Genset Fuel

I have only ever used 91 octane in my Honda 2.0. No starting or running issues since I bought it about 5 years ago.

I can't see that running a higher octane petrol would cause any dramas other than a slightly higher cost, and the amount they use is pretty small anyway.

The engines in these gen sets aren't that high tech as far as I can see so I doubt you would get much benefit from the higher octane numbers but maybe a call to a Honda dealer just to confirm would be in order.

Cheers
Pop

Probably the only reason I could see would be that ethanol is sneaking into the 91RON fuel, but isn't added to the premium fuels.

Hi new boy, personally I would stay with manufacturers recommendation ,safer in long run re warranties etc.

G'day,
I have only used 91 octane in my 30i Honda.
I would stay with what's recomended by manufacturer, otherwise they may void your warranty.
My other concern would be burning valves, due to higher octane.(I'm no expert though)

Happy camping
Regards

Likewise I use 91. Couple of tips from the service company I use:

Use a fuel preserver
Place the genset on a mat or similar when in use to prevent dust and crap being swirled up into the motor/air filter.
Regards
Maggsie

hi newboy
you will find as i found out the hard way using high octane 95 octane petrol in the genset motors that are recommended to run on 91 will burn or warp the exhaust valves as it creates much higher heat and i got caught out with briggs /robin and honda's
so please yourself but i'm speaking from experience and had to replace the ex valves in each engine and have the valve seats cut as well they run just as well on 91 with no problems
cheers

Have always run all my power products on 95 or 98 octane, 2 & 4 stroke.

This includes an 18 year old Honda Self propelled mower & an EU10i which probably clocked over 1000 hours over 14 years. Sold that to a happy buyer 3 months back.

Plugs always seem cleaner & engines seem to run smoother, but what is really noticeable is the performance in the chainsaw, particularly, on the occasions I run short on fuel in the paddock & borrow some regular based mix off a friend.

You can definitely hear & feel the performance change in the saw.

Cheers.

Run 95 in mine mainly because it takes a while for me to run through a tank, and the stored fuel also so with it sitting a fair while it is better IMO to run the higher octane fuel than the lower, less degradation of the fuel.

95 for me. Means I can use the same fuel in my outboard and genny - no need to separate fuels. Never had a problem and genny seems to thrive.

If you want to a bit more research on the subject, have a read on caradvice.com.au and type in "what fuel should I use".

I think their advice is pretty much to use a higher octane if the one recommended is not available. i.e. using 95 if 91 is unavailable. NEVER use a lower octane rating than what is recommended.

According to them 91 may be getting phased out as anti pollution laws a la Europe get more widespread in the future.

Cheers
Pop

We only use 91 RON in ours and it has never missed a beat over the last five years. A few observations along the way

Fuel actually goes off so it matters not a jot what you put in the tank if you leave it there for months at a time it will pick up moisture and lose some of its octane rating regardless of the RON you originally uses. Message here is RTFM and drain the tank and carby if you are not going to use it for several months

In regard to lubrication and old ULP vs what we have been using in Australia for the last decade plus the removal of lead was a great move forward and it was replaced by a series of suitable lubricant chemicals that are much kinder to the environment. We have all been using the same fuel in our cars with nothing happening to their engines

The best thing for any generator is to use it under a decent load to make sure the engine actually gets to operating temperature and hot enough to remove any bore glazing that comes from not having enough load and the engine virtually idling. We actually use a Honda 1 for most our our tours it can handle up to six cars and campers without any fuss

Rob

I run standard unleaded in mine, provided it has no ethanol. That was the advice of the service guy where I bought it from. He said to avoid ethanol fuels as much as possible. if standard unleaded was not available, then the next lowest octane without ethanol would be fine. He said there was no advantage to using higher octane fuel on a regular basis (except to the fuel companies).