you guys running high octane fuel in your small engines are just throwing your money away you will get no benefit from running it the only thing high octane is good for is that it resist detonation and is only needed in high compression engines as a matter of fact you are probably slowing your engine down with it, i use and need 110 octane in my turboed suzuki hayabusa but all my small engines get 87
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20061010181219AAM2aNa
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20061010181219AAM2aNa
You're right - sort of. The only way to get alcohol-free gasoline around here is to by premium or race gas. So I'm not buying it for the high octane rating, I'm buying it for the absence of alcohol. When I was in Iowa two summers ago I saw lots of gas stations that had alcohol-free regular and was a bit jealous.
I follow a couple of vintage Japanese motorcycle forums when I'm not looking at OldMiniBikes. On one of them today, a fellow asked about running E85 in his old Hodaka 2-stroke. I liked this answer:
"The main problems with using oxygenated (read alcohol-blended) fuels in vintage 2-stroke motorcycle engines are as follows - 1) their propensity to attract and trap water which may result in fuel system, internal engine, and exhaust system corrosion, 2) the alteration in the miscibility of fuel/oil, either premixed or injected which can adversely effect engine lubrication, 3) the potential for damage to the rubber oil seals, carberator o-rings, etc. resulting in an air leak, lean condition, and predicted engine damage, 4) the different vapor pressures of alcohol vs gasoline resulting in an alteration of the evaporative and atomization characteristics of the blended fuel premix resulting in difficulty/impossibility maintaining proper jetting, and on the most basic level, 5) the plain fact that these engines far predate the use of alcohol blended fuels by decades. They simply were not designed to run on ethanol. These issues would likely be amplified as the alcohol fraction increases."
"The main problems with using oxygenated (read alcohol-blended) fuels in vintage 2-stroke motorcycle engines are as follows - 1) their propensity to attract and trap water which may result in fuel system, internal engine, and exhaust system corrosion, 2) the alteration in the miscibility of fuel/oil, either premixed or injected which can adversely effect engine lubrication, 3) the potential for damage to the rubber oil seals, carberator o-rings, etc. resulting in an air leak, lean condition, and predicted engine damage, 4) the different vapor pressures of alcohol vs gasoline resulting in an alteration of the evaporative and atomization characteristics of the blended fuel premix resulting in difficulty/impossibility maintaining proper jetting, and on the most basic level, 5) the plain fact that these engines far predate the use of alcohol blended fuels by decades. They simply were not designed to run on ethanol. These issues would likely be amplified as the alcohol fraction increases."
I've been using nothing but 87 octane E-10 or E-15 in my stuff. From my daily driver '90 Suburban to my garden tractor puller without any issues. The only thing you might have to do different is richen up your fuel mixture a little bit as ethanol burns slower and cooler so you need a little more to get the same power. I show garden tractors, antique stationary engines, antique tractors, and cars all summer and store the majority of them in the Winter. I've never run into issues with the carburetor setting for 6 to 8 months with gas in it. I have never used fuel additives and haven't run into the main issues everybody claims will happen when using Ethanol. My tanks are clean and my engine run great. The only time I've run into trouble with Ethanol was when I was in high school. I filled the tank in my '72 Chrysler Newport Royal with E-85. started it up and drove away. Ran great! Smoother than it ever had really. Until I pulled up to a stop sign. It wouldn't idle. The carburetor wouldn't let enough fuel through to keep the engine running at idle because it would take more to do it. Drained the tank and filled it with E-15 and we were on the way again. If I had tuned the carburetor for E-85 it might've run just fine with it. It may have needed bigger jets though. I see no problem with running ethanol enhanced gasoline. I've got 7 vehicles licensed and insured that ALL have E-10 or E-15 in the tanks as well as 14 garden tractors, 4 stationary engines, 2 tractors, and a minibike and I guarentee you, when I go to start the ones up that have been setting over winter in the late spring or early summer, they'll all fire up an run just fine unless there is some other major mechanical failure which is possible. I believe in the E!
LOL, yep. 87 corn juice for me and my bikes, even my 67 HP 440. The key is to deal with a 10% lean condition in my Dodge, (did it) (Carter AFB) and to start mini bikes and go karts once per month.
I have access to 90-something alky free, some of the hot rodders swear by it. I have yet to try it. Also. most of the gas stations sell race fuel for the hot rodder and hot boating crowd, and methanol is available in town as well.
With my wife's coupons, she's paying $1.05 per gallon for the 10% corn juice, and it lasts us two months in her car- about $4 per month in fuel costs. Living the retired life, one Tecumseh carburetor rebuild at a time.
unk:
I have access to 90-something alky free, some of the hot rodders swear by it. I have yet to try it. Also. most of the gas stations sell race fuel for the hot rodder and hot boating crowd, and methanol is available in town as well.
With my wife's coupons, she's paying $1.05 per gallon for the 10% corn juice, and it lasts us two months in her car- about $4 per month in fuel costs. Living the retired life, one Tecumseh carburetor rebuild at a time.
unk: