[TRW]

I don't like ethanol, I don't recommend it, and most recommend against it. I was buying the expensive 91 octane non ethanol gasoline, but ran out and put in the 87 octane 10 percent ethanol. I was a bit surprised but found my 18 Kodiak ran well and started well on the 10 percent ethanol gas.

My question for you is, should I go back to the gas that cost 75 cents more per gallon or keep running on this 87 octane fuel

 

[Vincent]

First off your engine simply isn't high performance enough to require 91 octane nor warent the extra cost. Second as much as ethanol isn't good, as long as you regularly use your Atv and don't let it sit around for many months you ll be fine.

That said, if you rarely used your Atv or were storing it for many months, I would certainly recommend filling it with 91 octane and / or some fuel stabilizer.

 

[TRW]

I just looked in my Owners Manual and see they allow 10% ethanol, but not methanol, I did not know there was a difference.

 

[[email protected]]

Mine has had nothing but non ethanol from day one. That’s what my dealer had in it when I picked it up, was also recommended by them. Just my preference.

 

[Primethious]

I run premium so I don't have to worry about the alcohol eating away at the aluminum, rubber, and anything else it touches.
I also use Stabil in it.
http://blog.jackssmallengines.com/2015/04/see-ethanol-damage-up-close/

 

[dsiegfried]

Premium doesn't necessarily mean non ethanol. You can have 91 octane and have ethanol in it. I believe it has to state that it is NON ethanol gas to NOT have ethanol in it. That being said, I try to run non ethanol gas in all of my small engines for the example that Primethious showed. For the extra dollar a gallon it costs, to me it is worth it. It isn't like you are using your rig as a daily driver where gas costs would eat you alive. A tank here or there if you can't find it won't hurt it if you burn through it quick enough.

 

[Firefighterjake]

I've run gas with ethanol in most of my small engines for years without any issues -- chainsaw, snowmobile, ATV, lawn mower, weed beater, etc.



That said . . . as mentioned . . . if I don't plan to use the machine for a while I put some sort of fuel stabilizer in the fuel tank. I also would be leary of running ethanol in older equipment as there are some reported issues with older engines.

 

[GreenTech]

I noticed a huge difference with my first tank of non ethanol.

No more back fires.

 

[Hercanstein]

I am also in the Non-Ethanol camp.

I use it in everything except my truck and jeep.

 

[Floris]

I always find it amazing to read about the differences between countries. In Europe, we only have the choice between 95 or 98.
Both run just fine.
I wonder if the engines are tuned differently between US and EU models.
However, it would make sense because of the tight environmental regulations.

 

[TRW]

I am on my second tank of 10 percent ethanol now, and one thing I expected it to have backfiring when I backed off the throttle at a higher RPM. That has not happened, and my first 700 Kodiak did it and it never got better. It was a 2016. This leads me to think that the factory has improved the engine/fuel system over the first 700s that were made.

 

[Tirill]

In Sweden we have had Ethanol mixture in the GAsoline for decades. Recently it is increased from 5 to 10%. I have not noted any difference or problem with that really!

But I think U have to be more careful if U store en ATV or car or boat motor for a longer period. In my opinion it is much more important to drain out as much as possible of the fuel from the engine etc.
It seems like when the Ethanol mixture evaporates over time, it can form of white powder that can clog the Injectors, nozzles and filters. This is particularly important for Fuel Injected engines.
There is also something called "fuel stabilizer" that can prevent these problems, or at least improve the situation.

 

[Jssrvlz]

Ive always heard that your vehicle is designed with ethanol in mind. so It shouldn't be a problem in your regular vehicle. the ethanol is only there to help with moisture.

just don't park your small machines for time with ethanol in the tank.

Ive burned a couple tanks of ethanol gas in the atv, when we were too far out, and the only option was to go to the nearest gas station. it ran fine, I just made sure to burn it all and get 100 percent back in quickly.

 

[Madmax]

I've run gas with ethanol in most of my small engines for years without any issues -- chainsaw, snowmobile, ATV, lawn mower, weed beater, etc.



That said . . . as mentioned . . . if I don't plan to use the machine for a while I put some sort of fuel stabilizer in the fuel tank. I also would be leary of running ethanol in older equipment as there are some reported issues with older engines.

