How did I get 15.5 MPG?

[OrangeCrush]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by PhilD:
Octane will make no difference to fuel efficiency. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Phil,

I have to politely disagree with this statement. A lower octane gas burns slower and produces more power. (providing it's not knocking)

For OVER a year, I ran premium gas in my Honda 954 motorcycle. I reset the trip odometer (since most sportbikes don't have fuel gauges) and I CONSISTENTLY got 140-150 miles till the low fuel light came on. I did that for over 15K miles.

For the last 6K miles, I have run 87 octane EVERY time. I CONSISTENTLY get 160-170 miles till the low fuel light comes on.

Now, granted, this is on a motorcycle so because of it's weight, aerodynamics and rolling resistance, it may make a much more noticeable difference, but nonetheless, I have noticed this in bike after bike that I have owned.

Lower octane burns slower and produces more power os I can't see how the statement "octane will make no difference to fuel efficiency" can be true. Over the last 20 some years of riding, I can't tell you how many people I have discussed this with came back and couldn't believe the results.

I too was under the impression I was giving my vehicle " a taste of the good stuff".

Just my opinion... well, actually, the Federal Trade Commission's opinion also. Here's part of the article from them.

The Low-Down on High Octane Gasoline
Are you tempted to buy a high octane gasoline for your car because you want to improve its performance? If so, take note: the recommended gasoline for most cars is regular octane. In fact, in most cases, using a higher octane gasoline than your owner's manual recommends offers absolutely no benefit. It won't make your car perform better, go faster, get better mileage or run cleaner. Your best bet: listen to your owner's manual.

The only time you might need to switch to a higher octane level is if your car engine knocks when you use the recommended fuel. This happens to a small percentage of cars.

Unless your engine is knocking, buying higher octane gasoline is a waste of money, too. Premium gas costs 15 to 20 cents per gallon more than regular. That can add up to $100 or more a year in extra costs. Studies indicate that altogether, drivers may be spending hundreds of millions of dollars each year for higher octane gas than they need.

Here's the entire article. Federal Trade Commission



Mark

PS. Driving easy with my H2, I can get 13.6-14 mpg in town. Driving it normally like I tend to do, it gets 11'ish mpg.