hi octane unleaded

[bugjuice]

erm.... it's 95 now, not 96.. and it's still the same price.

I do hate it tho, when you just want to top up with 95/96 cos you need to get round town instead of a weekend blast, and the only option is 98 at the inflated price.. Kinda got you by the short n curlies. Sometimes, I've ridden/driven onto the next one when I've seen 98 at 5¢ more than 96

[The Stranger:Me]

Blackbird = 91 or higher unleaded
Virago = 91 or higher unleaded and notes that if pinging occurs use another brand or a higher octane.
The SS is similar.

[sarg]

how good is your fuel consumption on 98 with the blackbird Noel compared to 91 Should I change up?

[2_SL0]

There is a reduction in the benzene in our fuel. This has lead to the introduction of 95 octane fuel.

[The Stranger:Me]

how good is your fuel consumption on 98 with the blackbird Noel compared to 91 Should I change up?

I have got actual figures at work but with a K&N and running on 98 the fuel economy went from about 37 mpg to about 45 mpg and you get a significant improvement in low end torque to boot.

Open road the improvement is only from 50 before to 53 mpg now. I suspect that the ram air was pretty efficient at moving the air past the old filter when at speed.

I also note that I get better economy at higher speeds.
Govt was trying to say that you use an additional 13% to travel at 110kph instead of 100.
I get better economy at 130 than at 100.

[Lou Girardin]

I have got actual figures at work but with a K&N and running on 98 the fuel economy went from about 37 mpg to about 45 mpg and you get a significant improvement in low end torque to boot.

Open road the improvement is only from 50 before to 53 mpg now. I suspect that the ram air was pretty efficient at moving the air past the old filter when at speed.

I also note that I get better economy at higher speeds.
Govt was trying to say that you use an additional 13% to travel at 110kph instead of 100.
I get better economy at 130 than at 100.

It seems that the improvement has more to do with the K&N.

[The Stranger:Me]

It seems that the improvement has more to do with the K&N.

Definately the K&N makes the biggest difference. Without a doubt.

I have done 10,000km in the last 3 months so am able to do many tests quite quickly. Averaging these tests out I am getting just under 46 mpg on 98 and on 91 was getting just under 42 so yeah the biggest difference is the K&N but the 98 also makes a difference.

Sure the 98 is not going to save you thousands but it is cheaper and the bike is noticably better to ride so why not use it?

[Avignon]

When I picked up my Hornet, the Honda Guys said just to use 91 as the other fuels could leave carbon deposits on the injectors. Looking at this thread I now seem to think they were refering to the 96 stuff with the addatives and shit so I'm gonna try the 98. I'll put some in this arvo and let you know how it goes.

[vifferman]

When I picked up my Hornet, the Honda Guys said just to use 91 as the other fuels could leave carbon deposits on the injectors. Looking at this thread I now seem to think they were refering to the 96 stuff with the addatives and shit so I'm gonna try the 98. I'll put some in this arvo and let you know how it goes.

True.
Not just that, but the very small spockploogs used tend to soot up very quickly (on my VFR750 they took maybe less than 15km).

[Lou Girardin]

I can't pick any difference between 91 and 98 in the Bandit. But there was a huge difference in a modded car I had, somewhere around 20 hp. The 98 let me use much more ign advance.

[pyrocam]

I run BP ultimate because the handle is the coolest

[dawnrazor]

Okay folks I decided to do some looking about regarding octane ratings etc after some of the points brought up yesterday, found an article in BIKE magazine, which sums it up nicely
The rest of this post will quote from that.

“Before the spark plug, sparks, the mix of air and fuel is compressed by the piston’s compression stroke. Bikes run a higher compression then cars from 10:1 to 13:1 (squashing the gas into one tenth of its volume)
The problem with higher compression ratios is that Heptane (one of the hydrocarbons found in petrol) doesn’t react well when it’s squashed and can ignite spontaneously under compression. This is why tuned engines run hi-octane fuel.

The types of unleaded at the pumps will be rated 91, 95, 96, 97, 98 RON (Reasearch Octane Number), a measure of how resistant the fuel is to igniting under compression.
So 95 RON has the same resistance to compression as a mix of 95% octane and 5% heptane. Fuels of more then 100 RON are made by adding chemicals that are more resistant then octane.

Octane alone will not increase power. It only allows the potential for an engine to run a high compression ratio - and that’s what will increase power.Run a high compression engine on low octane fuel and detonation will occcur - and that can destroy a motor.

Detonantion - also known as knock -occurs after the plug has sparked. The spark starts a flame in the middle of the cylinder, which should spread out to the edges with a single flame front. But if the gas at the edges of the cylinder ignites (due to high temp or pressure) before the flame meets them, it causes multiple flame fronts in the cylinder. When these collide they create a sharp rise in heat and pressure. Occasional slight detonation is okay, but constant severe detonation will wreck an engine.

So what should you fill up with? Simple. Assuming you haven’t changed your compression ratio, run your bike on what the manual tells you to. In the case of most road bikes, thats standard 95RON. Extra octane won’t increase power - it really is just a waste of money. If the book says run it on hi - octane then stick rigidly, unless you have a knock sensor like on some BMW’s which can adjust fueling when knock is detected. It is also safe to mix regular and super, too.”

Okay thats the end of the lesson, a couple of things should be noted, you can’t get 91RON in europe anymore so 95RON is regular and 97/98 super. So if the largest petrol users on the road are cars, and car engines typically run at low compression ratios, meaning they work just fine on 91 RON, then why does 98RON exist at all, if for the most part it is a waste of money if used in the average car and average bike for that matter. Some how I can’t believe that the petrol companies are providing a product for the minority of people running high compression vehicles that need 98RON fuel. Looking at the advertising for BP ultimate, it makes out its great for your engine etc and clean, fails to mention that its no better then regular, smell a conspiracy.

So until 91RON is fazed out here, don’t be fooled 91 rules!

[Jonty]

There's me thinking that nearly all Jap engines are designed to run on 91 to suit theUS market.
What do your owners manuals say?

Mine just says anything above 88 and something like anything above 89 for Mexico (or something strange). So really there is no answer to the 91 vs 98 debate in CBR owners manuals. I would like a definitive anser but I imagine it will be a try and see. For the extra price I am stayin with 91

[vifferman]

Mine just says anything above 88 and something like anything above 89 for Mexico (or something strange). So really there is no answer to the 91 vs 98 debate in CBR owners manuals. I would like a definitive anser but I imagine it will be a try and see. For the extra price I am stayin with 91

Is the manual Murkn, because their octane ratings are different, with 87 there being equivalent to 91 here. So "above 88" may well mean summat loik "above 91".

[Jonty]

Is the manual Murkn, because their octane ratings are different, with 87 there being equivalent to 91 here. So "above 88" may well mean summat loik "above 91".

Good question - the manual is set up for different parts of the world (Mexico being one) and I am pretty sure it was above 88 for Australia. I will check tonight and post my findings. Cheers :spudwave: