What octane rating is everyone running

[WWJD]

87

 

[baites1]

95

 

[Tool]

i use 93. i have never tested this bike on the lower octane, but on others and my cars i have. My old mustang (93) & Impala ss (95) will not even stay running at an idle with 87, both cars stock. my zx-11 had detonation with lower. also, in my cars mpg was greatly improved with higher octane. i think also has a lot to do with where you live, altitude (thicker or thinner air). i'll stick with 93. whats .20 more?

 

[GSXcite]

87 for me. My bike runs better with 87 and I get better gas milage. Why not save the money for future mods that will actually help your bike perform better?

 

[hydrabusa]

owner's manual... says 87, engine is designed for...87 Exxon

 

[NightCrawler]

Manual says minimum 87 octane. Minimum is the keyword there. That means anything LESS than 87 may hurt the engine.

87, 89, 93 ... use what you feel is best.

As for me, my bike idles much smoother with 93. Aside from that, I feel no difference from any of the 3.

 

[Warputer]

Manual says minimum 87 octane. Minimum is the keyword there.

Have to agree w/that . I run 93 .

 

[ALLshow.NOgo]

Well I used to run 87 in my car, then I tried 93 and it got alittle hoped up and ran stronger. So I used 93 in the bikes thinking its higher number its better. Then I read all the posts on the octane and the busa and found that 87 is what I should be using. But I just put in 89 yesterday and the bike felt stronger so I am just stick with middle ground :-)

 

[unkleslapnutz]

Suzuki says I can run 87...so I do. It is cheaper..and when I tried 90+ I couldnt tell any diffrence by my "seat of the pants dyno".


But I do have a question that someone here might be able to answer. With a diffrent pipe (full system) and a PCIII, air filter...would these upgrades cause the need for a higher octane?

 

[Turbo-Torch]

Manual says minimum 87 octane. Minimum is the keyword there. That means anything LESS than 87 may hurt the engine.

87, 89, 93 ... use what you feel is best.

As for me, my bike idles much smoother with 93. Aside from that, I feel no difference from any of the 3.

Please explain what the octane rating has to do with the way an engine idles?

 

[TheAtomicAss]

Higher octane = less violent explosion of air/fuel mixture = smoother idle.

That's my theory, anyway. But that is the one thing about Premium, my bike also ran smoother while running it.

 

[Turbo-Torch]

Well I used to run 87 in my car, then I tried 93 and it got alittle hoped up and ran stronger.  So I used 93 in the bikes thinking its higher number its better. Then I read all the posts on the octane and the busa and found that 87 is what I should be using.  But I just put in 89 yesterday and the bike felt stronger so I am just stick with middle ground :-)

Your cars have ECUs with knock sensors that can advance or retard the timing based in the octane of fuel your using. The Busa's ECU is primative compared to whats in any modern car and it doesn't have a clue what you put in it. Timing is the same unless you modify it yourself (and then you better not go back to a lower octane).
Since octane rating has everything to do with the fuel's resistance to detonate and nothing to do with a bigger badder more volatile explosion, "more power" or "my vehicle idles more smoothly" just doesn't work into the equation.

 

[DAB]

87 in the 'Busa, 91 in my turbo car. As per manufacturer's recommendations.

 

[TheAtomicAss]

Your cars have ECUs with knock sensors that can advance or retard the timing based in the octane of fuel your using.  The Busa's ECU is primative compared to whats in any modern car and it doesn't have a clue what you put in it.  Timing is the same unless you modify it yourself (and then you better not go back to a lower octane).
Since octane rating has everything to do with the fuel's resistance to detonate and nothing to do with a bigger badder more volatile explosion, "more power" or "my vehicle idles more smoothly" just doesn't work into the equation.

If the explosion that happens in the cylinder is less violent, then certainly it'll idle smoother. Especially a Busa, with it's primitive ECU. Or my Ninja, with simple electronic ignition timing.

 

[nitrousjunkie]

What ever C-16 is,I guess about 118.

 

[Turbo-Torch]

Your cars have ECUs with knock sensors that can advance or retard the timing based in the octane of fuel your using.  The Busa's ECU is primative compared to whats in any modern car and it doesn't have a clue what you put in it.  Timing is the same unless you modify it yourself (and then you better not go back to a lower octane).
Since octane rating has everything to do with the fuel's resistance to detonate and nothing to do with a bigger badder more volatile explosion, "more power" or "my vehicle idles more smoothly" just doesn't work into the equation.

If the explosion that happens in the cylinder is less violent, then certainly it'll idle smoother.  Especially a Busa, with it's primitive ECU.  Or my Ninja, with simple electronic ignition timing.

The amount of power produced by X amount of pump gas will be the same no matter what octane rating you choose. 87 octane will not make a more violent explosion, it'll just ignite easier. Higher octane is used to stop detonation (engine ping) and that happens when the engine is under heavy load conditions. Too low an octane and the fuel ignites too early, timing is thrown off and you hammer the pistons. Solution is to retard the timing and lose power or increase octane rating.
No amount of accessories running will cause enough drag on an engine to make a difference at idle. One of my previous cars required 101 octane as stated in the owners manual and it idled smooth as glass off 87. With enough de-tuning I was able to get it to run acceptably off 93 and still destroy 9 out 10 cars pulling up next to it at a stop light.

 

[whytlotus]

When I first bought my bike I used about 3 tanks of 93 octane
and have since gone to 87....I have seen no difference other than the cost to fill the tank is now less.

 

[BusaWizard]

87

 

[Guclu]

what about shell's 100 octane fuel ? too much for Busa with PCIII ?

 

[NightCrawler]

Manual says minimum 87 octane. Minimum is the keyword there. That means anything LESS than 87 may hurt the engine.

87, 89, 93 ... use what you feel is best.

As for me, my bike idles much smoother with 93. Aside from that, I feel no difference from any of the 3.

Please explain what the octane rating has to do with the way an engine idles?

I have no idea what so ever. But then again I know rolling my right wrist causes the bike to speed up and slow down depending on the rolling direction. I don't know exactly what's going on internally, but I know that's what happens.

Maybe what TheAtomicAss said is true:
Higher octane = less violent explosion of air/fuel mixture = smoother idle.

But I know while using 87 my idle pulses. When using 93 it doesn't (at least not quiet as rough).



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