What octane is best for High Altitude Colorado?

[Tucker01]

Regular or premium gas in high altitude Colorado ?

 

[happyspyder2039]

I’m on the western side of Colorado and run 91 from Sams Club or Shell V Power E-free

 

[canamjhb]

When traveling throughout the west I found that higher elevation fuel stations sell lower octane gas to compensate for elevation. BRP recommends premium. I always used premium sold in the local octane rating. Just use what they sell..... Jim

 

[JayBros]

The ECM accommodates whatever octane you use. On tours out west I have had to use 87 when there was no higher octane and did not notice any degradation in performance or mpg. In a CO tour in '19 that included Pikes Peak and Mt. Evans I used premium because it was available and that's what I routinely use.

 

[Fatcycledaddy]

I have towed my camper trailer all over CO and up and over trail ridge road with as low as 87 octane when that was all I could find, and NEVER had the bike miss a beat.

 

[SportsterDoc]

Which part of Colorado, 5,000' or 11,000'?
If at 11,000' will the same tank of fuel be used at 5,000'?

 

[Fatcycledaddy]

Which part of Colorado, 5,000' or 11,000'?
If at 11,000' will the same tank of fuel be used at 5,000'?

Trail Ridge Road is the name for the 48-mile (77 km) stretch of U.S. Highway 34 that traverses Rocky Mountain National Park from Estes Park, Colorado in the east to Grand Lake, Colorado in the west. Together with the connecting 6.9-mile (11 km) Beaver Meadow Road (U.S. Highway 36), Trail Ridge Road forms the 55-mile (89 km) Trail Ridge Road/Beaver Meadow National Scenic Byway, an All-American Road. With a high point at 12,183 feet (3,713 m) elevation, Trail Ridge Road is the highest continuous paved road in North America.

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Which part of Colorado, 5,000' or 11,000'?
If at 11,000' will the same tank of fuel be used at 5,000'?

Read post # 4. ....... Mike :thumbup:

 

[SportsterDoc]

Read post # 4. ....... Mike :thumbup:

The reason for asking Tucker01 the unanswered question is that 85 octane may work well at or above ~8,000 feet, but might not be best in the 5,000 feet low lands. 8,000' has the same affect as reducing CR ~25%.

Only once did I hear my CB1100 lightly ping and that was in this area, 282 feet below sea level.



The Trail Ridge Road goes above the tree line and is a great drive/ride. When I was there last, there was a herd of elk in the park in Estes Park.

But if the original question is re Denver, which is only 5K feet, then use the recommended octane for max performance.
If riding higher, then lower may be fine, but not the best for returning to 5K feet.

When I lived in Flagstaff (7K feet) running lower octane would not be the best if descending in any direction below the Mogollon Rim.

Back to post one. "Regular" was not identified as 85 or 87 octane.
All other anecdotal replies were from Spyder riders, but this is the Ryker section.

BTW, I ran premium 91 octane at all altitudes.



If the prevailing attitude is "ride more, worry less", why even bother having a forum?

 

[canamjhb]

The altitude where I live is about 1,500 feet. I can routinely ride from there to above 8,000 feet and back in a day. Never an issue. Higher octane purchased at lower altitudes works fine up high. And lower octane purchased at higher altitudes works fine down low. The only thing that is evident is I get better MPG at higher elevations.

My thoughts are to quote Peter...... "Ride more, worry less" ...... Jim

 

[Tucker01]

I live at 8000 feet

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I live at 8000 feet

:congrats: ....:clap::clap::clap: ...... JMHO ..... Mike :thumbup:

 

[Tucker01]

Love your dog

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Love your dog

Thank you, He was a happy, friendly, loving companion for 10+ years. But sadly He developed congestive heart failure in 2019 ... The meds He received halted the issue, however after 4 mos. He began to fade. .... The hardest thing I have ever done was having Him put to sleep. My longtime Vet told me I was doing Max a service, because the condition was actually quite painful even tho it didn't appear to be ...... This is the first time I have shared this story on the Forum. Up until now it was too painful ..... Mike :thumbup:

 

[Lew L]

.

I do understand Mike. My Danes have left big paw prints on my heart.............

Lew L

 

[JayBros]

Losing one's dog is the closest thing one can come to losing a child in my world.

 

[Tucker01]

I agree. I lost my youngest daughter in 06. Changed my world badly. I’m sorry about your friend Blueknight911, he is a handsome guy. I’m close to losing my oldest cat and not too far down the road from losing my yellow lab ��