Same here, have been doing this for many years, never a problem. If the vehicle (motorcycle, mower, string trimmer, etc) isn't going to operate for a fair period of time I make sure to put Stabil in the fuel.

 

[JimP]

A friend that works on small engines won't put the red Stabil in any of his engines. He has had way too many problems with it.

He recommends Stabil Marine that is blue. Royal Purple also puts out a very good stabilizer.

I personally had problems with the red Stabil once in a gas generator that I had to clean and rebuild the carburetor on after using the Stabil on it for winter storage.

 

[CanadianKodiak700]

I always find it amazing to read about the differences between countries. In Europe, we only have the choice between 95 or 98.
Both run just fine.
I wonder if the engines are tuned differently between US and EU models.
However, it would make sense because of the tight environmental regulations.

European octane rating is different than North America . Euro 95 and 98 is equal to NA 91 and 93, still a higher octane fuel, just rated with a different system

 

[TRW]

Lots of good comments here, and I think we are OK using up to 10 percent ethanol, but you will never find any manufacturer that says it is a good thing. As the stabilizer issue, some are likely better than others, but they are important if you are using ethanol, and maybe any stored fuel. I think I have said this before, but I have a small engine shop close to me, and the boss says ethanol keeps him in business.

 

[legprod]

I have been using red stabilizer in my walk behind billy goat brush cutter , troy built wood splitter, dr tow behind mower and two quads for 10 years now, all I used in them was non ethanol no engine work has ever been needed

 

[JimP]

For most of our vehicles and our Kodiak's are included are designed to be ran on fuel containing up to 10% ethanol with no problems. All I have ever ran through my ATV's has been straight pump fuel without paying much attention to what it had it in other than not putting diesel into it and I have had zero engine problems.

Older engines that were not designed to be ran on it should be ran on straight gas. I remember back when we went from leaded fuel to unleaded fuel. A lot of the older vehicles had quite a few problems with it, mostly in the valve train.

If you want to find a pure gas supplier here is a link to check out.

Ethanol-free gas stations in the U.S. and Canada

pure-gas.org is the definitive list of ethanol-free gas stations in the U.S. and Canada

www.pure-gas.org

 

[RedRocket]

@JimP this would be a corner case situation you should be aware of. I do know 4 other people who ride Grizzly ATVs this has also happened to. Yes, most people on here will never need to be concerned with or need to deal with this. It is highly suspected the contributing factors are ethanol pump fuel, warm temperatures and high altitude.

I actually encountered a situation that spooked me a bit. Mid summer and warm out, low 80s at about 10,500 feet and my Grizzly completely stalled where it would not restart or when it did, it sputtered out and died. Fortunately I was only on a dirt road and not in an extremely steep section of trail like I was about 1 hour earlier. Sat there for a good 10 minutes trying to get her started and my riding buddy came back to find me. He said he knew what it was as he had this happen before, got his fuel container off his Grizzly and poured about a gallon of fuel in the Grizzly. Added to probably about 1 1/2 gallons 10% ethanol fuel in the tank. My Grizzly started right up like nothing was wrong. Bill mentioned the cooling of the fuel is really what helped but that he only ran non-ethanol fuel in the summer because of most likely micro-bubbles at the fuel pickup was messing with the fuel pressure. 10% ethanol fuel is supposed to have a lower boiling point at increased altitudes when compared to pure fuel.

Anyway, I ended up running pure fuel for the rest of the summer. The bad part is I typically was in areas where a minimum of 91 octane was available so that is what I ran. I never had my Grizzly stall again during the summer running pure fuel and yes, many trail rides to places above 11,000 and 12,000 feet.

Unrelated to higher altitude information, I'm not a big believer in running octane fuel higher than what is suggested by the manufacturer and I also am familiar with the following link that explains why higher octane than suggested can actually slightly reduce your optimal power. SuperATV - AN OCTANE RUNDOWN—WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW ABOUT GAS

As @CanadianKodiak700 mentioned, the manual does say fuel type unleaded at a research octane of 91. That is a different rating system used outside of north America. I understand it that research octane 91 is equivalent to US/Canada 87 octane pump fuel.