Gasoline question - will Regular harm the Spyder?

[Steve W.]

I'm a bit late to the party, and have a LOT of catching up to do, so here goes:

So I should try running a tank of unleaded regular (seems every station uses 10% ethenol) and listen for engine knocking. If knocking, move up to midrange (if available) or Premium if I have to.

If you want to be a bit more cautious in your transition, ride to half-tank. Fill with mid-grade. You now have half "premium", half mid-grade. If you have no problems, ride till empty, fill with mid-grade. You now have ALL mid-grade. If you have no problems, ride to half-tank, fill with "regular". Etc.

:chat: Use what they say in the operating manual. Mine said 91 or better.

I guess we all interpret differently. Our manual says "minimum 87 octane". I interpret that as "87 or better".

What happens when you go up in altitude and there is only 85 octane regular?

If you are going to be at the higher elevation for the rest of your tank, fill it up. If you are headed back down, then you put enough in the tank to get you to the next station (leaving a bit of reserve).

Most likely using higher octane allows for maximum spark advance = longer burn time / more efficiency / more power...using lower octane has no issues with harming engine, as the knock sensor will retard timing, as necessary.

Hopefully you realize that "advancing the spark" does not generate power on its own. "Premium" (high-octane) fuel does not generate power on its own. It's the higher compression that generates the power. Since higher compression generates more heat, it tends to pre-ignite. Because higher-octane fuel is harder to light, it will not pre-ignite in the heat. Higher-octane fuel also burns slower, so the spark needs to happen sooner to get the mixture burnt by the proper time. High-octane fuel and advanced spark are actually Band-Aids that allow you to use the higher compression.

? ? ? .....I don't Think 85 octane is even sold in the US ...... jmho .... Mike :thumbup:

I guess you haven't been out west much? VERY common at elevations higher than you have in Vermont.

We have E-85 here in Minnesota.

E-85 is not 85 octane.

No Sir, I believe that E-85 is 15% Ethanol, and I have No idea what the octane it is!

Actually, you have it backwards. E-85 is 85% Ethanol and only 15% gasoline. I don't know the octane rating, but I think it's higher than most people expect.

.

 

[UtahPete]

I heard that phrase in the military for the first time :bdh: It's meaning was when at transfer, a sailor took out 3 month's advance pay, he had to "pay it back" by a 50% cut in pay for the next 6 months. It's called beating a dead horse because on 1/2 pay, feels like you're dragging a dead horse behind you.

That's a new one for me.

 

[Knizar]

Thanks , Steve W. About the E-85, and they say: " you can't teach an old dog" ....:thumbup:...Bill

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Actually, you have it backwards. E-85 is 85% Ethanol and only 15% gasoline. I don't know the octane rating, but I think it's higher than most people expect.

Welllllllll, almost! From Google, that bottomless fount of all data, some of which is actually information!

E85 (or flex fuel) is a term that refers to high-level ethanol-gasoline blends containing 51% to 83% ethanol, depending on geography and season (see Fuel Properties and E85 Flex Fuel Specification).

 

[BertRemington]

You and your Spyder are a partnership

obiwanbill -- your Spyder engine is not a passive device. It was designed by world-class engineers with an adaptive control unit designed by world-class engineers.

Run any octane Federally-approved conventional gasoline available and your engine will accommodate it.

But you have to be as smart as the engine is. Which means recognizing engine workloads and adapting your riding choices to match. For the most part this means as workloads increase, increase engine RPM and reduce road speed. And altitude is a workload.

We all know when an engine feels sluggish and when it feels sprightly. Keep it in the sprightly range.

My post #18 stated the criteria for gasoline selection. Higher octane was a "should" not a "must" because your engine will accommodate the lowest (and highest) octane Federally-approved conventional gasoline sold in the US.

I believe the fuel systems of 1st generation 1330cc engines (2014-2019) are not Flex-Fuel designs and therefore cannot accommodate E85 gasoline for long periods (ie months) without deterioration of fuel lines, etc. If the choice is available avoid E85. If it isn't move somewhere else.

Does this answer your question?

 

[PMK]

No worries, sometimes that happens to me when I post past my bedtime!... Especially as 75th birthday is less than 2 weeks away!!

And a self-application of stupidity is not at all correct.

Perhaps I should have chose a synonym to corresponds... I did not use same as, since it's not exactly the same... so corresponds seemed to fit.

Bless your heart for being so understanding.

 

[PMK]

Pretty sure the most excellent answer is to just follow the information published by BRP / Can Am.

Gas is cheap, dealers and parts are expensive. Safest bet is run what BRP / Rotax suggests.

 

[Little Blue]

Toys Toys and more Toys

My Tip: Don't buy 'ANY TOY' with a gasoline engine unless you can pay for the Gas/Maintenance.

Have yourself a great time. ........:thumbup:

I still say " Do NOT Buy the Toys" if you don't have enough money for gasoline/maintenance that they need. ...: )

 

[Mikey]

opcorn:

 

[ollicat]

I know on many 89/91 rated cars and trucks today, they recommend the higher octane and state that horsepower is rated with the higher octane. But they also state that 87 can be used but will result in slightly lower horsepower. I wonder if that is what the engineers at Can Am were trying to tell us with 91 recommended but 87 is acceptable.

 

[BertRemington]

ollicat has the winning answer

ollicat -- lights and bells for you -- that's the winning answer!

 

[Peteoz]

I still say " Do NOT Buy the Toys" if you don't have enough money for gasoline/maintenance that they need. ...: )

While I agree completely with that sentiment, out here in Oz it’s a looooong way between bowsers in the outback, and there are times when you HAVE to use low octane gas unless you want a hundred mile walk, Little Blue……..so this thread is very useful from a different perspective :thumbup:

Pete

 

[old Timer]

The simple answer to the OP's question is no, it's no problem running regular. The only time that I would make sure that a higher Octane is used would be Phoenix, Az in the summer, hi outside air temp and low elevation.

 

[MudBug]

We have E-85 here in Minnesota.

Haha - E-85 is probably a really bad idea given it's 85% ethanol. I vaguely remember 85 octane at Sunoco when I was a kid. It was the cheapest unleaded and was referred to as sub-regular I think. Of course, I used it in my car. In my Suzuki 1100, I used Sunoco 94 octane. The bike loved it.

 

[BajaRon]

Pretty sure the most excellent answer is to just follow the information published by BRP / Can Am.

Great idea! But who among us does what we are told?

 

[ARtraveler]

Great idea! But who among us does what we are told?

Right on: Manuals?? Do we need steenkin manuals? :roflblack: :roflblack: