I always have run 87octane in mine, however I was poking around under the seat and noticed the sticker said a min of 91 octane. :dunno_white:
My 2005 owners manyual says 'min 89'. As it's only a 20 litre tank, I go for the Sunoco ultra 94.
Quote from: DR.9 on April 05, 2006, 09:23:06 AM
My 2005 owners manyual says 'min 89'. As it's only a 20 litre tank, I go for the Sunoco ultra 94.
+1
I ride the bike because it saves money on gas. a whole bunch. definitely enough to justfy buying the higher octane stuff.
requiring 89 octane is probably how they can get away with making it run so lean out of the box
And now starts the Great Gas Debate of April, '06...
I run the highest octane crap they have... Why? 'cause in my mind the GS runs better... So there!
i like big numbers.
LOL!
Do a search on "Octane".
There's really no reason at all to run a higher octane gas then you have to. None. Octane means detonation resistance, and that's all. You need high octane gas in a high performance engine because of the higher compression. But the performance doesn't come from the octane rating. If you're not knocking, there's no difference. You might as well use the lowest octane at the pump.
(someone should really make one of these threads a sticky).
but 89 is bigger than 84.
that means faster. so there :icon_razz:
So be sure to buy the highest octane and as much vinyl as possible.
u are sure to be fastest.!!!!! :icon_twisted:
Wiki's article on octane rating is pretty good: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octane_rating.
QuoteThe power output of an engine depends on the energy content of its fuel, and this bears no simple relationship to the octane rating. A common myth amongst petrol consumers is that adding a higher octane fuel to a vehicle's engine will increase its performance and/or lessen its fuel consumption; this is mostly false—engines perform best when using fuel with the octane rating they were designed for and any increase in performance by using a fuel with a different octane rating is minimal.
The article does note that some (but not all) premium gas is formulated to have high octance
and be more powerful. But the octane rating is not what creates the power.
Quote from: aaronstj on April 05, 2006, 11:21:53 AMYou might as well use the lowest octane at the pump.
But, I don't wanna.
I like big numbers! So, I buy what makes me feel fast. :icon_mrgreen:
Actually... In my Exploder, the fuel system is very sensative and will eventually run like crap if I run gas without cleaning agents in it. So, I always buy Chevron Mid-Grade gas for it. When I first bought it, I always ran cheap gas and had to have the injectors cleaned out about 4 times... I started running mid-grade Chevron and haven't had a problem since... Even though it actually runs better on lower octane gas.
Not like that has anything to do with the GS. :dunno_white:
you didn't have enough vinyl on that explorer than.
when will they ever understand??? :icon_rolleyes:
Quote from: 3imo on April 05, 2006, 11:40:56 AMyou didn't have enough vinyl on that explorer than.
No vinyl at all!! :mad:
I think we should all rejet, advance our timing, and run E85! Who needs super when you have 110+ octane grain alcohol?
and oh boy to vinyl and alcohol go together! :thumb:
you can substitute factory LOGO stickers for real vinyl but you only get a fraction of the HP boost. Multiple stickers will exponentially raise your HP.
also be sure to waste all your money on stickers and paint BEFORE you do any engine modifications. That ensures maximum Stock HP Output.
for Max TOP SPEED be sure to strategically replace your onboard computer with an Xbox, playsation or both, and use the absolute smallest screen you can possible find. Everyone knows that you play video games in your car more than you do at home.
Don't forget the carbon fiber wing on the back... you can't just add all that power and speed without thinking about adding extra downforce
oh yeah that too. don't really need it though if you have neon. Neon produces a magnetic field which sticks the car to the ground. for better handling.
but neon and a really big wing and you can really make the jumps like on need for speed.
I know a guy, who owns a shop that had a customer whose cars previous owners moms third son's english teachers pets trainers sisters cousin, Yaumeka, who owns a hair salon, where this ladies husbands ex boyfreind saw on TV where a guy jump a bridge just like on need for speed. in a Nissan Skyline with a Spoon engine and chrome headers, and he had the wing and Neon.
