What Octane Fuel Does Your Spyder Drink Most of the Time?

[finless]

Actually I misspoke. It's 89 I have been using not 87.
I did not notice any difference in mileage between 89 and 93 but again my spyder seemed to run rougher and hotter on 93.
I will try 91 for a few tanks and see what I see.

Bob

[CurtG]

Started out using 87 most of the time, long about our trip to DC in May I switched to 91 or 93 depending on the station. Engine seems happier and the mileage went up. Never did use Seafoam seemed silly to add alcohol to deal with alcohol. Will use Startron or Stabil for storage when it get too y to ride this winter, but for the most part don't use anything during riding season as the gas doesn't stay in the tank long enough to mater . At some of the stations (nation brands) around here the high test is rumored to not have ethanol added to it one of these days I'll either make or get a tester and check that out. Much too busy having fun right now.

Ride and ride safe,

[BajaRon]

Actually I misspoke. It's 89 I have been using not 87.
I did not notice any difference in mileage between 89 and 93 but again my spyder seemed to run rougher and hotter on 93.
I will try 91 for a few tanks and see what I see.

Bob

It is odd that your engine would have trouble and run hotter with higher octane. It could be you got a bad batch. Premium fuel does not get pumped nearly as much as the lower grades. It is important to get your fuel from a station that has a lot of customers so you're getting fresh fuel. Especially if you're using ethanol fuel as it doesn't last nearly as long as straight gas.

It's also a good idea to get it from pumps that have dedicated hoses. Otherwise, you're probably getting a volume of 87 octane left from the previous customer from the tank valve to to the nozzle.

[maww12]

Only ride two up and only use 93 octane. Only holds four gallons so the extra cost is not a big deal to me. When it gets low we stop and fill up and enjoy the ride. Runs great boss is happy so whos complaining.

[Chelle Crane]

On the 2008 GS I use 87 was never told to use 93 and it's been fine . My new ST -Limited only gets 93. I am hoping our weather breaks up a bit so I can ride more before the snow comes.

[nhoj]

In the 2014 Operator Guides they have eliminated the minimum 87 allowed. If I remember correctly only 91 or higher is specified.

I had checked the 2014 RT's & ST's.

[Bob Denman]

The ST and RS bikes got the 991 series engine last year; that's why you only see 91 octane being recommended now...

[jcthorne]

According to my manual, they recommend 91 octane and list 87 octane as the minimum. By mixing 50/50 with 93 octane and 87 ethanol free, I get 90 octane with half the ethanol . . .

Sorry it took me a while to get back to this but NO, the minimum octane on the 2013 RT is 91. Please read the engine and emissions certification label under the seat and next to the gas cap. The owners manual is out of date and has been updated for the 2014s. The actual label on the bike takes precedence to any printed material. If the manuals are updated they just publish new ones as can, if the bike requirements as shown on the certification label actually change, a recall has to be issued to apply a new label.

The minimum octane requirement for 2013 RT is 91.

Oh, just FYI, if you mix 50/50 87 octane and 93, you get 89. Octane is a logarithmic scale, not linear. The 'plus' grade sold at most pumps is indeed a roughly 50/50 mix of the two. Only two grades are delivered to the station.

[tigerdr]

87 and 94 when available.

[Highwayman2013]

89 most of the time, 91 once in a while. See no difference.

[rcantrell52]

We use 93 on every tank.
Reese

[bikeguy]

I usually run the highest octane available. That is usually 91 but sometimes 93. In some smaller towns around here there will only be one station and the only fuel available is 87 octane with up to 10% ethanol. I don't like it but if that's all that's available, that's what I run. I honestly cannot tell any difference in performance or fuel economy between 87 and 93. There are no stations anywhere close to me that sell straight gasoline with no ethanol. Seems strange since I am in the middle of the oil patch. You would think that oil people would want to promote their product, but I guess not.

Cotton

[recordingguy]

I started using 87 this last summer while out east. My mileage increased when using the lower octane fuel for some reason. Even in the mountains I did not notice any difference in performance with my RT. Go figure! Still using Shell 87 octane now. May every ride is different. Bob

[Dan McNally]

Sorry it took me a while to get back to this but NO, the minimum octane on the 2013 RT is 91. Please read the engine and emissions certification label under the seat and next to the gas cap. The owners manual is out of date and has been updated for the 2014s. The actual label on the bike takes precedence to any printed material. If the manuals are updated they just publish new ones as can, if the bike requirements as shown on the certification label actually change, a recall has to be issued to apply a new label.

The minimum octane requirement for 2013 RT is 91.

Oh, just FYI, if you mix 50/50 87 octane and 93, you get 89. Octane is a logarithmic scale, not linear. The 'plus' grade sold at most pumps is indeed a roughly 50/50 mix of the two. Only two grades are delivered to the station.

