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Best 2 cycle oil, and why

#1

S

slomo

I've ran numerous brands. Can't really tell one from another. Most will lighten your wallet more with all the fancy extreme super duty ultra MAX info.

Lately I am running the 100:1 Opti-2 oil. This is on the expensive side. Again I can't tell if it's any better than say the Ace Hardware oil with fuel stabilizer in it.

What do you guys use and why?

slomo


#2

Scrubcadet10

Scrubcadet10

i've been using VP from tractor supply. i use it because it's cheap. Never experienced running problems with anything. Chainsaws, or weed whackers.
vpracingfuels.com

Synthetic 2-Stroke Oil | Small Engine 2T Oil | VP Racing

VP synthetic 2-stroke oil protects internal engine components from excessive wear, reduces carbon build-up & cleans piston rings. Helps equipment start easily.
vpracingfuels.com vpracingfuels.com
Let the brawl begin..........


#3

cpurvis

cpurvis

2-cycle oil probably is the least demanding application an oil will ever see. It's in the engine for ONE crankshaft revolution before it's replaced with new oil.


#4

S

slomo

I'm not an AMsoil fan boy but their 100:1 mess did pretty good. It was compared to a way cheaper Supertech 2 stroke on youtube.

Still not a fan of these new 100:1 mix oils like the Opti-2 and Amsoil. I know the Opti-2 is super thick compared to a 50:1 oil. Guess that is how you can run them at 100:1 ratio. Opti-2 is supposed to be the cats meow what ever that is.

slomo


#5

S

slomo

cpurvis said:
2-cycle oil probably is the least demanding application an oil will ever see. It's in the engine for ONE crankshaft revolution before it's replaced with new oil.
Click to expand...
You might be on to something there. My issue is these OPE toys are air cooled and run pretty hot. Wish in America that if the jug said synthetic, it was a real synthetic. Like over in Europe you get the real deal synthetic inside. Here it might be one part of the additive pack that is synthetic and the rest dino oil.

slomo


#6

B

Born2Mow

If you are a home owner, then I'd buy any good synthetic 2-stroke oil from any named shop (Tractor Supply, Lowes, HD, Ace Hdwr, etc. ).

If you are a pro and you need the ultimate, then I would buy Valvoline. Valvoline is a name you can trust. They don't do anything but make great oil. They are owned by the Ashland Chemical Co. They don't make oil filters, wiper blades, or V-belts, they just make oil. There's no hype, just solid performance.

Multi-Purpose 2-Stroke Engine - Valvoline™ Global

When it comes to lubricating lawn mowers, chain saws, string trimmers, outboard engines, jet skis, motorcycles, scooters, portable generators and snow blowers, there’s one motor oil that does it all. Valvoline Multi-Purpose 2-Stroke Engine Oil is specially formulated for most high-revving, small...
www.valvoline.com www.valvoline.com

Hope this helps.


#7

Hammermechanicman

Hammermechanicman

I don't know the best oil. I will tell what i use and what i have seen. I have Stihl orange bottle, stihl silver bottle, lawn boy, red armor, stens semi synthetic, stens full synthetic. All of them work. Things i have noticed. The stihl HP ultimate smells a little odd and if mixed heavier than 50:1 it tends to clog spark arrestor screens. The red armor carbons up less than any other oil i have used. I personally like the red armor best. I bought a gollon of it. 2 stroke oil is rated by JASO. The latest rating is FD. Oil can be submitted for testing and the JASO site has a pdf of all the oils tested and their rating. If the oil is not listed it was not submitted for testing. If the bottle of whatever you are using is FD rated it works. Some folks seem obsessed with finding the "best" 100:1 oil and seeing how little oil they can run. Never made sense to me but what ever makes some people happy. Reminds me of the guy who buys a $1000 chainsaw and runs used motor oil for bar oil to save money.