Quote from: 3imo on April 05, 2006, 12:40:50 PM
oh yeah that too. don't really need it though if you have neon. Neon produces a magnetic field which sticks the car to the ground. for better handling.
but neon and a really big wing and you can really make the jumps like on need for speed.
I know a guy, who owns a shop that had a customer whose cars previous owners moms third son's english teachers pets trainers sisters cousin, Yaumeka, who owns a hair salon, where this ladies husbands ex boyfreind saw on TV where a guy jump a bridge just like on need for speed. in a Nissan Skyline with a Spoon engine and chrome headers, and he had the wing and Neon.
:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Heh, I know that guy too!!! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
one more thing.
every car has a HP METER guage like on some video game. only REAL racer know about it.
To fill it up you have make your car as pretty as you can, park it on the strip and TALK about how faaaaast it is. The more :bs: you spew the more you fill this meter up.
It never overfills and its better to never really race your car except in little wannabe stints from stoplight to stop light with old guys in beat up chhrysler bonnevilles.
The 91 is probably the research method octane rating that we use here in Australia.
Our standard fuel is 91 octane,
Premium is 95 octane
Ultra Premium is 98
and now we even have Shell's optimax Extreme which is 100.
I've always run mine on BP Ultimate 98 as it seems to be a good fuel.
Gasoline quality is somewhat dependant on where you are buying your gas from. Don't bother comparing "Quick Trip" 91 octane to Shell or BP 91 octane. Yes, the octane rating is the same, but the amount and types of detergents are completely different.
When looking at the gas at a quality station, "Premium" gasoline generally does have more cleaning agents than "Regular". In my mind, this would only matter on a high mileage engine that goes through gas like your moms SUV. Your average GS500 probably only sees 4,000 miles per year. At 40 mpg (yes...that's pretty poor for a GS...but just go with it) thats 100 gallons of gas each year. I don't see how a small amount of detergents is going to help here. If you are getting 7/11 gasoline...well...that's a different story, but I don't think the upgrade to "Premium" gasolines is worth it from the "cleaner engine" standpoint.
The octane rating issue has been covered by others already.
-Turd.
Quote from: Crim on April 05, 2006, 09:10:26 AM
I always have run 87octane in mine, however I was poking around under the seat and noticed the sticker said a min of 91 octane. :dunno_white:
87 octance in US = 91 octane in europe, australia etc. If your tanak stations sell like 87, 90, 92-93, then use 87 (regular). If your local stations sell 92, 95, 98. use 92.
I like JP8
Quote from: Turd Ferguson on April 05, 2006, 09:36:35 PM
Gasoline quality is somewhat dependant on where you are buying your gas from. Don't bother comparing "Quick Trip" 91 octane to Shell or BP 91 octane. Yes, the octane rating is the same, but the amount and types of detergents are completely different.
When looking at the gas at a quality station, "Premium" gasoline generally does have more cleaning agents than "Regular". In my mind, this would only matter on a high mileage engine that goes through gas like your moms SUV. Your average GS500 probably only sees 4,000 miles per year. At 40 mpg (yes...that's pretty poor for a GS...but just go with it) thats 100 gallons of gas each year. I don't see how a small amount of detergents is going to help here. If you are getting 7/11 gasoline...well...that's a different story, but I don't think the upgrade to "Premium" gasolines is worth it from the "cleaner engine" standpoint.
So with the added detergent stuff, you're saying that you think it actually might be beneficial to run higher octane with an engine that is used more often (mi/yr).
here in sweden we only got 95 and higher what crappy fuel do u got in the states?
ALL THE FINEST FOR THE SWEDES!!!!!! :flipoff:
Quote from: dsoders2 on April 06, 2006, 12:39:34 AMhere in sweden we only got 95 and higher what crappy fuel do u got in the states?
Our rating numbers are different... Just so ya' know.
Sweeden's octane rating is probably the same (research method) as ours here in Australia.
So your standard unleaded fuel is equal to our Premium.
