SX190 Gas Suggestions

[IndySX190]

We have about 20 hours on our new 2020 SX190.

So far I’ve only put 91/No Ethanol gas in the boat.

Needless to say, that is getting expensive and I can only fill up at the marina (even more expensive) or trailer the boat about 25 minutes to save $0.75 - $1 a gallon.

I have a friend with a 2014 Yamaha 210 that has only ever put regular gas in his boat and he claims no issues and the boat does run nice.

Am I safe to just put regular ol’ 87 in? Would I see a loss in power, efficiency, or any build up? Curious to hear what others are doing and hoping to save some fuel cost if at all possible. Thanks for any tips!

 

[anmut]

Read your manual. I put in 10% corn 87 in my 2020 212S because the manual says so. Only the supercharged engines need premium OR if you can't buy less than a 10% corn mix without stepping up to 91. Otherwise you're just wasting money.

 

[dscable]

We have about 20 hours on our new 2020 SX190.

So far I’ve only put 91/No Ethanol gas in the boat.

Needless to say, that is getting expensive and I can only fill up at the marina (even more expensive) or trailer the boat about 25 minutes to save $0.75 - $1 a gallon.

I have a friend with a 2014 Yamaha 210 that has only ever put regular gas in his boat and he claims no issues and the boat does run nice.

Am I safe to just put regular ol’ 87 in? Would I see a loss in power, efficiency, or any build up? Curious to hear what others are doing and hoping to save some fuel cost if at all possible. Thanks for any tips!

Manual calls for 87. That's what I always put in my '13 AR190.

 

[biffdotorg]

This really needs to be a sticky for all the new boat owners. As it's one that comes up often, and everyone has an opinion.

Best tip, read your manual, or the fuel cap. All of the yamaha boats built in the last 15-20 years were designed around the use of Ethanol. Daily use will not hurt your engines, fuel lines, etc. Storage of the boat with Ethanol will cause phase separation, and water in your engine is bad. That's not to say it's deadly, as you can never get it all out unless you drain the tank and fuel system.

This is countered by treating the gas for storage, or by filling with non-ethanol. And there are very few octanes lower than 91 without ethanol, thus the reason folks go to 91. Ethanol treatments are common up here in MN, as we have more storage months, than useable months for boats and sleds. So I think our point is valid.

Unless you have a supercharged Yamaha, (192/195/275) they are all tuned to run on 87-90 octane. There are no performance gains, only financial losses to burn 91 or higher (unless it is purely to avoid Ethanol)

Since you say you only have one choice, then you will hurt nothing by pumping at the dock, the engines will burn it just fine. There are only 6 yamaha engines in my fleet right now, 4 of the 6 are tuned for 91, and 2 of those 4 are 2 stroke. After owning upwards of 20 Yamaha engines, ethanol has been the least of my concerns. And the octane rating stated in the manual, or on the gas cap has served me well.

Good luck,

 

[El Comandante]

I doubt the issue here is about octane but more about the corrosive effects of ethanol and it’s tendency for phasing especially in vented fuel tanks as with marine applications. Add to that it’s not uncommon for boats to be stored near bodies of water where humidity and moisture is higher.

Nothing I own that runs on gas gets ethanol. My boat, Harley, truck, nor lawnmower.

I happily pay more for non ethanol gas. I’ve rebuilt too many carbs, replaced too many fuel petcocks, and replaced too many fuel lines, not to mention the water in fuel syndromes boats can suffer.

It’s worth the extra $10-$15 bucks at the pump to me.

 

[Maccam26]

I put 87 pump but always add Sta-bil 360 Marine to protect against the ethanol. This summer i've put a few tanks of non-ethanol but it is a lot more money around here than what the sta-bil costs me

 

[Gunner]

87 and use Yamaha additive of one ounce to every 10 gallons

 

[2kwik4u]

87 Octane with 10% corn for the life of the boat. Few times it's gotten E0 or E10 93 or E0 93 when that is what was available at the fuel dock.

Ehtanol is not the problem it used to be. Before fuel systems were built to withstand the corrosive nature it was a problem. That was 15+ years ago at this point, and pretty much everything produced in the last decade that runs on gasoline can accept some level of ethanol. If it can't it will be VIVIDLY marked as such.