#8

D

dcgrazier

I am a fan of Amsoil Saber. It is a synthetic oil for 2 cycle engines. I mix the oil with non ethanol gas at the equipment recommended specifications ... ie. 50 to 1 or 32 to 1. The biggest factor for me is non ethanol gas. I lost 2 engines using 10 percent ethanol gas. 1 engine was a chainsaw and the other was leaf blower. The local small engine dealer is the one who diagnosed the engine failure. It took me a while to find non ethanol gas 15 years ago. It is more readily available now. Since using the non ethanol gas, I have had no 2 cycle engine problems. I use about 5 gallons of fuel each year.


#9

7394

7394

PS: I ONLY use 100% 93 Octane gas. I only use about 2 gallons of mix/ gas per season.

I "used to run" Echo Power Blend, which was fine, & later on my dealer talked me into trying Red Armor. I did, & 6 months in (bottle says stabilized for 2 years) my Trimmer started getting wonky.
I pulled the spark plug & it had some sticky / messy goo on it.. I dumped the tank, cleaned the plug & bought a couple Quart cans of pre-mix Tru-Fuel® to finish the season.

What an improvement. it woke up my trimmer. Ran better than ever. Later found out it is made by Royal Purple. That was the last of Red Armor for me. Maybe it was very old stock, IDK? But when something lets me down, I seldom go back to it..

It would be crazy for me to keep buying quart cans of pre-mix, so I switched to Amsoil Saber, & I run it @ 80:1 & have never regretted it. My 2 strokes run super on it. And it exceeds JASO specs for FD & etc.

And FYI, the oil mix bottles/cans etc have a date on them, when they were filled. . After 5 years, one might consider getting some new & fresh mix. At least I know I will.


#10

Hammermechanicman

Hammermechanicman

Everyone should run what works for them and makes them happy.

I have run about a half gallon worth or red armor through mainly my 4 chainsaws. 2 of the saws are are high performance saws and i run them at 32:1 with everything else at 50:1. I have about a dozen different 2 strokes and they all run regular gas with no problems. The lawn boy s21zpm is over 30 years old probably has a couple thousand hours on it all on regular pump gas. The FS80 is over 20 years old and a couple hundred tanks of gas through it. All regular pump gas. I have run different oils over the years. All have got the job done. I empty and run dry all my 2 strokes every year. I try not to overthink gas and oil


#11

M

mmoffitt

Hammermechanicman said:
I don't know the best oil. I will tell what i use and what i have seen. I have Stihl orange bottle, stihl silver bottle, lawn boy, red armor, stens semi synthetic, stens full synthetic. All of them work. Things i have noticed. The stihl HP ultimate smells a little odd and if mixed heavier than 50:1 it tends to clog spark arrestor screens. The red armor carbons up less than any other oil i have used. I personally like the red armor best. I bought a gollon of it. 2 stroke oil is rated by JASO. The latest rating is FD. Oil can be submitted for testing and the JASO site has a pdf of all the oils tested and their rating. If the oil is not listed it was not submitted for testing. If the bottle of whatever you are using is FD rated it works. Some folks seem obsessed with finding the "best" 100:1 oil and seeing how little oil they can run. Never made sense to me but what ever makes some people happy. Reminds me of the guy who buys a $1000 chainsaw and runs used motor oil for bar oil to save money.
Click to expand...
Better yet 1000 dollar chainsaw to cut up a branch that is on the ground? really??


#12

S

seagullcom

Born2Mow said:
If you are a home owner, then I'd buy any good synthetic 2-stroke oil from any named shop (Tractor Supply, Lowes, HD, Ace Hdwr, etc. ).

If you are a pro and you need the ultimate, then I would buy Valvoline. Valvoline is a name you can trust. They don't do anything but make great oil. They are owned by the Ashland Chemical Co. They don't make oil filters, wiper blades, or V-belts, they just make oil. There's no hype, just solid performance.