I've been running 95 in mine religiously since I've had it. Just as an experiment, coming back from Nowra I decided to run some regular unleaded to see if there was a difference or it was just :bs:. The bike did seem to lack a little power :dunno_white: so back to 95 for this little black duck
If 95 makes it run better, imagine what 98 would do!!! O0
Just strap a JATO rocket to the (carbon fiber) wing on the back of your bike. This way you won't have to worry about octane rating anymore.
Personally, I'm holding out for the development of the "Mr. Fusion" unit like the one in back to the future.
In the meantime, it's 87 octane for my SV. If your bike has a 9:1 compression ratio, higher octane gas is a waste.
I've also found that brand can be a bigger factor than anything else. I ran Sheetz 92 octane in my R6 several times and it ran like CRAP. Went back to Sunnocco 93 and it purred like a kitten again.
The way the mechanic was talking when I got it tuned was that 98 aint much good for it :dunno_white: 95 seems to be ok so I'll stick with it
To be completely honest, the only real advantage in putting a Premium unleaded into the GS500 is it minimises your chances of getting a bad batch of fuel as the premiums have certain standards that must be met.
Something Joe Blows No Name Fuel's don't.
Has anyone gone by their local airport and tried running some low-lead av-gas? I know it would be pointless unless you milled your heads to some ungodly CR, but it would piss off the epa and all the tree hugging hippies :icon_lol:
my parents were hippies. Puerto rican Hippies. which is kinda wierd.
my sisters name translated to SUN MARY. the 60's musta been really fun.
Groovy O0
3imo,
I wuz there(in the '60s) They WERE fun. Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver, Steppenwolf, Janis. I bought a NEW Honda 305 scrambler for $700 in 1966. Paid for with a summer job. Summer job also paid for college tuition. Twenty (20) credit hours/qtr @Ohio State cost $125. :o The Sixties also brought with it "free love" and the drug culture. My attorney advised me to not go down that road on this Forum :laugh:. Yes, the sixties were great if you didn't have to go to 'Nam. I enlisted after college, but flunked the physical(bad eyes). A lot of good people never had the chance to have the fond memories of that era like I do :cry:
BUT, not to hijack this thread and to answer the original question......I've used 87 octane in my '89 for the last 14 years w/o a problem.
I use Chevron Supreme with Techron!
Actually I tried the cheapest possible gas but my bike started knocking. After I switched it went away and my mechanic told me to use supreme too so with those two reasons, I'm use it :icon_confused:
- David
Quote from: pnaberhaus on April 06, 2006, 11:01:42 AM
3imo,
I wuz there(in the '60s) They WERE fun. Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver, Steppenwolf, Janis. I bought a NEW Honda 305 scrambler for $700 in 1966. Paid for with a summer job. Summer job also paid for college tuition. Twenty (20) credit hours/qtr @Ohio State cost $125. :o The Sixties also brought with it "free love" and the drug culture. My attorney advised me to not go down that road on this Forum :laugh:. Yes, the sixties were great if you didn't have to go to 'Nam. I enlisted after college, but flunked the physical(bad eyes). A lot of good people never had the chance to have the fond memories of that era like I do :cry:
BUT, not to hijack this thread and to answer the original question......I've used 87 octane in my '89 for the last 14 years w/o a problem.
O0 how much were condoms? uh...nevermind
87 octane in a factory lean jetted '05. Haven't had a knock.
Quote from: galahs on April 06, 2006, 06:14:07 AM
To be completely honest, the only real advantage in putting a Premium unleaded into the GS500 is it minimises your chances of getting a bad batch of fuel as the premiums have certain standards that must be met.
Something Joe Blows No Name Fuel's don't.
It all comes from the same refinery in most areas. The only difference is the name on the tanker. Mid-grade is actually a mix of "premium" and "cheap".
Not exactly true.
It comes from the same base stock, but when talking about the higher spec (tademarked) fuels, they have different additives and refining processes.
differant brand fuels also have differant ethanol content, unless it's regulated by law in your area
Most of our fuels advertise if they contain ethanol.
By law it cannot be higher than 10% without clearly labelling it.
