Multi grades of fuel from single dispenser

[Coyote Crazy]

I use 91 octane Top Tier Fuel http://www.toptiergas.com/index.html (I use primarily Chevron because my choices are limited living in a small community in California). In the last few years, virtually all the fuel pumps have been replaced with new “multi-grade” pumps, e.g.: single hose and nozzle with multiple (3) buttons to chose which grade fuel you wish to purchase. As a matter of routine I will stop and fill up the R12R on my way home; I like to keep her in the garage full and ready to ride. Normally this entails a purchase of between 2 to 4 gallons. My questions are: If the customer before me purchases a lower grade of fuel how much low grade fuel is left in the hose and nozzle? How much am I getting ripped off with lower grade fuel? I am assuming that in a 10 gallon plus purchase the amount would be negligible, but with just a 2 to 3 gallon top-off how much is the 91 octane fuel being diluted with a lower grade of fuel? I am curious if anyone out there has experience in this field and might enlighten me as to how much fuel is left in the hose and nozzle from the previous purchase. Anyone else think about this?

[deilenberger]

I've certainly seen this question posted in numerous moto forums in the past - and some people in the industry replied that even 2-3 gallon "top up" - the amount of lower octane fuel isn't significant.

Plus there is nothing at all you can do about it - and things I can't do anything about I try my damnest to simply forgeddabout'm.

[Trout]

Plus there is nothing at all you can do about it

Sure there is

You can shop from pump to pump and look at the dollars and the gallons dispensed by the previous customer. Divide the dollars by the gallons to get the price per gallon, then you'll know what grade the last guy pumped. Find a pump that was used for premium last and you'll get pure premium.

[MJB]

Plus there is nothing at all you can do about it

Sure there is

You can shop from pump to pump and look at the dollars and the gallons dispensed by the previous customer. Divide the dollars by the gallons to get the price per gallon, then you'll know what grade the last guy pumped. Find a pump that was used for premium last and you'll get pure premium.

Wow

That seems like a lot of work too me.
I know when I want gas; I just pull up to an empty pump.
I just make sure it's not diesel

Other than that I fill up with super.
If I get a get of reg. gas I don't even think about it.

Have you had any problems with your bike with gas, and that's why you want to make sure you ONLY get 100% premium gas?

[deilenberger]

Sure there is

You can shop from pump to pump and look at the dollars and the gallons dispensed by the previous customer. Divide the dollars by the gallons to get the price per gallon, then you'll know what grade the last guy pumped. Find a pump that was used for premium last and you'll get pure premium.

Where is the calculator feature on the OBC?

Inquiring minds want to know..

If I did this - wearing my RoadCrafter - at some of the stations I stopped at during my recent little ride through the souf' US - I would have gotten (a) laughed outta the place (b) run over by a good-old-boy who was tired of waiting for an open pump. Then they'd say "He ain't from around here.."

Like I already said - I don't worry a whole bunch about things I can't change.. this is one of them.

[Phillo]

Go to www.patentstorm.us/patents4978028.html and all will be revealed

[matty26]

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[Phillo]

Just "Google" multi fuel dispensers and you will find plenty of info - Regards to all from South Africa

[Trout]

If I did this - wearing my RoadCrafter - at some of the stations I stopped at during my recent little ride through the souf' US - I would have gotten (a) laughed outta the place (b) run over by a good-old-boy who was tired of waiting for an open pump. Then they'd say "He ain't from around here.."

Isn't that what BMW riding is all about? Wearing our official Roadcrafter uniforms with our neat little maps in our sleeve map pockets, consulting our 3 neatly mounted GPS units with our flip up helmets in the flipped up position. Why would it seem so out of character to quickly walk from pump to pump and push the buttons on our secret decoder ring looking for residual premium gas?