Multi-Purpose 2-Stroke Engine - Valvoline™ Global

When it comes to lubricating lawn mowers, chain saws, string trimmers, outboard engines, jet skis, motorcycles, scooters, portable generators and snow blowers, there’s one motor oil that does it all. Valvoline Multi-Purpose 2-Stroke Engine Oil is specially formulated for most high-revving, small...
www.valvoline.com www.valvoline.com

Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Amsoil protects my equipment better and doesn't leave carbon deposits like most 2 cycle oils do.


#13

A

awkerper

slomo said:
I've ran numerous brands. Can't really tell one from another. Most will lighten your wallet more with all the fancy extreme super duty ultra MAX info.

Lately I am running the 100:1 Opti-2 oil. This is on the expensive side. Again I can't tell if it's any better than say the Ace Hardware oil with fuel stabilizer in it.

What do you guys use and why?

slomo
Click to expand...
In my view, it is much more important to mix the oil to the fuel in the correct ratio than to worry about which brand you are using. I bought a tool that lets me measure the oil accurately and I made marks on my Jerry can so I easily know how much fuel I'm mixing by filling up to one of the marks and then putting the corresponding amount of oil in.


#14

L

Lyndmc

I ran big bore dirt bikes for years and I’ve tried quite a few oils, my favorite was Amsoil 100:1. When I’d tear down my top end, consistently I had no wear on the bore. If it weren’t for the fact that the piston skirts would crack if you leave a piston in too long, there was no reason to rebuild! No plug fouling, not much smoke, no splattering the guy behind me with oil, and no wear.... can’t beat it! I’d always break in with a natural oil on the first tank after rebuild, then Amsoil then on. I ran it in all of my 2 stroke motors, weed walkers, chain saws, Lawnboy mowers, everything!


#15

E

ec121

The RC airplane guys run gasoline 2 strokes. They get into the same discussions about oil. The ones who use Amzoil say it has the hardest carbon deposits in the combustion chamber of all the brands. They have to almost be chiseled out. Pennzoil fouling can just about be wiped out with a rag. A 2-stroke racing motorcycle with a 200lb. man runs about 30:1 mix. It is loaded. A chainsaw or RC airplane engine is barely loaded. About any oil in the recommended mix will work. I use whatever I have on the shelf in my saws and airplanes.
One fellow had a job testing 2-stroke motors to destruction to see which ones could be used on military fixed wing drones. He his opinion was what I mentioned above.


#16

P

Penkola_270

Amsoil SABER is the only way to go!

Attachments





#17

R

rdedrick

This guy did his version of an oil test on this topic. His conclusion was the difference in oil performance is less friction and what I feel is most important is less carbon build up. I have burned a lot of 2stroke oil in my life including 2 stroke dirt bikes and I agree with his test results after doing overhauls on high hour engines


#18

T

Thin & Crispy

slomo said:
I've ran numerous brands. Can't really tell one from another. Most will lighten your wallet more with all the fancy extreme super duty ultra MAX info.

Lately I am running the 100:1 Opti-2 oil. This is on the expensive side. Again I can't tell if it's any better than say the Ace Hardware oil with fuel stabilizer in it.

What do you guys use and why?

slomo
Click to expand...
Slomo, have you ever seen the "Ace Hardware Oil Refinery?"


#19

Hammermechanicman

Hammermechanicman

Lyndmc said:
Lyndmc said:
, no splattering the guy behind me with oil,
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
You would have loved riding behind my Kawasaki 350 Bighorn running castor based oil. Almost got into a fight when a guy riding behind me with a new jacket got covered in black oily dots


#20

D

dschae1

I have been using the Super Tech (Walmart) brand in weed eater and blower engines for 25+ years. No issues ever. I used to use it (and Yamalube) in 250cc bikes back in the late 80's and 90s. No issues there either. I raced and did my own engine overhauls, so I have seen the pistons and cylinder walls back then. This oil is fine for 2-cycle engines.


