The importance of running Top-Tier gasoline in your 2019+ Ranger.

[fastpakr]

Above a certain compression ratio, higher octane fuel is often a good idea in NA engines. I forget where the line is. Somewhere around 10:1.

It would really come down to dynamic compression ratio anyway, figuring in valve overlap. I don't think there'd be a consistent rule of thumb for it.

 

[sgtsandman]

It would really come down to dynamic compression ratio anyway, figuring in valve overlap. I don't think there'd be a consistent rule of thumb for it.

You might be right. I only understand the basics and that some people that built high compression engines had issues with octane. I seem to remember one of them needing to add octane booster in order to get it running right.

 

[Roert42]

I know Echo power equipment wants 89 octane or higher. Very much preferably non-ethanol.

I think a lot of the premix non ethanol fuel they sell at the hardware store is at least 89oct

 

[Roert42]

Stihl is the same way. As a consequence, I buy 89 for all my power equipment since it’s easier to just mix the fuel out of the 5 gallon can than buy separate fuel just for the Stihl equipment. I’ve seen the prices for a gallon of non-ethanol pre-mixed fuel at the Stihl dealer and my local hardware store. Woof!

My equipment has run just fine for years on E-10 and will keep doing so at those prices.

I bought that pre mix stuff when I lived in the trailer park, barely used a can of gas a year between the mower and the string trimmer. Although the STHIL brand premix is like 3x more expensive then the TruFuel brand.

Now that I have a bigger property, Everything gets fed pump gas. My saws and leaf blower are my only 2 stroke engines, they get a squirt of oil in the tank every time I fill it up.

 

[Ranger850]

Above a certain compression ratio, higher octane fuel is often a good idea in NA engines. I forget where the line is. Somewhere around 10:1.

11.3:1 for my Hyundai, so ... it's in the ballpark

 

[Dirtman]

Above a certain compression ratio, higher octane fuel is often a good idea in NA engines. I forget where the line is. Somewhere around 10:1.

Engines with knock sensors can pull ignition timing which has a similar effect of reducing compression so you can have the best of both worlds. Run cheaper low octane gas when you don't need the power, run high octane when you do. VVT systems can do a similar thing. I believe right around 9:1 is where 87 octane starts to get squirrly so most engines with no knock sensor are 9:1 or less compression or only run on high octane fuel. With a knock sensor and/or a VVT system you can crank the compression probably up pretty high before you "need" high octane fuel.

 

[JohnnyO]

Stihl is the same way. As a consequence, I buy 89 for all my power equipment since it’s easier to just mix the fuel out of the 5 gallon can than buy separate fuel just for the Stihl equipment. I’ve seen the prices for a gallon of non-ethanol pre-mixed fuel at the Stihl dealer and my local hardware store. Woof!

My equipment has run just fine for years on E-10 and will keep doing so at those prices.

Couple years ago I had to get a new carb for my mower. Lawn equipment shop guy told me the ethanol messes up the carbs on small engines because it evaporates quicker than gasoline and gums up the carbs. Told me to run Sta-Bil in the gas all the time, not just for storage. No problems since I've done that.

 

[JohnnyO]

As a side note, Get Go and Sheetz use Marathon gas. I used to see their trucks at the Marathon refueling depot all the time.

In OP's link, Get Go is listed as Top Tier and Sheetz is not. I usually go to Sheetz because I have their credit card. Get Go once I hit about 50 cents on Fuel Perks.
Thinking of getting the Mishimoto catch can. Saving up for rustproofing now before winter. Priorities.

 

[Dirtman]

All the base gasoline is the same and one fuel depot can supply every brand and station in an area. There is no special pipeline or tanker ship for shell nitro and a different one for cheap wawa gas.

The additive and octane packages are what make the gasoline different and whether or not it qualifies as top tier. Those packages are added while filling the truck before delivery or at the station itself.

Just because you see a shell truck and a marathon truck fill up at the same place doesn't mean the gasoline is the same at those two stations in the end.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Stihl is the same way. As a consequence, I buy 89 for all my power equipment since it’s easier to just mix the fuel out of the 5 gallon can than buy separate fuel just for the Stihl equipment. I’ve seen the prices for a gallon of non-ethanol pre-mixed fuel at the Stihl dealer and my local hardware store. Woof!

My equipment has run just fine for years on E-10 and will keep doing so at those prices.

Shake your can and two stroke stuff good before using and it will probably get along fine.

If you get a tiny bit of moisture in the fuel (condensation or whatever) the ethanol will settle to the bottom.

Then your two stroke weed hacker will be sucking pure alcohol off the bottom of the tank.

Your oil mix only bonds with gasoline, not alcohol.

 

[sgtsandman]

Couple years ago I had to get a new carb for my mower. Lawn equipment shop guy told me the ethanol messes up the carbs on small engines because it evaporates quicker than gasoline and gums up the carbs. Told me to run Sta-Bil in the gas all the time, not just for storage. No problems since I've done that.

I do that. And run the equipment dry when it gets stored for the season.

 

[sgtsandman]

All the base gasoline is the same and one fuel depot can supply every brand and station in an area. There is no special pipeline or tanker ship for shell nitro and a different one for cheap wawa gas.

The additive and octane packages are what make the gasoline different and whether or not it qualifies as top tier. Those packages are added while filling the truck before delivery or at the station itself.

Just because you see a shell truck and a marathon truck fill up at the same place doesn't mean the gasoline is the same at those two stations in the end.

You are correct on the additive package. The refueling depot I was talking about is a Marathon depot. Whether Sheetz and Get go use the same additive package may be a different story.

I typically run Sunoco unless I’m on a trip. I try to stick with big names but that doesn’t always work.

 

[sgtsandman]

Shake your can and two stroke stuff good before using and it will probably get along fine.

If you get a tiny bit of moisture in the fuel (condensation or whatever) the ethanol will settle to the bottom.

Then your two stroke weed hacker will be sucking pure alcohol off the bottom of the tank.

Your oil mix only bonds with gasoline, not alcohol.

How would shaking my butt help the fuel or fuel system on my small engines?

 

[Ranger850]

I'm just gonna NOT use diesel fuel in a gasoline engine and Keep it moving. I have had no problems doing what I've been doing and My Hyundai has a powertrain warranty that will last past the payment plan and my other cars don't seem to care what octane or tier gas they get, as far as I know.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I'm just gonna NOT use diesel fuel in a gasoline engine and Keep it moving. I have had no problems doing what I've been doing and My Hyundai has a powertrain warranty that will last past the payment plan and my other cars don't seem to care what octane or tier gas they get, as far as I know.

Back then gas was expensive... so equipment that could start and run on gas to warm up and then switch over to a cheaper fuel like distillate or kerosene for actual work had a pretty good market.

But what made them so versitile back them limits the fuel options now.