Petrol

[nick]

There's a garage near me advertising petrol at 99 octane and no more than 5% ethonal. Like the sound of no more than 5% ethonal but unsure of 99 octane.
It's nice to see a garage tell you the % of ethonal in there petrol as most garages won't. As I say what's your view on the 99 octane. 
nick.

[rdprdp01]

99% octane is usually reserved for racing motorcycles. In the United States, it is difficult to source. I do not believe it will yield more power but it may lead to a cleaner burn and less knocking. Others on the Forum may be better equipped to answer the question with more authority.

For my motorcycle, I usually run 91 octane and try to limit as much ethonal as possible. That is a challenge in the regions where I ride. David

[Gone in 60]

Is octane measurement the same in the U.S. as it is in other countries? Just wondering if 99 octane in England is 99 octane here.

I remember my BMW having a requirement of 97, but it was a euro-spec rating which equated to "regular" here, which is around 87. The only places around me that sell 99 are race tracks.

[Lunchbag]

As I mentioned in a previous post, I used to live in Saratoga, CA and listen to packs of high-performance motorcycles and cars tear up Big Basin Way enroute to Skyline Blvd and who knows where else.  The 76 station in Saratoga sold racing fuel, I assume catering to those folks.

I normally use 87 in my bike, but if I think I may not go through a tank quickly, I use ethanol-free.  Personally, I would choose the most affordable gas/petrol that meets the manufacturer's spec and doesn't cause knocking.

   

[Django]

Is octane measurement the same in the U.S. as it is in other countries? Just wondering if 99 octane in England is 99 octane here.

No. It is all about knocking, but the way to calculate the Octane No is different between Europe and the USA. It's a bit like Celsius and Fahrenheit. 

In Europe the Octane is given in RON (Research Octane Number), in USA and Canada it is AKI (Anti-Knock Index).

There are formulas, to convert the numbers.

Europa (RON)
USA (AKI ≈ (R+M)/2)

95 RON

≈ 91 AKI

Normal / Super

98 RON

≈ 93–94 AKI

Super Plus / Premium

91 RON

≈ 87 AKI

Regular

(info is from chatgpt.com)

[Cormanus]

Honda recommends 91RON or higher with no more than 10% ethanol for the CB1100. Why use higher than 91 when all it does is transfer more of your wealth to oil companies that have enough already?

[the Ferret]

Here in the states we are allowed to use 87 octane (regular) with no more than 10% ethanol. That is all I have ever put in mine. Well, not true when Offroad and I went to Colorado to ride with Longranger all the stations had 85 Octane for regular and I used that. No knocks, no pings, no power loss. Will turn over 79,000 miles next week.