygenated gas, you will need to by some kind of race fuel or high performance additive. I will keep my eye open for the latter... Peter | ||
| Family_buells |
Depends on what you call "environmentally friendly". A guaranteed 3% reduction in fuel mileage for gas with 10% ethanol isn't what I would call environmentally friendly. And it isn't any cheaper than straight gas around here, so it isn't very friendly to your wallet either. | ||
| Bob_saggot |
You worry to much about nothing. If it's a stock engine you won't notice a diff. I'v ran 114 octane in my yamaha wave blaster and it runs the same as 91. It has mods on it but like the other guy said. If it's not pinging your throwing you money out the window. | ||
| Justa4banger |
Bob is correct, if your setup doesn't take advantage of the extra octane it won;t gain power. i have hear of people actually losing a bit of power on the dyno till they up the boost or advanced the timing to take advantage of the higher octane... If your bike is stock.. just fill it with whatever super unleaded you have in your area. | ||
| Peter_nikols |
So to sum it up, even with the higher compression ratio, 91 octane is good enough most of the time. If it gets real hot outside I might have to look for gas with a little higher octane otherwise, there is no problem. Octane boost is unnecessary. Important note - don't mess with the timing! Thanks guys. Peter | ||
| Andynj |
Here's a good article on it albeit for a car. http://www.popularhotrodding.com/tech/0901phr_diff erence_between_pump_race_gas/index.html |