 

[Tayhadasuperjet]

I run ethanol free premium in my boat. It is not too much more money and stations are close to my house. If I didn't have the SC engine, I would probably care less. But we are on a small lake and don't burn too much fuel every year. As the kiddos get more into water-sports, I might just switch to Chevron Premium. I think the big thing is to make sure to use a good boat fuel stabilizer in the winter.

 

[merlinjet]

I ran 87 octane in my 2014 SX190 before I sold it and had no problems at all. Note: I am a firm believer in a dose of Ring Free and Sta-bil 360 Marine at every gas up.

 

[Julian]

I asked this directly of Yamaha, and their answer was - what ever your manual says is safe to use.

I've been putting in regular gas in my Yamaha Jet boats for 17 years with no issues. Putting in premium (for non-super charged boats) is simply lighting $20 bills on fire for no reason.....I prefer not to do that.

 

[IndySX190]

Thanks everyone! My manual says regular 87!

 

[KevJul2019]

Read your manual. I put in 10% corn 87 in my 2020 212S because the manual says so. Only the supercharged engines need premium OR if you can't buy less than a 10% corn mix without stepping up to 91. Otherwise you're just wasting money.

I have an 2015 SX192 supercharged boat. Owner’s manual says to put regular gas. And I do (top speed it 49).

 

[Crob83]

I have an 2015 SX192 supercharged boat. Owner’s manual says to put regular gas. And I do (top speed it 49).

That's strange that an SVHO boat says to put it regular gas? Maybe the older models do, idk

 

[ctyke]

personally, i think a lot depends on how you use your boat, how much gas you go through and where you live. I burn non-corn solely because ethanol goes bad rather quickly. In Minnie, some stuff sits all summer or all winter and people run into all kinds of issues. For me, the extra cost brings peace of mind and I haven't had to bring an engine into the shop to cleaned out since using non corn stuff. It helps that the local co-op doesn't' gouge you for their non-corn.

 

[212s]

Am I safe to just put regular ol’ 87 in? Would I see a loss in power, efficiency, or any build up? Curious to hear what others are doing and hoping to save some fuel cost if at all possible. Thanks for any tips!

As others have said, the manual is your guide. If it calls for 86 octane or better, that's all you need to worry about. These engines were designed to run on 10% ethanol at 86/87 octane and there is no gain in performance using premium. Fuel systems are designed and built for ethanol use so there is no issue with ethanol "eating" your fuel lines or whatever like many years ago. If your manual says to run 91 octane because it is supercharged, then do that because the engine is tuned for that fuel. Follow what the manufacturer recommends and you're fine.

Having said that, humidity on the water is always higher than on land, so putting some fuel stabilizer with water treatment additives is a good idea. I only use "top tier" fuels in my boat which comes with additives in the fuel, and then a couple times a summer I put a conditioner in to make sure it's good (insurance for a few bucks). For winter storage it gets a proper measured dose of stabilizer a couple times before storage to clean it out and make sure it's good to rest till next spring.

Here's a tidbit of info - go read up on "octane" related to fuel. It's not at all what the marketing, commercials, and signage on pumps suggests it is like "good/better/best" or "bronze/silver/gold" - it's all a misnomer to get you to buy more expensive fuel than you need. Just use what the manufacturer says to use and have fun out there!

 

[biffdotorg]

That's strange that an SVHO boat says to put it regular gas? Maybe the older models do, idk

Thus reading what yamaha suggests is golden. As they have changed tunes on the higher strung motors and even in same models. We have not seen that in the boats as much, as Yamaha has stuck to similar engines for many model years. When the 190's were introduced, the consensus was they needed more juice. So Yamaha put together the 192 out of the waverunners. That may be the one version of the 1.8ltr that burned any octane.

For example, my 2007 Yamaha Apex GT, 4 cylinder four stroke was tuned for 87. And I loved it, as I could bypass the lines at the pumps out in the sticks of Michigan as everyone lined up for 91. Now my 2011 Apex XTX, is the same 4-cylinder four stroke, but with some advanced exhaust and tuning from the factory asks for 91. I do get an additional 15hp with this tune, but that is not due to the fuel, it's due to it being tuned for that rating.

The crazy part, is the sleds we run that are tuned for 91 actually have knock sensors, so if we get out in the "the sticks" and only have access to 87-89, the engine will compensate and adjust timing to avoid knock.