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With octane, more is not better.
You only need as much as your engine requires. Any more than that is just wasted.
It's also hilarious that so many think ethanol degrades gasoline. It does, but not as far as octane is concerned, as ethanol is an octane enhancer.
Octane is nothing but a measure of a fuel's ability to resist knocking.
The fact a higher compression engine tends to knock more on a particular fuel than a lower compression engine combined with the fact the higher octane fuel prevents it does not mean it was the fuel that created the extra power---that was the higher compression. Same thing with ignition advance. You can't pour in more power unless you're talking nitro.
Apart from the fact that Avgas use is illegal in anything but an aircraft, and that it will be completely phased out by 2018, you might want to consider some of its annoying quirks:
- 100LL will foul plugs rapidly, and probably even more in newer machines since those are designed to run very lean (Lean of Peak) and cool. Unless a critical temperature is reached and maintained in the combustion chamber, plugs and everything else tends to get caked with lead deposits as the scavenging agent cannot work effectively. Part of the 50 hour inspection ritual on aircraft is to sandblast the plugs, and scrub off larger lead deposits on the plug porcelain, otherwise the electrodes get shorted out.
- Valves and valve guides are designed at the factory to run with or without leaded fuels. A problem can arise when valve guides get clogged with carbon and lead deposits. Most piston aircraft engines need a 500 hour inspection and valve guides reamed to eliminate these deposits. Valves get stuck and pistons hit them and break off the valve from the stem when this isn't done.
- If your bike is equipped with a catalytic converter, it will get blocked very quickly and need to be replaced soon.
- If you use synthetic engine oils, you will get lead deposits in the engine crankcase and clogging the journals, eventually leading to engine failure from oil starvation. If you use leaded fuels regularly, you *must* use at least semi-synthetic oils, or preferably dino oils.
IMO, unless you have an older very high compression engine, you probably won't get any benefits from using 100LL.
francois
And if you've ever had to burn off lead deposits at runup in a Cessna then you understand why you don't want to use it in your car or motorcycle.
With octane, more is not better.
You only need as much as your engine requires. Any more than that is just wasted.
It's also hilarious that so many think ethanol degrades gasoline. It does, but not as far as octane is concerned, as ethanol is an octane enhancer.
Octane is nothing but a measure of a fuel's ability to resist knocking.
The fact a higher compression engine tends to knock more on a particular fuel than a lower compression engine combined with the fact the higher octane fuel prevents it does not mean it was the fuel that created the extra power---that was the higher compression. Same thing with ignition advance. You can't pour in more power unless you're talking nitro.
Just curious if anyone has had any experience using 100 Low Lead aviation fuel in their bike. Mine, 05 1200GS seems to run better with octanes above 90. It is also nearly impossible to get 100% gasoline in the Phoenix area.
And higher octane fuel ignites slower, the higher the octane.
If it is compressed more (read: high compression engine) it works fine. Usually you would want at least 12/1 compression to run 100 octane.
By using high octane fuel in a low compression engine your available power will in fact suffer.
Ken
With octane, more is not better.
You only need as much as your engine requires. Any more than that is just wasted.
It's also hilarious that so many think ethanol degrades gasoline. It does, but not as far as octane is concerned, as ethanol is an octane enhancer.
Octane is nothing but a measure of a fuel's ability to resist knocking.
The fact a higher compression engine tends to knock more on a particular fuel than a lower compression engine combined with the fact the higher octane fuel prevents it does not mean it was the fuel that created the extra power---that was the higher compression. Same thing with ignition advance. You can't pour in more power unless you're talking nitro.
I'd love to put a gallon of something higher octane to bring it up and see if it still gets ping.
Here you go- I just put 108 octane, no ethanol racing fuel as I mentioned, in my small engines to over-winter them.
That link has suppliers in Arid-Zona
And.......the exhaust smell from burning real gas is like a trip back in time.
OM