#21

M

mmoffitt

Lyndmc said:
I ran big bore dirt bikes for years and I’ve tried quite a few oils, my favorite was Amsoil 100:1. When I’d tear down my top end, consistently I had no wear on the bore. If it weren’t for the fact that the piston skirts would crack if you leave a piston in too long, there was no reason to rebuild! No plug fouling, not much smoke, no splattering the guy behind me with oil, and no wear.... can’t beat it! I’d always break in with a natural oil on the first tank after rebuild, then Amsoil then on. I ran it in all of my 2 stroke motors, weed walkers, chain saws, Lawnboy mowers, everyth
Click to expand...


#22

B

Bellcrank

After 10 years in a high volume small engine shop I learned " any " two cycle oil is better than poorly mixed or no oil . A little rich is better than a little lean. Marketing folks put food on the table make'n us think their products are superior to the competition. I have a 45 year old Poulan that's seen all the different 2 cycle oil on market and the cylinder / piston / ring are original .


#23

Beamster

Beamster

I used to use Golden Spectro in Bultacos for less smoke.
In my chainsaws I use Maxima K2, which is a synthetic and barely smokes.

I think a study of flash points for various oils would be applicable because lawn mowers are not high rpm engines and I think certain oils may not completely burn off if not used for the intended application.

Attached is some information that I partially sumerized a while ago from an article on a chainsaw forum that might be of interest.

Attachments


  • Two Stroke Oils.pdf
    19 KB · Views: 6


#24

A

a1lawn

Get out of the shop and into real life and find out different! Switching to Amsoil changed my life. I stopped weed eating lawns with a wire brush and a sparkplug wrench in my back pocket 30 years ago


#25

O

OrtisEvans

I have a couple string trimmers and a couple other 2-cycles. They are of different ages so one calls for 16:1 and I think my new chainsaw calls for 50:1. I was curious whether the engine design makes the difference or the oils. I contacted Echo and they told me that the oils are so much better now that I can forget about 16:1. No, I don't know what has changed. I am now running 32:1 in everything and using oil with fuel stabilizer.

Finally, so far I have had no problems from ethanol fuel even in my 1954 Ford tractor.


#26

W

wengerequip

cpurvis said:
2-cycle oil probably is the least demanding application an oil will ever see. It's in the engine for ONE crankshaft revolution before it's replaced with new oil.
Click to expand...
I see the logic behind your statement but that is only one side of the story. The other side is that in modern 2-stroke equipment it is mixed at 50:1 for emissions requirements and to avoid excess smoke and carbon build up. They also run very lean, hot, and at very high RPMs. The leaner they run the less fuel is going through the engine and that also translates into less oil going through the engine as well. With that tiny amount of oil there isn't much margin for error. If you compare that to a 4 stroke engine where the parts are literally covered with oil I think 2-stroke applications are far more demanding. I have seen soo many scored pistons and cylinders in 2-stroke equipment come through our shop. I wouldn't run an oil that is not JASO FD certified.


#27

Hammermechanicman

Hammermechanicman

Another thing is how people run their equipment. The guy that never pulls the trigger past half way on his string trimmer vs the guy who runs his wide open all the time. Or the guy with the ms250 who trims trees in his yard vs the guy who thinks he is Paul Bunyan felling timber with his ms250. I know a landscape guy who fouls plugs all the time on his string trimmers because he barely revs them up and bitches how they are crap. I left the original plug in my stihl FS80 for 15 years and changed it even though it was still running fine. I run it hard too. Different motors, different users. Use what makes you happy. I may not use the "best" oil but my spark plugs are better than your spark plugs. LoL?


