All of you know about so many types of petrol available in the market for your bikes, but why do you pay more for the higher octane petrol? You probably know about various octane ratings in petrol, but do you know what this octane is all about? Let me take you through a knowledge trip on Octane rating.
Octane Does Matter: Octane rating reflects the quality, purity, refinement, efficiency and heat bearing capacity of petrol. Hence we have different grades of Petrol for different uses ranging for your bikes to spacecrafts.
You see crude oil is the raw material for petrol and from it, various derivatives are extracted. The finer and refined the derivative, the better the quality and efficiency of the fuel. So from crude oil there are various stages of refining extraction done that results in so many varieties of fuels with higher Octane ratings.
The various Octane ratings of petrol are 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 93 and 97, which symbolize purity and refinement in increasing order. On one end we have 87 octane which you use for your bike as unleaded and on the other extreme we have 97 octane which fuels the super bikes sold in India as Speed 97. So High Octane fuels are expensive because of high levels of refinement.
Leaded & Unleaded Petrol: If you guys can rewind back to the year 2000 you will remember we were using leaded fuel which had 0.15 gms of lead per litre. Lead had distinct advantages which helped the engine to enjoy a long and durable life. But the presence of lead in petrol meant more emission of CO (carbon monoxide) which is the reason why the government introduced compulsary use of unleaded petrol in 2000. The unleaded petrol is much ‘greener’ petrol and the emission of CO is much less and with honeycomb catalytic converters in the exhausts of cars and bikes, the pollution levels are very low.
The Right Petrol for Your Bike: In India, companies like BPCL, IOC, HPCL, IBP red and Shell etc supply you with varieties of fuel to power your bike. The high octane fuels have additives like friction busters which may not suit your bike, plus higher octane rating means more heat is developed in the engine which is not good for your bike’s engine. So the next time you think of filling your bike with Xtrapremium or Speed consult your dealer if it is advisable to use higher-octane petrol. Due to the additives there could be clutch slippage or slow damage to your bike’s engine over repeated usage, so enquire properly before you fill fuel the next time.
For those having super bikes and super cars Speed 97 is the only super fuel available in India and costs around 65-70 rupees a litre. In my opinion the premium that you pay for every liter of higher-octane petrol is justified if you have a high performance machine.
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{ 40 comments… read them below or add one }
Octane Does Matter….
especially if one owns superbikes…
what will happen if fuels like speed 97 is put in bikes like Pulsar’s, karizma’s ???
would it help?? or do damage??
and other than that …does it make big difference when using normal petrol and premium petrol??
octane is not advisable in indian byk like pulser karizma etc
it will increase ur milage upto 40% approx depending on ur byk
but damage ur engine slowly an u will realize it at time of starting
hmmm.. thnks for that article deepak..
thats something i wanted to know for a long time now
is Speed 97.. different from speed?
if so.. what octane is speed?
or maybe extra preimum for that matter..
Hi all, I & my friend using this petrol from last one years in pulsar & karizma, we haven’t faced any problems. what we feel & tested that by paying this bike will become more smother then normal & their maintenance cost also go down, also you think that we paid extra for every single liter petrol. but it’s worth to sped money on your vehicles, If you like to keep them longer, smoother or love them. also i tested that if i skip my service for next 1000km it’s dosen’t affect in performance so much. that’s cool.
Thanks for the the much needed information. I would like to know what variety of fuel should I use for my Hero Honda CBZ?
Is ‘Extra Premium’ from Indian Oil is fine for my bike?
Article was essentially wrong in most aspects. Higher octane fuel means fuel which is not only more refined but also denser in composition. Engine performance ( whether its superbikes or roadbikes ) depends on how fast the engine can burn the air-fuel mixture to convert into forward motion and how quickly it can get rid of the exhaust fumes. Most recent roadbikes have reduced the size of the fuel and air inlet and also the exhaust pipes to reduce emissions ( trying to save the polar ice from melting ). But that means the bike is the equivalent of you trying to run with one nostril closed and half your sweat glands- invariably you slow down. If you try and increase the size of the air filter and the exhaust pump in your bike, the fuel is not dense enough for mixing with air- classica case of lean burn. But higher octane fuel in road bikes doesn’t do any damage- in fact, if you change your bike’s air inlet for an after-market free flow one, you can significantly boost the power of your bike without compromising mileage. But yeah- you will always need high octane fuel to avoid lean burn.
