87 gas

[Arion]

I love it when a question generates a lot of responses. There is always (well, almost always) good information to be had and that's one of the prime purposes of a forum, in my opinion.

[ARtraveler]

And this go around, even stayed friendly.

[SPYD3R]

been using 87 Oct. since 2009..... NO ILL AFFECTS whatsoever....
i now use 87 with NO Ethanol.... since it's now available in my area....
Dan P
Easley, SC

[bigbadbrucie]

I had been using 92 octane with no ethanol, but have just switched to 87 octane, even though all of our 87 has ethanol, and so far I agree. No ill effects, no change in throttle response, no change in mpg....the only change that I see is the price to fill the tank.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I had been using 92 octane with no ethanol, but have just switched to 87 octane, even though all of our 87 has ethanol, and so far I agree. No ill effects, no change in throttle response, no change in mpg....the only change that I see is the price to fill the tank.

annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd that is the reason I use it ( always have ) When they designed the Spyder engine .... they decide 99.999% of them would be getting gas ....WITH 10% ethanol ..... because most gas in Canada and the US is sold with ETHYNOL added ..... What does this mean ??? ... the engine system was designed to have it in the gas .... small engines have not been fully up-dated for gas with ethanol YET .... so they tend to work better WITHOUT ethanol ..... jmho ..... Mike

[Northofthesix]

I have been reluctant to use any gas but 91, but I will follow the herd and try the 87.... anything to save a buck that won't cost me more down the road!!

[Big F]

I've had a 2010, 2012, 2014 and now 2018 Spyders and ran with 87 octane in all of them and NEVER AN ISSUE!
BIG F

[azprince]

I love this Can Am fuel injection system. It will digest 87 for four years and 45.000 miles with no ill effects. No knocks, plenty of passing power and 30-40 cents less a gallon. And, my mileage went up from 38-40 to 40-45 mpgs! Whats not to love?
Harleys were ok with 87, but HERR BMW wanted only high test. You could feel the difference.

[ARtraveler]

I love this Can Am fuel injection system. It will digest 87 for four years and 45.000 miles with no ill effects. No knocks, plenty of passing power and 30-40 cents less a gallon. And, my mileage went up from 38-40 to 40-45 mpgs! Whats not to love?
Harleys were ok with 87, but HERR BMW wanted only high test. You could feel the difference.

Your comment brings to mind something that I said about ride position on Beemers....Ve have vays of making you ride. Achtung! They seem to be made for all the people with 30" plus inseams.

[Motorcycledave]

Here in California that is all we have here, [I] have put 87 in mine for over 20,000 miles with no problem.

OK.....Whats damage could happen if I run 87 gas? Has ANYONE EVER had a problem runnin it? This is the 991 engine. I am runnin 89 in it now without any problems. TYIA

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

OK.....Whats damage could happen if I run 87 gas? Has ANYONE EVER had a problem runnin it? This is the 991 engine. I am runnin 89 in it now without any problems. TYIA

Using a higher octane ( but not AV gas ) than required will not hurt anything. Mechanical .... but your wallet will feel it..... you might lose some power but not like 25% ..... closer to 2% ( if that ) ......Mike

[poli]

As has been said before, gas octane is a personal choice. I have used premium in both my Spyder and Ryker since day one and will continue to.

[TONYO]

OK.....After 2 tanks.....Still gettin 35 MPG And cant see any difference in performance. Wishin ida went with the 87 all along. Wasted at least 700 bucks in 5 years at 40000 miles.Ignorance is expensive! TY All for the input.

[ARtraveler]

OK.....After 2 tanks.....Still gettin 35 MPG And cant see any difference in performance. Wishin ida went with the 87 all along. Wasted at least 700 bucks in 5 years at 40000 miles.Ignorance is expensive! TY All for the input.

But, we don't ride these machines for their gas economy, do we? Welcome to the 87 club. I can say me too, to everything you wrote above.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

But, we don't ride these machines for their gas economy, do we? Welcome to the 87 club. I can say me too, to everything you wrote above.

I do ( for the gas economy ) .... My Toyt van gets 17-18 and my Cobra 14 if I'm lucky .... Spyder RT ( 1330 ) 38-40 mpg depending how spirited I'm feeling ........of course I didn't buy it for that reason, but must admit I like it .... in Vermont the difference between 87 and 91 is .85 per gal... that's not chump change - even if I only get 5+ gal. at a fill-up ...... jmho ..... Mike

[NoahMercy]

I will add a suggestion, from a mechanic's point of view: if at all possible, use a Top Tier (TT) fuel. This is a detergent and additive package used by several companies which will help keep injectors cleaner and help minimize and (occasionally) reduce combustion chamber, valve, and piston deposits. It will say right on the pump if the gas is TT, or you can go to TT's website and see what's available near you.

[ARtraveler]

Most local gas comes from the same refinery or even the same truck. For those stations with special additives...I am guessing they are put in at delivery????

[NoahMercy]

Most local gas comes from the same refinery or even the same truck. For those stations with special additives...I am guessing they are put in at delivery????

Fuel trucks can carry more than one type or octane...they have compartments in the tanks. The distribution centers (tank farms) are where the detergent packages are added for the various customers.

[Little Blue]

Costco gasoline is Top Teir (TT). Been using it for years. Usually run the premium but lately I am trying the regular. Mpg has been the same.......

[fatboy]

y'all have a 25 to 30 thousand dollar machine and you want to fret over 4 or 5 dollars a fill up

[ARtraveler]

y'all have a 25 to 30 thousand dollar machine and you want to fret over 4 or 5 dollars a fill up

Most premium is 40 to 50 cents per gallon more. At an average fill up of 5 gallons...that only about $2.50 more per fill up. Not a big deal for most of us.

For most that have passed over to 87, I don't think its about the economy that is driving the change. Most of the comments have to do with no performance difference, so why pay more?

I have no problem with those that must use higher octane, etc. It is a habit that a lot are into. Myself included. Now I am feeling that more cost is not necessarily better. If I noted performance differences, I would have changed right back.

[SportsterDoc]

Anyone running 87 octane done a plug read comparison?

https://ngksparkplugs.com/en/resources/read-spark-plug

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Most premium is 40 to 50 cents per gallon more. At an average fill up of 5 gallons...that only about $2.50 more per fill up. Not a big deal for most of us.

For most that have passed over to 87, I don't think its about the economy that is driving the change. Most of the comments have to do with no performance difference, so why pay more?

I have no problem with those that must use higher octane, etc. It is a habit that a lot are into. Myself included. Now I am feeling that more cost is not necessarily better. If I noted performance differences, I would have changed right back.

... In Vermont the difference between 87 vs. 91 is about .80 ..... I'm Costco member and today they are selling 87 at ...... $ 1.59 and now all the nearby gas stations have dropped their prices to match ..... sometimes you things get better ..... Mike

[ARtraveler]

... In Vermont the difference between 87 vs. 91 is about .80 ..... I'm Costco member and today they are selling 87 at ...... $ 1.59 and now all the nearby gas stations have dropped their prices to match ..... sometimes you things get better ..... Mike

Of late, gas is all over the place. Here, the choice between 87 and 91 is on the high side. The current price for 87 is $1.59. About three weeks ago, it was $1.05, and I thought it would go sub .99...but that never happened. The annual, boost the prices for Memorial Day, July 4, and Labor day are now kicking in. Probably after Labor day, the prices will go down a bit.