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Author Topic: Regular or super gasoline?  (Read 3214 times)

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Gumby

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Regular or super gasoline?
« on: March 21, 2020, 05:09:11 PM »

Question: What are the recommendations regarding the type of gasoline (regular or super/premium) in a CVO? I've read the owner's manual and of course they do not recommend gas with >10% ethanol. However, I can't find any recommendation related to the grade (regular or super/premium). When I bought my Street Glide in 2017 the rep recommended using super gas but I've not heard/read anything since then about using super/premium gas. Give me your thoughts. Thanks.
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grc

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Re: Regular or super gasoline?
« Reply #1 on: March 21, 2020, 05:47:06 PM »


It's in the owners manual in the "specifications" section.  Fuel requirement > Premium unleaded

Jerry
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Gumby

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Re: Regular or super gasoline?
« Reply #2 on: March 21, 2020, 05:57:15 PM »

Jerry, yep there it is, page 27, one-liner: "Fuel requirement - Premium unleaded".
Thank you. I looked and looked but couldn't find it. Much appreciated.
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iski

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Re: Regular or super gasoline?
« Reply #3 on: March 21, 2020, 06:45:44 PM »

Premium unleaded is good. If you can find premium unleaded with no ethanol your gas mileage will be a bit better.  Most premium sold  has 10% ethanol.
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Gumby

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Re: Regular or super gasoline?
« Reply #4 on: March 21, 2020, 07:08:41 PM »

How about riding in the Colorado mountains: do you add some kind of additive to increase mileage?
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grc

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Re: Regular or super gasoline?
« Reply #5 on: March 21, 2020, 07:12:37 PM »

Jerry, yep there it is, page 27, one-liner: "Fuel requirement - Premium unleaded".
Thank you. I looked and looked but couldn't find it. Much appreciated.

You are very welcome.  Years ago they actually spelled it out and called for 91 octane minimum.  I was thinking the M8 engines should actually have a lower octane requirement than the Twin Cams, due to the four valve heads and shorter flame travel along with oil or water head cooling, so I was a bit surprised that they still call for Premium.

Jerry
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Re: Regular or super gasoline?
« Reply #6 on: March 21, 2020, 07:16:27 PM »

How about riding in the Colorado mountains: do you add some kind of additive to increase mileage?

At high elevations you would actually need less octane, so you could switch to mid grade.  I've been told that in the Denver area they have 85 octane regular instead of 87 due to the lower octane requirement at high altitude.

Jerry
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Gumby

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Re: Regular or super gasoline?
« Reply #7 on: March 21, 2020, 07:59:35 PM »

Sounds like just another reason for a road trip to the Colorado mountains. Thanks. Stay safe with this COVID-19 reality.
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Re: Regular or super gasoline?
« Reply #8 on: March 21, 2020, 08:17:15 PM »

At high elevations you would actually need less octane, so you could switch to mid grade.  I've been told that in the Denver area they have 85 octane regular instead of 87 due to the lower octane requirement at high altitude.

Jerry
Correct. I've been out there on a few occasions and the octane grade is lower than it is here in the Midwest

Sent from my boring Droid phone.

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SteveVO

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Re: Regular or super gasoline?
« Reply #9 on: March 22, 2020, 03:22:06 AM »

While not required one of the benefits from living here in Europe is the higher octane ratings.  Shell Stations sell 100 and Aral sells a 102 octane.  They do measure Octane a bit different here so in its really 97 and 100 respectively.

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Re: Regular or super gasoline?
« Reply #10 on: March 22, 2020, 07:03:29 AM »

Premium unleaded is good. If you can find premium unleaded with no ethanol your gas mileage will be a bit better.  Most premium sold  has 10% ethanol.

In my area near the lakes its usually pretty easy to find 100% Premium Gas, there is an Exxon 10 miles from the house that has 93 octane ethanol free gas.

Once you get away from the lakes most the ethanol free gas is 87 octane. 

Ethanol has less energy per gallon than gas which is why mpg is not as good.  Had an E-85 car, tried that garbage once, lost more than 10mpg, sure did not make up for cost savings.

At high elevations you would actually need less octane, so you could switch to mid grade.  I've been told that in the Denver area they have 85 octane regular instead of 87 due to the lower octane requirement at high altitude.

Jerry

Even when out west, I buy what ever the highest available is.  Most areas you can find 91, occasionally 89 is best.  I have had bikes ping in the Rockies with 87 in them so I try not to run it unless I have no option.
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Re: Regular or super gasoline?
« Reply #11 on: March 22, 2020, 07:32:03 AM »

In my area near the lakes its usually pretty easy to find 100% Premium Gas, there is an Exxon 10 miles from the house that has 93 octane ethanol free gas.

Once you get away from the lakes most the ethanol free gas is 87 octane. 

Ethanol has less energy per gallon than gas which is why mpg is not as good.  Had an E-85 car, tried that garbage once, lost more than 10mpg, sure did not make up for cost savings.



For us the premium no ethanol is welcome.  We could get it near lakes but was mostly only at marinas.  This station is a neighborhood store, no lake or water, and not convenient to fill boats. Have had 87 no ethanol for years but was none close by.  In the last year or so we went from none around to both available in our neighborhood shopping area.  Notice both stations stay fairly busy on their non ethanol sales.

E85 is garbage.  The decision to use corn for ethanol was one of the dumbest federal programs ever and am hopeful someday it will be allowed to die as it should have long ago.

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Re: Regular or super gasoline?
« Reply #12 on: March 22, 2020, 08:54:43 AM »


The only time E85 came close to being economically competitive was when the government was heavily subsidizing the price.  Now it isn't close to being competitive, and the only people still using it must be either corn farmers or greenies.  This is one program that never should have been, and it needs to go away.  People starving around the world while we turn food into motor vehicle fuel is just wrong, period.

Jerry

Btw, considering how changeable things are these days, it's still not a bad idea when buying a car or truck to get the Flex Fuel model.  You never know when the lobbyists might convince their representatives to approve E15 or E20 or whatever they are pushing to increase their profits.  It's nice knowing your vehicle can safely use anything from pure gasoline to 85% ethanol.
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Re: Regular or super gasoline?
« Reply #13 on: March 22, 2020, 09:13:51 AM »

My car will run everything including E85.  Yes the fuel economy goes way down but the break-even point math is pretty easy to figure out.  When gas prices spiked years back around $4/gallon it was definitely a good deal.

Premium is good for the Harleys as others mentioned due to the typical elevated head temps when riding mid-summer.

Higher octane = slower burn, which also enables more timing advance.

On the same octane fuel, I get slightly better fuel economy on the 100% fuel vs 10% ethanol blend.  The 10% ethanol is nice in the winter, though, as the ethanol scavenges water.  No more frozen fuel lines (anyone remember adding Heet in the winter?)

While I do run regular unleaded in the car, due to the variable timing advance, if I do run premium the fuel economy and power noticeably increases.
« Last Edit: March 22, 2020, 09:18:54 AM by 2002FXDWG3 »
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Re: Regular or super gasoline?
« Reply #14 on: March 23, 2020, 11:28:21 AM »

easy on the ethanol game ... some people make a living brewing that  stuff   :nixweiss:,  but will say its made me lots of money  over the  years repairing cars and with this maintenance thing i have going now.
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