up here we have 10% ethanol and it does suck(and yes its a law to post how much and if theres any of it in gas)as it kills the fuel milage. as far as using higher octang, if the fuel sets for any lenght of time it will start to seprate and focing the octang points down, so some use higher octang to counter this. if you use it to get more perforcemance it doesnt work in a stock engine. imo

 

My stock, never been touched 1977 Chevy PU sits for months through the winters with the 10% ethanol and I have never had a problem with a fuel system hose or seal.
We use regular in the 2002 500's and the 850 no matter what elevation, 2000 or 12000 feet.

 

The big thing to look for is what grade is non-oxygenated. Here in northern MN it is premium. The non-oxygenated is meant for non-catalyst vehicles(collector cars, cycles, atvs, small engines). 10% ethanaol shouldn't hurt anything but my bikes/atvs and such do run better using the non-oxygenated stuff. I also put fuel stabilizer in all gas for my toys since the companies that already gouge us on fuel have been putiing less additives in the fuel to make more $.

 

I thought I read somewhere that premium actually burns hotter and can cause premature piston wear in 4 strokes. 87 octance is recommened and the machine can handle the 10% blend. I thought it is similiar to what they say about autos, if your car doesn't require the higher octance you are just throwing $ out the window. I usually use the higher premium for 2 strokes and use 87 for 4 strokes. (I know some snowmobiles have a selection for 87 or premium but those machine have a different calibration if premium is used).

 

just to clarify...midgrade is not better. i work for a fuel haul company. midgrade is mixed when the fuel is delivered to the store. it does NOT come from the refinery like that. its up to the delivery driver to mix it. the normal mixture is 70% regular and 30% premium give or take a few points on either side.

 

True on the non oxy, but up here in the ethanol belt we have the grade piped into our holding stations. 89 octane reg fuel is better than 85 whether they blend it or not with premium to acheive the min octane rating. They blend the ethanol when loaing the truck. Now we have blender pumps that have ratios from 10-85%. You start with E-10 and mix with pure ethanol to acheive the desired ratio. I've used E-20 in my non-flex fuel Hemi and get better mileage with that than E-10.

 

I just run Mid-Grade. No issues in any of the quads I have had doing that. Ran premium in my sport quad for a while till I sold it.

 

A lot of the marine engines...outboards act up with the ethanol, especially if they sit and draw moisture thru the vent tubes from the marine environment...my older 1986 Johnson in particular..most people in my area are not finacially well off to upgrade to newer power equipment...I still run a 1959 johnson at my own camp..the older equipment have gaskets that are not as friendly as the newer brown gaskets kits to handle the deteriation from today's gas and additives..the newer and bigger horse powers have less trouble and actually run better if the fuel is used up and not allowed to sit too long...often they are equipped with micron fuel/water strainers....anyways....we use a lot of marine grade stabil here at the sporting lodge I work at and put it in the numerous newer outboards we have....and a lot of people run it in their snowmobiles as preventive measures....and yes the can not exceed the 10% by law but they probally do....happy trails to all

 

Simply AMAZING how much MIS-information flows on the internet..the higher the octane the slower the mixture ignites and therefore more resistance detonation and pre-ignition...sputtering at altitude when running a premium fuel is caused be the lack of oxygen richening the mixture. "Premium" fuel,because it burns slower is more likely to present a rich missfire than "regular" lower octane fuel...it is not detonating or pre-igniting. I could go on but I suggest that If you want to understand fuels please do some independant research and don't believe everything you read on the internet..especially on forums.
Also Ethanol's stoich point(optimium ratio of air to fuel) is different that gasoline,alot differerent..that is why you can't just throw E85 in a vehicle desinged for gasoline only...
As for the premium vs reg..the lowest octane for which an engine can run without detonation or pre-ignition will usually result in the best performance.. The only reason for running a higher octane fuels are for preventing pre-ignition/detonation..this comes into play mostly with modded engines running high compression,advanced timing or power adders..if a machine is designed for 87...then run 87.if running 93 makes you feel better then go ahead in 99% of cases running 93 octane in a machine designed for 87 will not cause a noticable difference in performance on an ATV. Now engines that have spark knock retard and monitor for detination increase in octane can increase performance. But those are far and few even in autos..and none in ATVs as far as I know.

 

Our local Polaris dealer in Topsham, ME filled two glass jars with E10. One has a stabilizer in it and the other doesn't. Over the course of 8 weeks there's been no separation in either jug. What does this mean.....who knows.

I put a shot of ethanol stabilizer in each five gallons regardless if it will sit or get burned immediately. Probably more psychological than anything else.