The danger in using lower octane fuel is that you probably won't be able to hear your engine pinging under load, which is most of the time. It is like driving your car uphill in second gear all the time. There is no coasting, regardless of speed.
There is a reason why the lowest octane fuel available on the lake is 89. That is what the engine manufacturers recommend.
Why risk major engine damage in order to save a few dollars on fuel?
Now, there may be people jumping in here saying they have been running cat pee for years without any problems. At the end of the day, it is your engine that is at risk and you will have to bear the brunt of the repair cost.
As an afterthought, it would be a real sales point with today's high priced fuel if boat dealers could advertise that their new boats would run on 87 octane gas. I don't think that will ever happen.
|