Shell Optimax Extreme which is a 100 RON Octane fuel has 5% ethanol.
I thought Suzuki doesn't recommend using ethanol in its bikes?
I don't think you'd want to run it, it lowers the AF ratio of the fuel, and in a vehical with no feedback from an O2 sensor, it can cause you to run even more lean.
In NY for example, I don't think there is anyway around it, I'm pretty sure all gas sold must have 10% ethanol by law. It does cause a noticable differance. In my car, which can adjust its fueling to the O2 content in the exhaust, I get 400 miles on a tank of cheap full service NJ gas and only 350 miles on a tank of expensive self service NY gas because it has to burn more of the watered down fuel to be stoch. Grr I hate NY
Ethanol can be used to increase the octane rating of fuel (as in Shell Optimax Extreme) but in most cases your bike/car must be tuned for it.
I love ethanol as fuel, E85 is over 110 octane, it burns colder and with the proper tuning can make far more power than regular gasoline for less $$ per gallon with close to the same gas milage. When they use <10% ethanol its for emissions to help oxyginate the hydrocarbons or some crap like that, and replaces the old MTBE that can leak in the ground water and kill millions of women and children.
Can you get E85 in the USA!
I thought only Brazil offered it.
Yup! Only in the midwest right now tho. Do a search on Google. Bush is really pushing for it to replace a lot of petroleum in the next few years. The government is giving people all kinds of money and tax incentives to make E85 refineries and gas stations. Have you seen any of GM's 'go yellow' E85 commercials? A lot of their models they sell in the US can come as flexible fuel vehicals now. Oh boy I'm psyched, 110 octane fuel for less then what I pay for regular, the possibilities are endless. :thumb:
Nah, here in Australia we had BP pushing for E10 and a big scare campaign led by Shell got it knocked back. The public demanded all petrol companies to demand they had no ethanol in their fuel.
Suprise suprise, now Shell has ethanol in the Ultra Premium Opimax Extreme and suddernly ethanol is wonderfull again. A new campaign is being pushed for us to use fules with ethanol and this time moting bodies and our local car manufacturers are saying E10 fules are great!
I hate oil companies!
Uhh... I understand the burning cooler part as an advantage. But honestly, what advantage is there to having 110 octane fuel? Seems to me that you'd just need to run hotter spark plugs to get complete detonation, or have super high compression. Am I missing something else?
Ethanol being totally renewable? and Carbon neutral.
Well yeah, that too. But I'm referring specifically to it being 110 octane. LimaXRay seems pretty excited about that octane rating, and I'm not sure why. I just want to know if I'm missing something (I'm admittedly dumb when it comes to seeing obvious things sometimes) :laugh:
Higher octane allows an engine to run more advance and more compression without detonation whic improves efficiency = ie more power! :thumb:
In a stock GS, higher octane fuels wouldn't noticably improve power.
Quote from: galahs on April 07, 2006, 08:57:55 AM
Higher octane allows an engine to run more advance and more compression without detonation whic improves efficiency = ie more power! :thumb:
In a stock GS, higher octane fuels wouldn't noticably improve power.
Ok.. that's more or less what I was getting at. If anything, gas of that octane in a stock GS would be a detriment, as I don't think it would combust completely, unless you stepped your sparkplugs up a step or two on the heat range. I understand that higher octane allows higher compression without premature detonation. I didn't get why LXR was getting so excited about something not practical for a GS, or for a lot of cars, for that matter. It's cool to think about what kind of compression ratios you could run with 110 octane though.. Hmmm... might be time to bolt 2 turbos on my friend's Vette.. that sounds fun :)
here's one.
does topping out the tank have ill affects? I went on a 160+mi journey last night. I topped off to the very top.
for the first say, 15-20ish miles she was boggy at 70-80mph. not much but I had to keep accelerating to keep from boggin a bit.
after that the rest of the ride was smooth as silk.
BTW I filled up with 87 octane cheap 7/11 fuel. for the first time since last summer. could that do it?
