sunoco 100octane in FI Lightning

[millenium380]

Anyone here ever run Sunoco 100 octane in an injected Buell? I heard the CPU has to be remapped if you run better than premium pump gas... But supposedly the computer self-adjusts to how you ride. Wouldn't it adjust to better fuel? Thanks. Joe in PA

[kajer]

I run 94 when I can, which is a blend between the standard 91 pump gas and 100 unleaded.

The only real advantage in my opinion, is slightly less ethanol content. Most stations will use 10% ethanol as extender basically in their 87/89/91 blends. Ethanol is not good for our injectors, mileage, etc.

I have a station near me that sells 87, 91, 94, 96, 98, 100, and 110. I never have used anything over 96, mainly because there is no reason to run anything more than 94 in our bikes.

I do it for the satisfaction I am getting more gas and less ethanol.

[GatorBuell]

I ran 103 octane in my R6 every chance I got. The bike loved it.

[maybebuell]

if theres not a pinging problem higher oct less power

[Buell_Cru]

My bike has no issues with the ethanol. There is no problems as long as the ethanol content is less than 10%.

[konarider94]

you wont gain any benefits from a such a high octane fuel unless you advance your timing a little more.

[Buell_Cru]

You also have to run a higher compression.

[nativeXb12Rbuell]

you may think your buell has no problem with ethanol, but it does. just check your milage of full tank with ethanol E10, and check milage of full tank with 100% real gas , you will see the Difference, also ethanol attracts and holds on to water in the fuel , last i checked engines dont run well with water in the fuel, ethanol can deteriorate some certain rubber hoses (fuel lines), unless the lines are made of Neoprene, which is mostly impervious to degradation by gasoline or other additives such as ethanol. ethanol does help clean some of the fuel system and is what some fuel systems cleaners are made with and all other fuel system cleaners are just Diesel fuel and additives and others are just petroleum Naptha (which is lighter fluid)( this is what most repair shops use because it's quicker also Gunk motor flush is naptha with some additives). But the ethanol cleaning your fuel system can cause the fuel filter to become clogged very quickly. and please by all means
DO NOT STORE YOUR BIKE WITH ANY E10 OR ANY ETHANOL IN IT.( LIKE WINTER STORAGE)!!!!!!!!!! Because the shelf life of E10 is only 3 months(90 to 100 days) under ideal enviromental conditions. and Stabil only helps for about 1 month then the gas starts to deteriorate again ( actually technically gasoline and ethanol both start to deteriorate from the time they made)
and yes even that the newer engines are designed to run ok with ethanol (see owners manual), but it does not mean that they will run their best with ethanol or the same with ethanol as compared to 100% real gasoline. also Alcohol(ethanol) makes engines run dangerously hot, not to good an air cooled engines or your leg, especially if the ethanol content is higher than 10%.
one thing i think i should point out is There is no such thing as pure gasoline, gasoline does contain alot of additives including small amounts of ethanol (usaully less than 1% to less than o.5% ethanol depending on the manufacture as an additive for cleaner also call Detergents.) several good articles and info on ethanol at SAE.ORG ....

Please read these links about ethanol:

http://www.fuel-testers.com/ethanol_engine_precautions.html



http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/12/30/pm_ethanol_kills/

From Stanford University,
read the first paragragh and Table 1 for future air polution and future health problems, an the increase in carbon dioxide and mathane into the air with ethanol E85
http://www.stanford.edu/group/efmh/jacobson/E85PaperEST0207.pdf

small engines
http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/12/30/pm_ethanol_kills/

And there are a number of problems with an immediate boost in the ethanol blend.
Automakers warn the higher ethanol blend could boost greenhouse gas emissions, damage engines or disable vehicles
http://www.buellxb.com/Buell-XB-Forum/Buell-Firebolt-XB12-XB9/EPA-Considering-Raising-Ethanol-Limit-To-15

http://detnews.com/article/20090928/AUTO01/909280337/Carmakers-fight-hike-in-ethanol-at-pump

http://www.mobil.com/USA-English/GFM/Products_Services/Fuels/Gasoline_FAQ.asp

http://www.greencarsnow.com/Articles/GasolineDetergent.php

http://www.greencarsnow.com/Articles/FuelEfficientArticles.php?id=18

http://www.greencarsnow.com/Articles/FuelEfficientArticles.php?id=12

http://www.greencarsnow.com/Articles/FuelEfficientArticles.php?id=6

http://www.greencarsnow.com/Articles/AlternativeFuel.php?id=21

[nativeXb12Rbuell]

also point out most states dont require by law to have the gas station to show on the pump how much ethanol is it the gas your buying. so beware of that.
it is law here in OK.

http://www.buellxb.com/Buell-XB-Forum/Buell-Firebolt-XB12-XB9/milege-on-a-full-tank

[konarider94]

i run 92 octane from shell. there is a big sticker that says it contains 0% ethanol. running over 100 octane is just a waste of money in these bikes. well i do love the smell of the race gas but other than that i dont see a benefit.

