Types of octane in Bangladesh
Now we need to talk about octane. The octane available in our country is RON 95 or octane 95. So what kind of bike will we use these octane? Hopefully, there are few high quality bikes available in our country at present. Most bikes of 150 cc and above have high quality 4-stroke engines. These engines have higher compression ratios and more than two valves.
These bikes have to use quality gasoline (must be the minimum RON6 internationally), whereas our petrol RON is only 7! That's why we can use octane on these bikes. Moreover, the change of seasons in our country is also a fact. In winter, it is very cold in many parts of the country. As a result, petrol cannot provide proper performance for these engines. Start in winter does not want to take easily. That is why octane is needed for these engines.
Use of petrol with octane
Ordinary bikers in our country have a bad habit of mixing petrol with octane. They mix octane-petrol in different proportions like 1: 1, 1: 2 etc. But most of them do not know what they are doing and why. They do this based on a few misconceptions and they don't even know if their bikes need petrol (RON60) or octane (RON 95) or anything else. Typically, gasoline of two different RONs is mixed to obtain an average RON; Such as (RON 70 + RON 95) / 2 = RON 7.5. But yes, it can be done only when the same booster, detergent and antioxidant additives are used in both RON numbered gasolines.
But in our country we do not know whether the additives are used with petrol and octane in what doses or whether the same kind of additives are used at all. That is why it is not only better not to mix petrol-octane in any proportion, but it is also the safest. Isn't our petrol RON 70 or adulterated everywhere? So in such a situation we can mix petrol-octane in the ratio of only 1: 1 (50%: 50%) for normal quality bikes. In these cases, first check the performance of your bike using petrol. Then, if you feel the need, use octane. Observe the difference in performance of octane use. If you do not like this performance, mix petrol-octane in the ratio of 1: 1. Now observe how the performance of the bike changes and make the final decision.
This method does not apply to high-powered bikes. Use only octane (RON 95) for them.
Does the bike's engine overheat using octane?
Yes, this can happen depending on the quality of the engine. You need to know if your bike needs a high quality RON for its engine. If the engine of your bike is less than 150 cc and its compression ratio is less than 9: 1, then you should use ordinary petrol, but you have to be pure. Otherwise you can mix petrol-octane as 50%: 50% and this is also for winter only. High quality RON's gasoline overheats the engine, especially in summer, and prolonged use can damage the engine. But you can only use octane (RON 95) if your bike has high power. This type of engine will not overheat using octane. The engine overheats only when you use high compression and high RON fuel in a low compression ratio dependent engine. Therefore, low RN gasoline is suitable for low cc and low compression ratio dependent engines. And more RON gasoline for high power bikes.
Should newer bikes use lower RON gasoline?
This is also a misconception. People think that new bikes should use petrol (lower RON) and old bikes should use octane. But in fact, high RN gasoline should be used during the ‘break in period’ (first 2000 km) of the new bike. Since the speed limit during break-in, RPM is low and does not run continuously for a long time, the engine does not get a chance to overheat. Moreover, the use of octane during this time results in adequate heating of the engine and proper functioning of the internal components. So you can safely use octane up to 2000 km on your new bike.
Would it be better to use high RON gasoline instead of low RON gasoline?
As you can see on the internet, no one will advise you to use higher quality RN gasoline than the company prescribed RON. If you ever feel the need to use high RON gasoline, you can do so to get some additional benefits. You can use high RON gasoline if you need to replace the old piston with a larger one and replace it with a larger one because your bike's engine is getting old and the cylinder is getting worn out.
But if you fill the gap in the cylinder and insert the piston of the previous size, you will no longer need high RON gasoline. Octane should also be used for break-ins of newly installed devices. Another thing is that if more noise is made in the engine due to corrosion of pistons, piston rings and cylinders, the use of high RON gasoline can get rid of this noise. However, it will reduce the mileage of the bike. So it would be better to use the RON gasoline that you used before replacing the old and damaged parts of your bike. However, you can take high RON gasoline to avoid the hassle of starting in winter.
Is it okay to use fuel booster, detergent additive?
Bike manufacturers do not encourage the use of any additional fuel boosters or additives in their bike engines. However, many of us use extra boosters and additives on the bike. Harmful to carburetors / injectors, engines and catalytic converters of these booster bikes. When used for a long time, these things accumulate in the corners of the piston, valves, cylinder body and destroy the spark plug and catalytic converter. That’s why these boosters should only be used on sports bikes to increase short-term performance. And ordinary bikes need to avoid these boosters and maintain the engine regularly. If possible, you need to buy a high-powered bike or have your bike engine modified by an experienced technician to get better performance.
Although the RON number of gasoline is not directly related to the power output of the engine, its performance depends to some extent on the RON, regardless of the quality of the engine.
Would it be a problem to use high RON gasoline in low power engines?
Doing so will only waste money and energy. Using high RON gasoline, the engine will start faster even in cold weather and will give better throttle response. But there is nothing to be happy about. Because this will reduce the mileage of the bike. The engine will also overheat quickly. Even if the bike reaches the maximum speed quickly, the vitality of the engine will be lost. Sometimes the engine can misfire and the piston, piston ring, connecting rod and cylinder will decay quickly.
Tomorrow I post part-04.
Stay my account.