#28

M

mrmartin

I agree with slomo. I use opti-2. I tried it years ago when I was using a weed wacker. I ran out of regular oil whatever i was using and my buddy gave me a packet of the opti-2. He owns a rental shop and thats what he uses in all his two stroke motors. I'm no gear head but all I can say is the muffler on the weedwacker did NOT get anywhere as near the reddish color as it did when I ran the old oil. Less heat is always better. I bought a gallon of it after that. I dont use anything else . I have a 1952 outboard. I had a 1970 snowmobile. I have a 2 stroke two man auger. I have a mercury 100hp outboard. All these take different mixes with reg oil, I use the same opti-2 mix on all of them....awesome.


#29

T

tds19

Stihl Ultra full synthetic. We have looked at numerous cylinders using various oils. This is by far the best oil, leaving less residue and keeping the motor running best.


#30

upupandaway

upupandaway

Born2Mow said:
If you are a home owner, then I'd buy any good synthetic 2-stroke oil from any named shop (Tractor Supply, Lowes, HD, Ace Hdwr, etc. ).

If you are a pro and you need the ultimate, then I would buy Valvoline. Valvoline is a name you can trust. They don't do anything but make great oil. They are owned by the Ashland Chemical Co. They don't make oil filters, wiper blades, or V-belts, they just make oil. There's no hype, just solid performance.
Click to expand...

From personal experience, my 3000gt is 23 yo now. back when it had 160K miles i had to take a cyl head off due to a coolant leak.
When I did so, I was amazed to see that the cyl hatch marks on the cylinder wall were still there and consistent all throughout the cyl. of course usually these are worn through on the top and bottom sides of the cyl perpendicular to the crankshaft.
This is with Valvoline's dino oil.
I have had this good experience with car oil but i use echo 2cycle cuz i got a bunch of bottles for dirt cheap. My late 70's Still trimmers run so it must work fine...


#31

G

GrassSlicer

I have used lots of 2 cycle oils over the years. Many at 32:1 and 40:1 and never fouled a plug even on the cheap stuff. Now days I like to use Amsoil saber at 50:1 and my other favorite is the VP racing 2 cycle oil. I actually like the VP oil a little better than the Amsoil. It smells better and seems to burn slightly cleaner. By far my least favorite is the Stihl HP Ultra oil. It works fine and cleans good but the smell it gives off gives me a headache for hours.


#32

V

vonrick33

Hello Guys,
I used to mix gas with different oils and all of them have the advantages and disadvantages. So now, I switched to tru-fuel. It's a premix I buy from Lowes or HomeDepot. I have experienced better performance and horsepower using this product. A little pricey, but worth it. Just my opinion. Hope it helps !!


#33

VRR.DYNDNS>BIZ

VRR.DYNDNS>BIZ

slomo said:
I've ran numerous brands. Can't really tell one from another. Most will lighten your wallet more with all the fancy extreme super duty ultra MAX info.

Lately I am running the 100:1 Opti-2 oil. This is on the expensive side. Again I can't tell if it's any better than say the Ace Hardware oil with fuel stabilizer in it.

What do you guys use and why?

slomo
Click to expand...
No!! All designs of recent equipment has had to comply with the Clean Air Act, thus less oil , and LESS LUBRICATION. We have never condemned so many 2 cycle items as in recent years. Mix at 32 to 1 for engine life for everything rated 32 or 50 or 100 to 1. Just saying reasons for everything, and the reason here is not lubrication. Also it would take 200 years of continuous string trimmer running to equal one year of your Gasoline car's pollution after one hour of gravity on the 2 cycle's emissions settling out of the air. Even better, some units today have a catalytic converter wafer in the muffler which will burn it off even more.


#34

M

mynova63

slomo said:
I'm not an AMsoil fan boy but their 100:1 mess did pretty good. It was compared to a way cheaper Supertech 2 stroke on youtube.

Still not a fan of these new 100:1 mix oils like the Opti-2 and Amsoil. I know the Opti-2 is super thick compared to a 50:1 oil. Guess that is how you can run them at 100:1 ratio. Opti-2 is supposed to be the cats meow what ever that is.

slomo
Click to expand...
I used to use the Vp racing oil and had some hard starts and fouled plugs.
Perry Hall lawn and Power Equipment in Baltimore Maryland turned me on to the Opti-2. It`s a German technology synthetic oil.
I use Opti-2 now in everything. Less smoke and never have a fouled plug.