[Buell_Cru]

nativeXb12Rbuell,

Last year all of our local gas stations made the switch to 10% ethanol. I had no choice but to run E10. I was worried so I checked my mileage and I actually gained about 5% better mileage. If you read through your owners manual it clearly states that our bikes are ok for blends up to but not exceeding 10%. Water in an ethanol blended tank creates phase seperation which is tracked at the gas station itself. It is very highly regulated here by the department of weights and measures. The gas station is responsible for making sure there is no water in the tank by using a stick with water paste on the end that changes colors in the presence of water. If a station sells fuel with water they have a huge lawsuit on their hands. Below is a picture out of our owners manual and there is also a link to a couple interesting reads regarding the instance of phase seperation or water in a gas tank.

http://www.buellxb.com/buell_images/2792_20091108134103_L.jpg

American Fuels - Ethanol Phase Seperation (http://www.americanfuels.info/2009/01/ethanol-phase-separation.html)

What do you do for a living by the way?

[nativeXb12Rbuell]

aircraft mechanic..

i have worked for gas sation in the past they dont make but about a penny per gallon profit(their profit is from whats sold in the store)they usually dont do alot to prevent or remove all the water in their tanks,unless it is alot , but not all water is fully 100% separated in the fuels which is normal. but the bigger company the more they might do for water and other problems, small stations may not care as much about the problems.
that water cause corrosion in the tanks cause the filters to clogg faster and change filters more often,
also there is fuel water seperation going on inside the vehicles' fuel tank. you are probably one of the few that might get better mpg with ethanol E10, glad to hear that for you.

most states dont have enough employees in departments that check gas for proper amount of additives or ethanol or to check if the pump is within regulation specs for the amount it says it gives you and the amount you actually get , here there are so few here that they said it maybe 1 to 2 years between checks and and it can several months to a year to check most complaints unless they get alot of complaints about 1 station..

and i did say" yes even that the newer engines are designed to run "OK" with ethanol (see owners manual) but it does not mean that they will run their best with ethanol or the same with ethanol as compared to 100% real gasoline." ..meaning buell owners manual says it ok to run E10 .
I guess I should of said that MAY OR MAY NOT run their best with ethanol or the same with ethanol as compared to 100% real gasoline.
every vehicle is a little different along with the way and enviroment in which it is driven. as such for that reason each vehicle will have some different results and different pros & cons to different fuel types or oils for that matter.

also it says harley davidson motorcycles were designed to give the best performance using unleaded gasoline.
it also says 10% ethanol and 90% gasoline blends can be used in your motorcycle if the ethanol content does not exceed10%. but does not say anything about how it will effect mpg or performance, or anything of that nature.
also some studies show the more ethanol in blended fuels (especially above 75% to 90%ethanol)usually help to increase mpg in vehicles designed or converted to run higher ethanol percentages, the problems is most vehicles made today are NOT designed to run more than E10 (10%) .

but the fact of the matter is like your state , most of the US is going to E10 only and sooner or later thats all that will be available everywhere along with E15 , E20, E85 . which means if you what keep driving your classic(OLDER) vehicle you will have to change the rubber hoses at least or other things to keep possible problems from accuring if you drive it alot.

[xtremelow]

I run 110 Unleaded, not all the time but when I ge a chance, I never notice any down falls, but I do notice a small increase of power but nothing major.

[buelladdicted]

The octain higher than 94 should still be at least a slight advantage in the fi buell even with 10:1 comp or stock ignition timeing, as the O2 sensor adjusts for it.In the carborated bikes,the rejeting would be nessicary for best results,Higher octain fuels are so ,becase of stability and uniform flame front,causeing more complete combustion with lower piston crown temps,thus allowing for leaner mixtures and or more ignition advance.to take advantage on the carb bike you need to make adjustments,w/ modern fi ,it makes the adjustments itself.raceing fuels dont usually damage componants as long as they contain less than 25 percent aromatic boosters such as tolulene, keytones etc.