2003 90 hp Honda 4stroke

"Just bought my first 4-stroke

"Just bought my first 4-stroke motor. Is there any advantage to using 91 octane gas vs 87 octane? I don't mind spending the extra money if it can improve performance or increase its lifespan. And what about synthetic oil? If I change it at the same frequency as regular oil, can I get better performance, or increase lifespan of the motor? If you recommend synthetic oil, which one should I use, Amsoil?

Thanks."

"Use whatever gas your new eng

"Use whatever gas your new engines user manual calls for. Most motors run well on 87 (which does not include all the additives the higher octane blends do). But if your manual calls for 91 - use it.

You will get varying opinions on the motor oil - traditional/synthetic, one brand over the other. So that's a personal choice.

How much will you run the motor? 10 hrs a year - 1000 hrs a year? If you are only changing the oil once per season (which means the motor is sitting alot) then maybe a higher quality synthetic could help give a little better protection.

Motors that sit idle often develop more problems than motors that are run all the time.

If you are running it alot, then frequent oil changes mean you might be better served with regular oil, which is far cheaper than synthetic and every bit as good if changed at the proper intervals."

"Thanks Graham. I only use my

"Thanks Graham. I only use my boat twice a month on average, with about 1-3 hrs use each trip, so I guess I'll go with the synthetic oil."

Im a new honda owner and have

Im a new honda owner and have been advised by experts in the feild to use only standard unleaded fuel because the higher octane fuel will make the motor ping and burn it out a lot quicker.

"Zenon - your statement is qui

"Zenon - your statement is quite true. 93 octane can be very dangerous to an outboard, although there are at least a couple of Merc models out there where it is called for. The majority of outboards will run as designed on 87 octane.

The higher octanes are often achieved by the addition of numerous additives (not a better refinement process) and should be avoided unless specifically called for. And as an added bonus, 87 octane is significantly cheaper "