I do this all the time
Wearing my Roadcrafter
With my flip up helmet
And my secret decoder ring

[ShinySideUp]

http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/49780 ... ption.html

Relevant paragraph:

Note that during testing of a prototype system of the present invention, it was determined that in the configuration of FIG. 1, whenever high octane fuel is flowing from the inner hose 1 through the nozzle 5, that only an insignificant quantity of fuel in the outer hose 3, that is in the area of the outer hose between the outside of the inner hose 1 and the inside wall of the outer hose 3, will flow into the nozzle 5 or mix with the high octane fuel being dispensed when the lower octane valves 23 and 25 are closed. The primary reason for this is that when the low and mid octane valves 25, 23 are closed, there is no pressure differential in the stagnate fuel in the outer hose 3 to cause the stagnate fuel to flow into, and be mixed with, the flowing fuel in the inner hose 1. No pressure will be available to cause valves 23 or 25 is reopened. Also, the flow of fuel from the inner fuel hose 1 through the nozzle 5 tends to create a back pressure, which also assists in preventing fuel flow, due to gravity from the area between the inner hose 1 and outer hose 3, into nozzle 5 and mixing with the high octane fuel being delivered. Accordingly, for the dispensing of high octane fuel, no detrimental mixing of the high octane fuel being delivered with a lower octane fuel from the outer hose 3 occurs to an extent sufficient to cause a detriment to the customer receiving the high octane fuel.

Got that?

[Trout]

no detrimental mixing of the high octane fuel being delivered with a lower octane fuel from the outer hose 3 occurs to an extent sufficient to cause a detriment to the customer receiving the high octane fuel.

Well hells bells, ShinySide. What ever will we talk about now?

We've now recently established that it's safe to pump fuel from a single hoser and that Castrol is a quality oil, as certified by Blackstone. I'm really not sure what to worry about next. It's freaking me out.

[mogu83]

If you really want something to worry about, try this:
What if when the delivery driver delivering the gas to the station 'accidentally' dropped a few hundred gallons of regular into the premium tank. You most likely couldn't get away with it on a regular basics in a local station, but on the highway with transient customers it could result in a few extra dollars in the till at the end of the day.
The gas is dyed different colors for the different grades (the reason why the delivery hose has a glass section in it) but who really looks. Maybe we should carry a color chart and draw off a few ounces before we fill the tank.

Don't ask how I know this goes on, I'll take the fifth.

[hjsbmw]

If you really want something to worry about, try this:
What if when the delivery driver delivering the gas to the station 'accidentally' dropped a few hundred gallons of regular into the premium tank. You most likely couldn't get away with it on a regular basics in a local station, but on the highway with transient customers it could result in a few extra dollars in the till at the end of the day.
The gas is dyed different colors for the different grades (the reason why the delivery hose has a glass section in it) but who really looks. Maybe we should carry a color chart and draw off a few ounces before we fill the tank.

Don't ask how I know this goes on, I'll take the fifth.

Well, maybe that explains my observation. I get different fuel mileage depending on the brand of gas, or the particular gas station where I fill up.

I always get premium, no matter where I shop, and I have the bike long enough now to say with certainty that this is not due to riding habit or other coincidental stuff. I see a spread of approximately 10%:
50mpg constantly at one particular local station, and as low as 44mpg at others. I can only surmise that either the 50mpg stuff has a higher octane grade than advertised, or the other brands have it lower. Or, what mogu83 said above.

[celticus]

Just to make sure , to clear the pipes as it were, I pump a half gallon or so on the ground and then start filling up the tank.....
Just kidding.

Mark

[bobw]

MPG results are more likely to be from ethanol content, etc. Octane rating has to do with resistance to pre ignition, (detonating, pinging), not that 91 has more "power" than 87 octane. Most modern engines use sensors that can detect the nocking and adjust the engine management systems to compensate for the problem.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octane_rating

[hjsbmw]

MPG results are more likely to be from ethanol content, etc. Octane rating has to do with resistance to pre ignition, (detonating, pinging), not that 91 has more "power" than 87 octane. Most modern engines use sensors that can detect the nocking and adjust the engine management systems to compensate for the problem.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octane_rating

Yes, knock sensors. Somewhere in the middle of the Wikipedia page you cite it is stated "but also reduces power output and fuel efficiency", and that's why I am suspecting variations in octane rating.

Ethanol content might play a role, but you'd have to add a whole lot of it to explain a decrease in mpg from 50 to 44. See http://www.ethanol.org/pdf/contentmgmt/ ... dy_001.pdf: "oil industries have stated at various times that a ten percent blend of ethanol provides 3% less fuel efficiency".