This is probably a no-brainer for you guys but...what type of gas do you recommend using for a 2008 sportsman 500 HO...and what is a ballpark estimate on miles you can go on a tank ...I realize riding conditions will impact the number but under normal trailriding conditions 50% hills/50% flat the rest at elevations between 1000-2000ft
Thanks

 

87 octane, any higher than you need is just a waste of money. And you should be able to get 80 miles on a tank easily.

 

Stay with the 87 octane. A lot of the 4 stroke engines don't need anything higher.

 

the book for my 08 800 says 87 octane. so i would imagine the 500 would be the same. like everyone else said, anything higher than the required amount, is a waste of money.

 

I'll chime in.
Yes on waste of money and..... There is a potential performance issue as the higher the octane, the slower the burn. I wonder if you would end up with an incomplete burn and pollute more? And without a complimentary advance in spark timing, it makes no difference in power.
Certainly a motor like this has less valve overlap and a higher resulting dynamic compression ratio, but the engineers who built it had a certain octane in mind.

I ran 92 in my XR650L (read: big ole four stroke) with alot of mods and it ran hotter without any noticeable gain in power. I wanted to keep temps down. I switched back.

 

higher octang is only good for higher compression engines which your is not so dont waste money on the already too damn high gas prices.

 

For me in Minnesota, it's easy. By State law, only 91 octane is allowed to be sold without alcohol, so it's 91 for me.

The alcohol breaks down before I usually get through a full tank, especially when stored.

 

If yours is a two- smoke like mine and your local gas has Alky in it, I would run Klotz Benol oil as it is supposed to suspend in alcohol as well.

 

Thanks for the advice...I'm keeping it at 87

 

see as always i keep forgetting about the crap gas alot of staes have where we stil have decent gas up here so @ $3.63/ gallon for 87 ill stick w/ cheap lol.