I have Honda unicorn bike model 2007. Is it advisable to use Xtrapremium or speed in my bike ? Will it create a damage to the engine ?
I have my new Busa and still using the normal speed since Jan09.Still no problem and no choice in my town for hi Octane.
Arun
wich gasoline should be used in kawasaki ninja 250R ???
I’ve been using speed 97 on my karizma from the beginning…itz reached 6000kmz now…i’ve experienced higher power in my bike than any other karizmas…i still believe itz becose of the performance lift due to this fuel !!
Hi
I am planning to buy new honda unicorn(Pearl igneous black)..I am confused a lot, which fuel I am suppose to use it.Could any one tell me which petrol or High octane petrol suits my honda unicorn engine..
Thanks
so don’t use highspeed/high octaen no petrol.high octaen petrol increse ur milage but damage ur engine slowely,which u feel after few month.
According to the manual of honda unicorn
We must use unleaded fuel with an octane number of 91 or higher.
goin down from speed 97 ,we come down directly to speed 90.
Hence i have been using speed 97 in my uni for last thousand kilometers.
Believe me, the bike showed the difference after some 500-700 kms of riding on that fuel .And now the bike engine sounds like brand new showroom engine.Do retune your carburettor when changing to different octane number fuels.The difference in performance is small but significant .But the riding pleasure improves a lot after 500-700 kms of riding on speed 97.
I recommend speed 97 to all uni riders.Your bike will love it.
Also try being regular with Iftex system G from the beginning for smoother and longer engine life.
Hey Cruzer,
Iftex system G for petrol four wheeler. If you want to fuel additive for your bike then ask iftex system 2/3 (its for patrol bike or three wheeler )
System G for patrol car
system D for Diesel Car
System 2/3 for Bike and patrol auto rickshaw
for bike use system 2/3 (2ml for 1 litre patrol)
how much petrol does karizma needs
i m hvng honda shine .i hve used speed ,premium,power but speed and extra premium looks good,bike responds very well.engine looks smooth,also for long drive it puts u on top.use it and see the difference.it also depend on ur bike maintainance also.
if am not agree with the clutch slippage .If you use high octane petrol compare to the normal petrol a slight variation in engine heat not that much high.some (usually local mechanics are telling ) it will destroy your engine in future,but there is no scientific proof for that .From where they are getting this information i dont know.From 2002 i am using xtra premium .Up to this time i didn’t faced any problem related to this issue.Usual wear and tear is there is engine .just now i overhauled my engine.What i felt the engine piston every thing is little good than normal petrol using vehicles.usually overhauling time in normal pistons we can see some spores,comparatively that is very less in my vehicle.
It might seem odd that fuels with higher octane ratings are used in more powerful engines, since such fuels ignite less easily. The fuel must be fired at a precise time. An ignition too early will cause the resulting forces to try to turn the crankshaft in the reverse direction. This will not cause the engine to rotate in the reverse direction because of the kinetic energy in the rotating assemblies and the flywheel, but will strain the crankshaft.
India’s vehicles usually have compression ratios under 10:1, thus enabling them to use lower quality petrols without engine knocking.
If the engine begins to detonate (knock), that reduces power and efficiency.
I agree with the article completely, not every bike needs high-octane fuel rather not every bike is designed for that, so it is better you consult the authorized mechanic before filling in the high-octane fuel.
Many high-performance engines are designed to operate with a high maximum compression, and thus demand high-octane premium fuel.