#35

S

slomo

For me, the Ace Hardware oil is a semi synthetic blend with fuel stabilizer. I ran probably 2 or 3 bottles and decided to remove the spark arrester for a look. It was totally clean, like a brand new one. I was stunned. I was wanting to get the ol' torch out and clean it up. Engine ports were clean too. This 2-3 bottle test was done over a couple years. Since I was there I ditched the spark arrester. My Maruyama trimmer sounds like a dirt bike LOL.

slomo


#36

S

slomo

Thin & Crispy said:
Slomo, have you ever seen the "Ace Hardware Oil Refinery?"
Click to expand...
Highly doubt Ace has a refinery. Someone probably makes it for Ace. Have you seen it?

slomo


#37

S

slomo

mynova63 said:
I used to use the Vp racing oil and had some hard starts and fouled plugs.
Perry Hall lawn and Power Equipment in Baltimore Maryland turned me on to the Opti-2. It`s a German technology synthetic oil.
I use Opti-2 now in everything. Less smoke and never have a fouled plug.
Click to expand...
Are you running Opti-2 at 100:1?

slomo


#38

B

blowerhead

I've been using Walmart's brand of 2 cycle oil in my Lawn Boy SilverPro 6.5 hp self propelled walk behind lawn mower since I bought it at Lowes in April 1999. Replace the spark plug every 2 years, run it about 35 hours a season, still runs like a champ


#39

S

SamB

While I do use Super Tech (price point) most of the time,I will use other brands of OPE oil.no brand loyalty here.
A high ranking person I know at Walmart has told me several times,Walmart absolutely will not tolerate customer complaints or returns for any item/product they sell. If 2 automotive batteries out of 100 are returned as defective,that maker is out. They will not tolerate the paperwork for returns or the bad press from selling "bad" product.,whether it is actually defective or not.


#40

E

Evil Spirit

I've used the 1 gallon packets of Opti-2 for years and love it. It's a 1 mix, meaning it is not necessary to mix different ratios for different equipment. I put one packet in a gallon of 90 octane alcohol free recreational fuel - ends up being about a 70-1 mix - and use it in several different string trimmers and snow blowers. All start easy and are pretty much smokeless.


#41

K

Kurttb1

slomo said:
Are you running Opti-2 at 100:1?

slomo
Click to expand...
I have been running Optimal ie. Opti-2 for 20 years. I use it in weedeaters, chainsaws, blowers, heck I even add it to the gas I put in my 69 Ford F-250 Explorer, 390; 1974 F-350 6 Cyl ; My 77 F-350 302. Opti-2 coats the cylinder linings. I believe it helps preserve unleaded gas to keep it from separating. I would not run anything else. I ran a Lawn & Landscaping business and a Tree trimming and removal business and never fouled a plug, occasionally a plug would quit but it wasn't from fouling. I have a PB210E Echo blower which is 20 years old and it still runs great. I also very rarely had to readjust my carbs. I am not familiar with Amsoil, I know they have great products, But I am very familiar with Opti-2. I use between 3 and 4 oz per 2.5 gallons. that is 3oz to 320oz gas. 100:1 - For older equipment and my trucks I use 4oz to 2.5 gallons By the way I always bought it by the gallon not the packets.


#42

7394

7394

One thing worth mentioning, IMO. Most all bottles have a date code on them. I only get the freshest oil/mix I can.
If a bottle sits UN-opened for 5 years, I'll give it away.

And any opened & re-closed, after a year MAX, I replace. Oil doesn't go bad, but the additives can & do.For that reason, I buy the smallest bottles or pillow-packs I will expect to use for 1 year ONLY.

Oil is cheap, the machines that use it are not.


