We've all answered with the same response to those who have asked us at one time or another if it's actually worth it to run premium fuel in a small engine and that is "don't waste your money."
For the heck of it, I decided to fill one of my machines with 92 grade octane that I'm very familiar with just to see if I could detect any differences at all; a very unscientific test. I filled it when it was completely empty so there was zero 87 grade mixed in.
I noticed two things:
1. It takes longer to start both hot and cold. Normally it goes "crank crank crank, start" on the regular gas but with the premium it goes "crank crank crank crank crank, start." It probably takes 45% longer to start on the premium fuel. The lower octane fuel does light quicker so it makes sense.
2. There is in fact a noticeable, to some extent, difference in fuel consumption. It is better with on the premium fuel. Maybe not a lot but it is apparent that it is not going through it quite as fast at least to some degree and it is enough to tell that it is not from the result of the placebo effect. The first time that I checked the fuel level I was anticipating the amount to be just under half a tank which it would have been on the 87 grade but instead it was dead even at half a tank. Again, very unscientific but I do believe there is somewhat of a decrease in consumption on the higher grade.
Other than that, I cannot detect any other noticeable differences. The engine does not seem to have lost power and it does not seem to have gained any either.
Again, a very unscientific test based on previous experience running the same engine on regular grade.
For the heck of it, I decided to fill one of my machines with 92 grade octane that I'm very familiar with just to see if I could detect any differences at all; a very unscientific test. I filled it when it was completely empty so there was zero 87 grade mixed in.
I noticed two things:
1. It takes longer to start both hot and cold. Normally it goes "crank crank crank, start" on the regular gas but with the premium it goes "crank crank crank crank crank, start." It probably takes 45% longer to start on the premium fuel. The lower octane fuel does light quicker so it makes sense.
2. There is in fact a noticeable, to some extent, difference in fuel consumption. It is better with on the premium fuel. Maybe not a lot but it is apparent that it is not going through it quite as fast at least to some degree and it is enough to tell that it is not from the result of the placebo effect. The first time that I checked the fuel level I was anticipating the amount to be just under half a tank which it would have been on the 87 grade but instead it was dead even at half a tank. Again, very unscientific but I do believe there is somewhat of a decrease in consumption on the higher grade.
Other than that, I cannot detect any other noticeable differences. The engine does not seem to have lost power and it does not seem to have gained any either.
Again, a very unscientific test based on previous experience running the same engine on regular grade.