A common misconception is that power output or fuel mileage can be improved by burning higher octane fuel than a particular engine was designed for. The power output of an engine depends in part on the energy density of its fuel, but similar fuels with different octane ratings have similar density. Since switching to a higher octane fuel does not add any more hydrocarbon content or oxygen, the engine cannot produce more power.
Octane rating does not relate to the energy content of the fuel. It is only a measure of the fuel’s tendency to burn in a controlled manner, rather than exploding in an uncontrolled manner. Where octane is raised by blending in ethanol, energy content per volume is reduced.
most doesn’t know the real facts about octane ratings, great piece of information.
Which petrol is recommended for Skoda Fabia
Hi for DISCOVER 135 which octave number petrol is the best choise?
hi Guyz,
i own a normal 125 cc Discover bike. guyz frm very begining i’ve been using either speed petrol or speed 97….and believe me guyz i used Speed 97 frm BPCL n dis high degree octane has really made my bike go so fast, n d vibrations has also been decreased compared to normal 87 petrol.the driving becums so smooth
thanx n have drive carefully n safely
)
I have an Apache RTR 180. Initially I filled at Indian Oil and was not recording mileage. Later I filled in Shell and recorded a mileage of ~40 KMPL. Then I tried Speed from Bharat Petroleum. This was actually not intentional. I never knew that they filled in speed petrol. Only upon seeing the bill my friends told me that it was speed. This time I got a mileage of ~45 KMPL and the engine was really smooth. Didn’t find any difference in acceleration though.
Then again I filled in from Indian Oil and the mileage was somewhere around ~42 KMPL. Then I was on a trip abroad and the bike was not used at all for close to 2 months. When I came back I was having issues with the throttle response. Once the bike went into reserve I filled in Speed petrol again. On the day of filling I was able to see that the throttle response issues had gone. Soon after it came back. The bike coughed when I opened the throttle. Also after riding through terrible traffic I often see the idling RPM increase. The setting was 1200 I think but constantly it was showing 2000 and even 3000 RPM at times. Then I had starting trouble and I had to turn the nozzle to reserve and start it. Then I filled Speed again and this happened again. My bike has a 2.5 litre reserve. I hit it again and was very unhappy with the mileage. It was definitely ~40 or below. I filled in Indian Oil Xtrapremium full tank the next time. I was shocked to notice that the bike only took 13 litres of fuel and I was already in reserve. This means that I had a half a litre of fuel above reserve capacity but the bike still wouldn’t start unless I put it in reserve mode.
Also throttle response is completely down and out. The most impressive things about my bike were its brakes and the throttle response but now even if I twist my throttle all the way up it picks up speed extremely slowly. However there is no engine noise even at speeds above 80. What could be wrong. Should I not be using branded petrol at all? I am planning to take it back to the service center and have them ride the bike and tell me what is wrong. In fact my bike’s manual says that it can take octane ratings between 85 and 95. I don’t know why I am having trouble then.
hi frndz,
i buy karizma sports, 7 months ago.i advised from hero honda showroom that fill only speed petrol, i fill it for 5 month from date of purchase my bike,
speed is good petrol as compare to other petrol like extrapremium,power etc.that time my bike gived me avarege of 36 to 38 km/ltr in city + highway, that time i drived lot much in highway.
then i heard about shell petrol from my bike service center castrol bike zone.
i started to fill shell super pertol it rated 61.50 rupees in pune
but my bikes engine becomes smooth as compared to before when i was filled speed petrol.
my bikes avarage also become and it goes up to 44 km/ltr in overall.
i ride in city not much in highway. this is superb pertol.
frndz if u really loving your bike & if u have extra odnary performance, so feel only shell super petrol. it charges 2 rupees extra as compared to speed petrol& 1 rupees extra as compared to power petol.
I have pulsar 150cc Is it advisable to use Xtrapremium or speed in my bike ?