Ehh.. I don't think topping off the tank would do that, as long as your tank vent was functioning properly. And if the vent wasn't functioning properly, then you'd have symptoms even when you didn't top off completely. Buuuut.. I don't actually own a GS.. or any other bike, so I can't be of too much help. I'm sure someone else will chime in with advice. Sounds to me like there was something impure in there that burned off. Could possibly be water in the gas? I know that can cause issues, but dunno if it would be bogging like that.
water in the gas? :o from a gas station?
I seriously doubt there is much if any water in my tank. she's my daily driver. if she don't go I don't. rain or shine.
unless I'm haulin stuff.
oh well..
Quote from: 3imo on April 07, 2006, 09:48:05 AM
water in the gas? :o from a gas station?
I seriously doubt there is much if any water in my tank. she's my daily driver. if she don't go I don't. rain or shine.
unless I'm haulin stuff.
oh well..
Actually, yeah, I've heard of it happening (supposed to be rare, but I've read stories.. of course, that was back in the day, it's probably not likely).. I just thought maybe the bike had been sitting, and accumulated some condensation in the tank, but I guess not. Hmm.. no idea then, wait for a FOG to chime in.. might wanna make your own thread about it, since most people won't look in this thread for an issue about bogging. Just a thought.
or i could let this thread die, but weheres the fun in that?
E85 vs Gas... Some say E85 runs slower... But, it depends on how the car is built. Check out this Snaab (http://www.popsci.com/popsci/automotivetech/564c1196aeb84010vgnvcm1000004eecbccdrcrd.html):
| SPECS | GASOLINE | E85 |
| POWER | 148 hp | 184 hp |
| TORQUE | 177 lb.-ft | 207 lb.-ft |
| MAX. BOOST | 5.8 psi | 13.8 psi |
| 0-62 MPH | 9.8 sec | 8.5 sec |
| TOP SPEED | 134 mph | 140 mph |
| PRICE | $35,000 | $35,000 |
Quote from: galahs on April 07, 2006, 08:32:34 AM
Ethanol being totally renewable? and Carbon neutral.
don't be fooled, my friend. the modern corn industry (and agribusiness in general) consumes more energy than it produces, in the form of fertilizers and pesticides especially. promoting ethanol as an alternative to gasoline would only add some steps between digging the oil from the ground and getting fuel for transportation.
the same thing can be said of biodiesel: once it's industrialized it could do more harm than good. people will cut down old-growth rainforest to grow palms that can be turned in to biodiesel. and unless someone tells them not to they'll end up using more energy in the form of fertilizers etc than they'll get out of the biodiesel.
my reason for wanting 110 octane fuel is to squeeze 400+ hp out of a 1.8 liter engine with a 9:1 CR
and the whole thing about ethanol taking more energy to produce is bs... that 'study' was financed by some oil company... with modern technology ethanol can be made from almost anything, include garbage, and results in a lot more energy then it takes to make... it really is the way of the future
Quote from: LimaXray on April 07, 2006, 04:47:38 PM
my reason for wanting 110 octane fuel is to squeeze 400+ hp out of a 1.8 liter engine with a 9:1 CR
and the whole thing about ethanol taking more energy to produce is bs... that 'study' was financed by some oil company... with modern technology ethanol can be made from almost anything, include garbage, and results in a lot more energy then it takes to make... it really is the way of the future
true, ethanol CAN be made from many things, but the current push in the united states is to make it out of corn. whether it results in more energy than it requires to make depends in how it is made and what it is made from.
i agree that focussing on corn isnt the best idea... there are far better, higher yeilding, and easier to grow crops that could be used... hemp for example is one of the best energy producing crops out there... unfortunately its illegal because many people in our government are ignorant to its uses
I converted mine to steam powered. She pulls like a train now! :flipoff:
They don't make gasoline with a high enough octane rating to suit the super-high- performance engine in the GS500. That's why I just fill my entire tank with octane booster. It still doesn't completely unleash the full power of the GS, but it will have to do until the gas companies come up with 250 octane fuel.
