i got board today. and whent to the local small engine repair shop. we got on the subject of todays fuel. and how crappy its getting. iv always used regular fuel. but after chating with him i think i may switch to premium. this is why. he said that regular unleaded fuel has 20% ethinol added in it and they dont have to post that it has that in it. also said ethinol is vary acidic and if it sits to long the water in it will seperate and sit at the bottom of the tank. also said fuel companys are adding water to make there pocket bigger. and then giving issues on starting. also ethinol is evidently really hard on o-rings and rubber hoses and carbs in the long run. but also said if the tank of fuel dont sit for to long it wont be as bad. but still causeing premature wear and tear on the fuel system. evidently premium dont have ethinol added to it, and maybe not as much water in it and is better for the atv.

anyones thoughts on this?????

 

All I go by is performance. I run in high altitude, and used to run premium when I first bought my Hawk, however the bike sputtered alot above 6000ft especially if climbing a hill. Had it stall out on me several times. I let my brother inlaw use it for about 6 months and all he put in it was low octane...(86 I think) and he didnt have any problems with it stalling at all. So thats all I run now, I just keep an eye on the filter to see if its getting any junk in it. so far so good!!!
p.s. I'm still running the factory spark plug.

 

Hey chuck, They have to state the ethanol content of the fuel, it's the law. Ethanol does not contain water, but all alchohol is hydrophyillic, meaning it will absorb and mix with water from many sources. The sources are the atmosphere, condensation, and the water from the fuel from the underground tanks. The ethanol % can not as of yet exceed 10% with out being labeled for use for flex fuel vehicles. I've used ethanol in all my small engines since it was introduced in the late 80's, I have had no issues with the carbs, fuel lines, or fuel systems using ethanol. In fact, I have had less problems since switching to ethanol.

 

im more or less worried about the ethinol screwing up the carb, needel and what not from the acid in the low octain fuel. seems the oil companys when from like 15% or so ethinol a few yrs ago to 20% now...

 

hmm. well thats interesting to know. im getting 2 differnt storys now.

 

Just to add, the reason ethanol gets a bad rap is because of the crap gas stock they blend it with. The can take 86 octane and blend 10% ethanol and get 89.

 

There is legislation to increase the % up to 20% but has not happened as of yet. What the small engine guy said about the carbs and fuel system was true on the older stuff pre 1990. Now I don't worry about it. Everything that was designed to burn a blend can handle up to 30% without modification. These days even race care are switching to E85 like indy. The cars are making more power and getting better mileage than they did on reg gas. Realize I own over 50 small engines right now. Since i've switched not one carb kit, before we would have at least 5-6 carb kits a year. Of coarse, the longest any of my stuff sits is 4 months.

 

At high alt you don't want high octane because of predetonation. above 5000ft 85 is enough.

 

Yea, I found that out after I had my bike for a year b4 my brother inlaw borrowed it.

 

ok. so whats the differance between e85 and regular gas? im just saying this part to see if anyone knows since i dont but would like to know. can a new atv use e85?