Hii
i have pulsar 150dtsi i don’t know which petrol is good for my bike now i filled speed 97 petrol in byk is it gud plzz tell
wer would i get speed 97 petrol in pune
what does 97 indicate? is it octane no?
can i use it for unicorn ??
i drives a TVS XL heavy duty is it advisable to use hi octane fule?
hi octane can be used in every vehicle. low octane cannot be used in all. high octane for indian bikes or superbike will do good for both. its increases the compression ratio so obviously it will do good for both. but for indian bikes high octane is not necessary.
Hi,
I am and Indian living in Singapore and we have bajaj pulsar 180 & 200 imported here from India. In Singapore we have RON 92,95 and 98. But Singapore petrol prices are similar to India i.e. about 1.8$ per ltr. But Malaysia the price of petrol is half i.e. just 1.9 Ringgits(About 30 Rs) And Malaysia is just 20 kms from Singapore and since pulsar has a large 18 ltrs tank we just go to Malaysia and fill petrol. But Malaysia has just RON 95 and RON 97. So I just fill RON 95 all the time.
But since our pulsar is made for Indian low grade petrol there are complaints from many riders that the diaphragm inside the carb gets damaged since the rubber becomes hard due to the high RON. Thats the only problem otherwise pulsar 180 here gives a nice mileage of 45 kms/hr when we ride at constant speed of 100 km/hr on the expressways of Singapore.
Happy riding guys!
Cheers,
Revhappy
hello everyone i own a 2008 yamaha r15 and i drove it over 13000 kms till now as its a FI vehicle nd have experimented alot over my vehicle I suggest all who r using any mpfi vehicle to use speed 97 or any other premium petrol as the normal petrol blocks the fuel pump sieve also blocks the injectors and creates more carbon than the premium petrol which blocks other sensors of FI or MPFI technology which leads to drop in mileage and performance, I’ve just started using speed 97 and there is a lot of difference in the response of the engine, i daily drive my bike over 125km/hr and the engine is still good as new and also the mileage which i get from my bike is 43km/ltr in city conditions ….and for those who drive normal vehicles without FI are wasting their money buying costly or premium petrol … as with my other vehicle which is a non FI shows no improvement when premium petrol or speed 97 is used……………….
Hi, i had purchased discover 150 on 1st march. I would like to kno which type of petrol is suitable for my bike… power/unleaded? I hav been using unleaded petrol. Plz advice me on this…….
Also tell me the difference between power n unleaded…
Since August’ 2006 I am regularly using Xtra Premium or speed in my bike. I never felt any problem with such high octane petrol, I have smooth ride and mileage is also very good. 2-3 times I filled unleaded petrol and the mileage fall down by 10%. So by the last five years I am regularly using high octane petrol like xtra premium and speed which also reduces maintenance cost and the bike is in very good condition.
which petrol suits 4 pulser 180?
i want know the classes of petrol
Am a collage man doing engineering course. Thank you for assistance but i would like to know more about the types of petrol and octane rating.
Hi All,
After reading all these posts…again I got confused. I am realy unsure whats need to be used. My Apache 160 is 5 months old, and from the day 1 I am using the XtraPremium only. I am able to get 49 constatly. However, after 3rd service and all, I need to see the inpriovment in milage, but not able to see.
Help me out which I need to use to improve the milage.
Hey people….
Don’t worry
Indian oil extra premium is the most suitable petrol for any engine in india…even scooty Pep….
It will not create any trouble …not reported much yet….friction busters and super cleansers in suitable amount makes it only working good….in our view this petrol will give you a better overall performance….and good for your engine as well….so don’t worry people….use extra premium first…then speed or power…or ordinary petrol….ops are under performing…since it doesn’t have expected purity and octane rating….
A
small chemical engineer of a leadin motor bike and scooter company…
1.If i read correctly the author mentioned clutch slippage.how could this happen?
The article is about fuel not about engine oil.
2.AFAIK higher octane reduces detonation and this allows for higher compression resulting in more power or mileage depending upon tune.
3.If i am right, higher octane in low compression engines results in smoother ride and low noise and vibration.It shouldn’t effect efficiency or power much.
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