#43

B

bcarver205

I use Stihl silver because they extend the warranty. I bought mariyuma for the same reason. I mix one gallon at a time.


#44

7394

7394

bcarver205 said:
I use Stihl silver because they extend the warranty. I bought mariyuma for the same reason. I mix one gallon at a time.
Click to expand...
That's about the best reason, IMO.


#45

S

snorky1

there are multiple types of 2 stroke oil and each is blended and rated for that specific task...in small engines you want a high lubricity and a lower burn temperature to aid in combustion and reduction of soot/carbon/smoke. The only reason manufacturers say to use 50-1 is for epa regulations!!! the exact same chainsaw,blower,weed wacker etc in any other country will say to use 32 or 40-1.
I personally noticed a substantial difference switching from the cheap quicksilver multi use and super tech (not jaso rated) to schaffers full synthetic (both jaso fd and fc rated). I not only noticed a increase in power but also reduced cylinder head temps, a huge reduction in smoke...literally none after initial start up even mixed 32-1. last but not least is its viscosity at temperatures under 40f, the cheaper oils are super high viscosity when it gets cold vs the schaffers remaining very low viscosity. 8-14 bucks for the cheap stuff vs 28 for the fc/fd rated stuff made me wince pretty hard but the fact is a quart will last me a year or three

I have run 35-40 to 1 as my mix in everything and have never suffered a bottom end or top end failure even using the el cheap o oil. changing the plug, air filter and fuel pickup filter and keeping the carb in tune are also critical to engine longevity..if it runs funny stop using it and fix it.


#46

Hammermechanicman

Hammermechanicman

My Rototiller says to mix 8 oz of Aeroshell 80 SAE40 oil to 1 gallon of gas.

My 90hp outboard is a 1979 and takes premix at 50:1. It leaves a pretty good oil slick when idling. On the great lakes boats are not allowed to leave an oil slick UNLESS they are old enough to be grandfathered before oil injection. Had a guy losing his sh!t because he saw my oil slick and called the coast guard on me. Guy shows up and asked the year of the motor was. I told him and he said fine. The tree hugger started yelling at him. You would have thought i was killing baby seals the way he was acting.


#47

O

oldgearhead

I am a fan of Amsoil products. I only use their 2 stroke oil. I have had good luck with it running all my 2 cycles for the past 5 years. Burns clean, no deposits and plugs seem to last longer. My two cents.


#48

S

Shady oak

I sort of use whatever. Even if I ran 5 gals through my stuff the amount of oil is so insignificant the cost isn’t a factor. What is o find significant is using non ethanol for this application, since ethanol gas burns hotter. Also I treat each gallon mix with Sea Foam. I started this about 10 plus years ago, and since then have never had a 2 cycle down or in the shop. I don’t even remember changing a spark plug. I do drain and dry them every fall. But, I never dump last years gas, just run it when I need it the next year. Small engine guys love blaming the gas.... some have signs anything over thirty days old should be tossed. LOL. I transported gas for 40 years, I wonder if they don’t know how long some of it sits in those big tanks at the refinery tank farm?


#49

G

gfr

slomo said:
I've ran numerous brands. Can't really tell one from another. Most will lighten your wallet more with all the fancy extreme super duty ultra MAX info.

Lately I am running the 100:1 Opti-2 oil. This is on the expensive side. Again I can't tell if it's any better than say the Ace Hardware oil with fuel stabilizer in it.

What do you guys use and why?

slomo
Click to expand...
I have used this for at least 20 years, I found it at a small engine shop and they swore by it.
I was skeptical because I had never heard of oil that could be used for any fuel:eek:il mix. It came in a pouch
that was enough for a gallon mix, so easy right. Never had a problem.