Thanks for pointing that out, jctthorne. I had been using this calculator, which showed that 3 gallons of 87 and 3 gallons of 93 would give 6 gallons of 90 Octane. http://www.wallaceracing.com/octane-mix-calc.php . . . My concern was what ethanol is doing to the engine, which is why I mixed. I just looked at the label under my seat, and, sure enough, it says 91 Octane is minimum. It seems that something this important would be pointed out by the dealer when the Spyder was purchased . . . or BRP would have printed a single page addendum to the manual and directed dealers to insert it in the owners manual . . . or even included a mention of the error in the owner's manual in the welcome package . . . I guess its 91 or 93 from now on . . . I sure hope the government doesn't force 15% ethanol on us!

[johnwinslow]

I am in Maine and non ethanol fuel is available at some airports it is 93 octane with no alcohol. I get better than 40 mpg when I use it in my 2011 RTS, with after market exhaust an modified intake. the problem is I have to fill gas cans as they do not allow you to fill directly into a car truck or motorcycle. New Hampshire does allow it to be pumped direct, and if you are near a raceway you can get higher octane direct from the pump. three cheers for the states that allow no ethanol high octane gas. My loves it

[Michael211_2000]

I put 89 octane in my 2012 RS... when I tried a tank of 87 octane it tended to backfire when downshifting, 89 octane doesn't seem to have that effect so I stick with it. I tried 1 tank full of 93 octane but it didn't seem any different than the 89 octane I could not tell the difference, so I settled on 89 from now on.

The minimum octane rating is printed on a tag underneith the seat in small print... where do you find fuel with less than 87 octane rating anyhows? I don't get that, if 87 is the minimum recommended does that mean somebody sells fuel with less than an 87 rating?

- Michael

[Michael211_2000]

My concern was what ethanol is doing to the engine, which is why I mixed.

Seriously, it's not doing anything to your engine as long as you're routinely driving the vehicle. Ethanol becomes a problem if you let it sit for weeks (or months) on end it starts to break down the fuel molecules and attracts moisture. So as long as you're actively driving the Spyder weekly, don't worry about it... if however you live in an area where you park it for the winter, then ABSOLUTELY treat the fuel with Stabil (or another fuel stabilizer like SeaFoam etc.) run the engine for a short drive (to get the treated fuel completely thru the fuel lines and fuel system!) then park cover and put your battery on a battery tender. It'll be just fine come springtime. Otherwise yeah you could have expensive problems by next spring!

If I had a choice yeah I'd prefer ethanol-free fuel, the stuff doesn't DO anything for your money it's just a filler adding volume to the fuel but no energy content. In the Houston area I've not seen a fuel pump that didn't state up to 10% Ethanol in decades already... Arghhh! I hate the stuff, it's a waste of money in the fuel tank and drives up corn prices which causes our food to cost more since livestock feeds depend on corn largely...

- Michael

[jcthorne]

Thanks for pointing that out, jctthorne. I had been using this calculator, which showed that 3 gallons of 87 and 3 gallons of 93 would give 6 gallons of 90 Octane. http://www.wallaceracing.com/octane-mix-calc.php . . . My concern was what ethanol is doing to the engine, which is why I mixed. I just looked at the label under my seat, and, sure enough, it says 91 Octane is minimum. It seems that something this important would be pointed out by the dealer when the Spyder was purchased . . . or BRP would have printed a single page addendum to the manual and directed dealers to insert it in the owners manual . . . or even included a mention of the error in the owner's manual in the welcome package . . . I guess its 91 or 93 from now on . . . I sure hope the government doesn't force 15% ethanol on us!

I completely agree on the 15% ethanol. Here in southeast Texas, all gas has 10% ethanol so mixing still has 10%. Ethanol does increase effective octane and is the main ingredient in my cheap octane boosters. Lots of other problems if the materials are not correct. I tend not to worry about the ethanol as there is little I can do about it. When it causes problems, you fix it.

I suppose you found one thing Mancuso did right for me. They did point out the octane requirement. Now if they had a service department that knew or cared about Spyders....

[jcthorne]

I put 89 octane in my 2012 RS... when I tried a tank of 87 octane it tended to backfire when downshifting, 89 octane doesn't seem to have that effect so I stick with it. I tried 1 tank full of 93 octane but it didn't seem any different than the 89 octane I could not tell the difference, so I settled on 89 from now on.

The minimum octane rating is printed on a tag underneith the seat in small print... where do you find fuel with less than 87 octane rating anyhows? I don't get that, if 87 is the minimum recommended does that mean somebody sells fuel with less than an 87 rating?

- Michael

Yes, in states with higher elevations they get away with it. See lots of it in NM and CO. 85 is common. In a normally aspirated engine, many can get away with it if you stay at the higher elevation where the air density is lower.

[Silvervette05]

I use regular gas

[RTVIPER]

and runs great.

[BMWpilot]

Well, the Operator's Guide for the 2013 ST states on page 47 that the recommended octane is 91 with a minimum of 87.

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[ZRCAT600]

I try to use 91 non oxygenated gas when ever possible.

[jcthorne]

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Take a look at the emissions label next to your gas cap, at least on the 2013 RTs the owners manual is out of date or incorrect. Let us know what the label on your ST says.

[Flanker]

93