If you feel the need to use high octane fuel, try this next time - fill up with 87 octane and leave a few dollar bills loosely dangling out of your pocket; drive on the highway for a few minutes until all the bills have disappeared. Your bike has now performed exactly the way it did before, you still have the same amount of money; the only difference is you've made a few people happy with the money they've found, instead of giving it to the gas company.
These octane threads amuse me.
Quote from: 3imo on April 07, 2006, 09:48:05 AM
water in the gas? :o from a gas station?
I seriously doubt there is much if any water in my tank. she's my daily driver. if she don't go I don't. rain or shine.
unless I'm haulin stuff.
oh well..
My mate has a water catch can in his car and it gathers at least 100mls of water a week.
theres nothing wrong with a little water in there... a lot of people inject water right into their intakes, its called water injection... it instantly vaporizes and doesn't hurt anything
it think gasoline is a little hydroscopic too so theres no getting around having a little water in your fuel
Quote from: Recreational_Anxiety on April 08, 2006, 01:37:05 AM
They don't make gasoline with a high enough octane rating to suit the super-high- performance engine in the GS500. That's why I just fill my entire tank with octane booster. It still doesn't completely unleash the full power of the GS, but it will have to do until the gas companies come up with 250 octane fuel.
If you feel the need to use high octane fuel, try this next time - fill up with 87 octane and leave a few dollar bills loosely dangling out of your pocket; drive on the highway for a few minutes until all the bills have disappeared. Your bike has now performed exactly the way it did before, you still have the same amount of money; the only difference is you've made a few people happy with the money they've found, instead of giving it to the gas company.
These octane threads amuse me.
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!! :thumb: :thumb:
LOL just checked back on the forum, didn't mean to make a 5page thread about octane ratings. I'm fully aware of the advantages of running higher octane fuel.
The stock CR is something like 9:1 correct? I can't see any reason to run 91octane gas in it with such a low CR, or anything higher for that matter on a stock internal'd GS motor.
So is this 91 requirement just ignored by most (except for those who've swaped in high CR pistons)?
Did you read the threads :icon_mrgreen:
the 91 you've seen is a RON (Research method) octane rating used in Europe, Japan and Australia.
its different from the rating used in the USA (who uses MON I think?).
Just fill her up with 87 (MON) :thumb:
you blokes need to clme to Australia, our lowest fuel is 91, and I would only use it my lawn mower.
I never put anything but 98 pctane in my gs500 parallel space time thruster mobile.
Been thinking about trying an octane booster on top of the 98.
I've done it before in my cars, get extra 80 100km .
I've only just gotten my first ever bike. I saw the gs500 and got hard immediately, I mean, fell in love. Auto correct....
Had her for a year now. I've been reading on this forum about everything on the gs500.
Thanks for all of the information.
Come to Stralia...
Maybe after covid
@Royer Destroyer,
The experts say that putting anything over 91 in your GS500 which is designed to run on 91 here in Australia, is literally just burning up money for no reason, it has no effect. Although it's good to put a tank of 98 through occasionally because it will have better quality cleaning additives, whether that makes any difference I don't know.
This an other argument that runs and runs
"My bike has more power, runs smother and returns a better mpg on 98 than it does on 91"
I say....."If it makes such vast improvements why are Suzuki saying run it on 91?" :dunno_black:
If the GS5 engine was a modern, liquid cooled, fuel injected, emission sensitive design with a compression ratio of about 11.5 or higher instead of an archaic 45 year old air cooled, carb fed lump with a compression ratio of 9-1 and clearances you could drive a bus through then yeah......go for it......91 it is.
I think the bottom line here is....if you believe it makes such a significant difference......you carry on :thumb:
Quote from: sledge on September 08, 2020, 07:14:50 AM
an archaic 45 year old air cooled, carb fed lump with a compression ratio of 9-1 and clearances you could drive a bus through
I want to get that on a sticker!
I agree, extra octane does nothing (it literally can't do anything) and the only reason to run premium is for the extra cleaning agents. I only run premium when I can find non-ethanol fuel, which seems to only come as premium around here.