freakobikez

Member
Dec 3, 2001
10
0
I have access to 120 Octane pump gasoline (from an airport).
Does anyone think that this is overkill or has the potential to
screw up my motor? I want to run it a bit to see how much of
a difference it makes but I don't want to burn up anything
either. Anyone have any experience with this or can tell me
whether or not I should do it?

Thanks
 

02yz125

Member
Sep 25, 2001
162
0
120 is very rare any more. They have gone to what is called 100LL (low lead). I used to pump fuel at an airport and would run this stuff in my car all the time. It is blue. Even though they say low lead, it is more than you get at the pump. I dont know if that will hurt an engine or not, doubt it. The one good thing about aviation fuel is it is made to sit for a long time without going bad. Usually a small local airport will sell it to you, as long as you sign something stating that you are not going to use it on the road for tax purposes. I think it is around 2-2.50 a gallon right now.
 

spanky250

Mod Ban
Dec 10, 2000
1,490
1
If you must have higher octane than you can get at the pump, and you don't have access to a quality race fuel, then AVgas is a better alternative than pinging your engine to death, but there are better choices. Avgas has poor thottle response and transient response, even when compared to pump fuel. It simply isn't formulated for our needs. Avgas is designed for engines that run at a constant rpm and load, not engines that see huge swings in throttle opening, rpms, and loads like a bike.

As far as damaging your engine, that isn't a problem, as long as you take the time to jet properly for the fuel.

Unless you have a modified engine, with higher-than-stock compresion, you aren't going to get any performance benefits, and your thottle response will be worse than with pump gas.
 

hoosierf

LIFETIME SPONSOR
May 6, 2001
325
1
I run AV gas in my YZ250. I don't anticipate that the performance is going to be better than what I'd see with pump gas. However, my S-10 Blazer with a 4.3 Vortec is pretty sensitive to gasoline quality. I notice that when I'm pulling my bike trailer it knocks intermittently (not on every tank) on the premium I buy near my house. My point is that I'm concerned about the quality of the fuel I can get locally, so I run the AV gas, which I've always assumed is higher quality fuel.

I've read Rich's comments on AV gas and have always hung my hat on his comment about AV gas looking better all the time given the current condition of pump gas. Am I nuts?
 

Jaybird

Apprentice Goon
LIFETIME SPONSOR
Mar 16, 2001
6,449
0
Charlestown, IN
freako, look at the color of that fuel. 100LL is blue. That's probably what you are getting.

hoosierf, I don't think you are nuts. The consistancy of pump swill stinks.
If you are using the fuel for a pinging concern then nothing wrong with avgas at all. It will deliver higher octane with more consistancy than pump swill.
Now if you want that "snap" from your machine, it is very hard to come by. I think the distilation curve holds the avgas back from being a top performer. The price of avgas is also a consideration at 2.50 or so a gal. its a great value over race gas. But I found 4.50 Turbo blue gives me what I 'm looking for in both performance and economy.
 
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