Super Unleaded

[gbrand42]

Do any of you think it is worth running super-unleaded? I know some bikes can make use of the extra octane, but a lot cannot and it's not worth it.

[JohnG]

While touring Spain and Portugal the other week I sometimes filled with super unleaded 98 octane, to be honest I never noticed any difference other than being more expensive.

[Skids]

AFAIK, the 800 (F or X) don't have a knock sensor and can therefore not take full advantage of the increased octane rating.

However, many 98 Ron fuels also contain extra additives for cleansing and these can be advantageous when used occasionally. At least that is my understanding.

[jan1195xx]

There is no need to use higher octane numbers. Only the fuel companies will earn more money with this fuels. In europe all fuel stations (at least most of them) will get fuel of a european standard. The big brands use additives in their fuels. No name fuel dealers can buy this additives, but they have to pay for it and can`t sell the fuel for a better price like the big ones. For example here in germany you can get shell v-power with 100roz or aral optimate 102. Expensive fuels for high power engines, good for the companies, but bad for our purse. Use the standard fuel (in germany 95roz; roz= research octane number) and everything will work fine.

Jan

[Bruggen]

Don't waste your money 95 RON is what the engine is designed to run on.

[gbrand42]

Thanks all - my theory that it would just be wasted money appears to be confirmed. Regular 95 octane it is then 

[Skids]

Originally Posted by gbrand42

Thanks all - my theory that it would just be wasted money appears to be confirmed. Regular 95 octane it is then 

It's not wasted if you use 98 Ron occasionally. The added detergents in 98 Ron are not present in 95 Ron and will aid in keeping parts of the engine cleaner than otherwise. But it's not for routine use that's for sure. 

[v8guy]

I ran super unleaded for several months and logged the fuel economy results.. then did the same for regular. In terms of miles per gallon / litres/100km, I saw no discernible difference. I now occasionally run a tank of super through it, but generally run regular.

[plumbline]

Oh look ... one of my areas of specialization :)

ALL fuel is produced to a specification and sold to a specification ( UK 95-99 RON; Europe 95-99 RON and US 91-99 RON depending on the grade) in the UK and Europe regular gasoline is generally @95 RON and "premium" gasoline 97-99 RON). There are high performance fuels available from a number of sources up to 114 RON (BP and Shell produce 102 RON fuels  - I know I had a significant hand in the BP version these are of no use on modern motorcycles unless specific tuning has been performed to allow access to the extra octane rating - and no your slip on exhaust doesn't count.

Lets start with the base fuel 

The base fuel i.e. raw gasoline is produced in a refinery from the distillation of crude oil and is taken as a range of column outputs from the CDU ( Crude Distillation Unit) and various other units. These are mixed and blended to produce a gasoline which meets EN228 ( the current specification for gasoline)  and sent out in tankers to the fuel stations. The additive is added at the refinery or terminal most commonly at gantry level as trucks are filled (occasionally by the actual drivers).

Now all base fuel is not the same and can be blended from straight run, reformat, cat cracked, hydrocracked, alky isom etc. feedstocks depending where the material is sourced on the refinery. A good analogy is an alcohol one lets say Whisky (I'm Scottish). Whisky is mostly produced and sold to 40% alcohol and almost all  whisky is sold as such .. but not all whisky is the same .. it depends on the raw material and production process. Petrol is no different .. not all petrol is the same but it is all to EN228 specification. All production engines are designed to run on 95 RON fuel (in fact almost all will run well on 90 RON gasoline) oh and add into the mix the fact that in Europe EN228 permits up to 5% alcohol addition to gasoline.

Think of high end premium fuel as a Johnny Walker Black (a really good blend), Regular Fuel from a premium manufacturer Johnny Walker Red and supermarket fuel a cheap blended scotch. There is no "Single Malt" equivalent - BP 102 would be Johnny Walker Blue Label ..... they're all blends. In fact what are called the " Top Tier Detergent Gasolines" - developed at the specific request of many of the worlds largest vehicle manufacturers (BMW, General Motors, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Honda, Toyota, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi) and which fall in the "Premium category" - were developed because the manufacturers in question felt that regular gasoline was not sufficiently formulated to keep modern engines clean. There are currently around 50 manufacturers and sellers of qualified top tier detergent gasolines e.g. BP Ultimate and don't assume that price is an indicator e.g. Costco Premium Gasoline in the USA is a Top Tier Gasoline :) .

Now the insider knowledge bit ..... :)

While filing up your bike with these "Super Unleaded" products will ensure the engine is kept as clean as possible  - they are expensive - a fill ratio with 1 in 4 fills being a premium gasoline is a GREAT balance between cost efficiency and engine maintenance / cleanliness (now this is my OPINION based on 25+ years in the industry and also my technical and experiential qualification which I'd be happy to share if you message me ... I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE nor will I be held responsible for you're engine failing as a result of this opinion).

Do "Super Unleaded" products like BP Ultimate and Shell Optimate keep your engine cleaner than non premium e.g. supermarket fuels  - YES; Will it run better / faster - POSSIBLY ( this will be subjective and marginal at best); will it give to 20 extra horsepower - ABSOLUTELY NOT.

Hope this helps

[Skids]

As ever m8....