#50

G

gfr

awkerper said:
In my view, it is much more important to mix the oil to the fuel in the correct ratio than to worry about which brand you are using. I bought a tool that lets me measure the oil accurately and I made marks on my Jerry can so I easily know how much fuel I'm mixing by filling up to one of the marks and then putting the corresponding amount of oil in.
Click to expand...
The beauty of opti 2 is the pouch, 1.5 or 1.8 ounces in a gallon of gas and you are good
if you need 16:1, 40:1, or whatever mix you require.


#51

Scrubcadet10

Scrubcadet10

image.png


#52

T

Teeton

I run a ton of 2 strokes and for a lot of years. Some close to 30 years old. Years back my dad bought at a action like 20 cases of Evinrude boat oil, each case had 4, six pack of oil, for a total of 24,,, 16oz cans in each case.. Thats all we been running in our 2 strokes. To date we've never had a deposit problem or an engine failure. I've had folks say we should never run that oil in an air cooled motor,, but I'll let the results speak for themselves.


#53

B

Bellcrank

When all is said and done there is more said than done. :)


#54

T

Tyy

Amsoil Sabre is a very good synthetic oil designed to be used @ 50:1 to 100:1 . I have used it for many yrs at 50:1 awesome product. Motul 800 is another good product , best when mixed @ 50:1 .


#55

B

bertsmobile1

Outboard oil has a lot of anti corrosion agents in it .
Some of the newer ones are vegetable based so as not to pollute water ways.
So it is marine OK for both
Mower oil not as good in boats

As for which oil is better than what oil,,,
Most of the difference is between the ears


#56

S

slomo

Can you use 3-N-1 oil in a trimmer? I guess you could. Can you use corn oil in a backpack blower? Guess you could. What about Slick 50 at full strength? Sure why not. Sun tan lotion? Okay.......

Are there better more purpose created formulas out there? Yes. Are these types of oil more suited to these OPE 2 stroke air cooled applications, yes they are.

Maybe it's best to use for example Fruit Loop oil in your Fruit Loop trimmer? Sticking with the manufacturers recommendation. Since they made the engine, they should know.

slomo


#57

E

Evil Spirit

slomo said:
Maybe it's best to use for example Fruit Loop oil in your Fruit Loop trimmer? Sticking with the manufacturers recommendation. Since they made the engine, they should know.

slomo
Click to expand...
Some manufactures require you to use their oil to maintain the warranty. They put specific dyes in their chemicals to ID them. Hmmmm. I'm 60+ years old and have never filled out a tool or appliance warranty card, so their warranty threat means nothing to me.

From dabbling in small engine repair for 20+ years or so I never really found enough difference in the engines that should require much variance in the fuel additive. IMO there have been more changes needed to the additives because of changes to the FUEL - as in alcohol content - than to a difference in engine designs.

So with that said, I have 4 different brand air cooled 2 stroke tools, and I'm not interested in buying 4 different brand additives and having 4 different gas cans of pre-mix - all sitting around getting stale from occasional use. Using the 1 mix Opti-2 gets me using 1 additive, 1 fuel can, and consistently fresher fuel.

So while I'm not saying there isn't any merit to matching the fuel additive to the same brand tool, personally I never found the need to do so.


#58

Hammermechanicman

Hammermechanicman

Look at the bottle. If it says FD rated mix it according to equipment instructions. The world will be fine. OPE can't read bottle labels to see what brand it is. If you have a favorite oil use it.


#59

7394

7394

(y)


#60

T

Tyy

dschae1 said:
I have been using the Super Tech (Walmart) brand in weed eater and blower engines for 25+ years. No issues ever. I used to use it (and Yamalube) in 250cc bikes back in the late 80's and 90s. No issues there either. I raced and did my own engine overhauls, so I have seen the pistons and cylinder walls back then. This oil is fine for 2-cycle engines.
Click to expand...
A lot of peeps become paranoid with 2 stroke oils . Actually any good FC rated oil will perform well in any air cooled engine . Similiar with the older TCW- 3 rated oil , that became a marine oil application . FD is only better for low smoke and high detergency , critical service applications in my opinion .


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