High octane gas for 2 stroke?
I was in the feed and seed store today to get a sparkplug for the leaf blower. The guy told me to be sure to use high octane gas.
I have never heard of such a thing. Next to a professional forester, few people have used chain saws more than I have. I have built seven log cabins using chain saws, beginning in 1987. In the early eighties I built and flew a little airplane that had a 430 cc two stroke snowmobile engine. I got it up to 6,000 feet above the hard red clay, and lived to tell about it, so I must have done something right.
I cut lots of firewood every year.
I have always used 87 octane gas in my two stroke engines.
Is it true that the 93 octane is recommended today?
I can't believe the high test was recommended 20 years ago or I would have used it.
I have never heard of such a thing. Next to a professional forester, few people have used chain saws more than I have. I have built seven log cabins using chain saws, beginning in 1987. In the early eighties I built and flew a little airplane that had a 430 cc two stroke snowmobile engine. I got it up to 6,000 feet above the hard red clay, and lived to tell about it, so I must have done something right.
I cut lots of firewood every year.
I have always used 87 octane gas in my two stroke engines.
Is it true that the 93 octane is recommended today?
I can't believe the high test was recommended 20 years ago or I would have used it.
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from a performance stand point as well as economics, you are better off with the lower octane gasoline. Unless you're building a racing chain saw with very high compression, the high octane gas will not yield you any benefit. 0 -
I always use premium in my small engines (especially 2 stroke).
It burns a bit better and will have less plug fouling.0 -
Just keep using the 87 Allen that is what I always use and have never had a minutes trouble and I usually cut 10-15 ricks of wood a year 0 -
I always use 92 octane and $1 an ounce oil in my small 2 stroke engines because I never have anything else mixed around here but my race bike fuel. 0 -
IIRC.Stihl recommends high octane fuel for their saws..runs cooler or burns cooler and prolongs the life of the cylinder and ring..we [USFS] bought several thousand dollars worth at a time and always ran highest octane available........Loko 0 -
We also have guy's coming out to the local I airport where I work to buy 100LL Avgas for their chainsaws. 0 -
High octane does not burn cleaner, quicker cooler or anything else in a standard performance 2 stroke or 4 stroke.
The Stihl saws LOKO is talking about are made specifically for the lumber industry and are very high compression, high performance engines. That is why Stihl recommends the use of high octane gas in their forestry, commercial and even some high-end consumer models. Most manufacturers recommend 89-90 octane to cover a broader range of operating conditions for the most users without problems.
More critical than octane rating is fuel storage and usage. Only buy as much as you plan to use in the next month. Only mix 1 gallon at a time unless you will be using more than 1 gallon within 7 days. Once pump gasoline is exposed to the air it starts losing it's potency after 27 days. The longer it sits in your 20 year old gas can the more "stale" it becomes.
FWIW...I use 89 octane in all my lawn and garden equipment, snowmobiles, motorcycles...etc.0 -
Maybe he owns stock in Exxon or something.
Gasoline does not foul spark plugs in two stroke engines. The oil you use does. The higher the ash and other garbage in it the more your plugs will foul out.
I use 89 octane in all of my 2 strokes. Even the built Banshee runs on 89 better than 93. Less knocking and it runs cooler. As far as oil goes. I only use Maxima Castor 927 in the Banshee's for it does the best job. Was using Yamaha 2 stroke oil until I got tired of having to clean or change plugs every twenty minutes of ride time. I have only changed the plugs in the one I ride the most four times since 2005 when I switched to Maxima 927.
Quads and bikes get Maxima 927
In the Lawn and Timber tools. I still use Stihl two stroke oil even tho I gave up on the junk Stihl has to offer now days and went to Husqvarna.0 -
I think alot of you need to lear what octane is and Why it is needed.
The octane rating of gasoline tells you how much the fuel can be compressed before it spontaneously ignites. When gas ignites by compression rather than because of the spark from the spark plug, it causes knocking in the engine. Knocking can damage an engine, so it is not something you want to have happening. Lower-octane gas (like "regular" 87-octane gasoline) can handle the least amount of compression before igniting.
bottom line is: the more compression you have the better fuel you need.0 -
I also think that it is more important to use a high quality oil then it is more octane gas. Some of the synthetic 2 stroke oils on the market are much better then 20 years ago. They burn more complete, create less carbon build up, and are better lubricants. 0 -
Speaking of 2-stroke oil, does anyone have any experience/comments about Lucas smokeless 2-stroke oil. I bought some this summer and haven't used any yet. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by scrumpyjack
from a performance stand point as well as economics, you are better off with the lower octane gasoline. Unless you're building a racing chain saw with very high compression, the high octane gas will not yield you any benefit.
I take a bit of exception to that. You will kill a two stroke with detonation as carbon builds or it runs lean from low fuel or dirt in the jets. It will burn a hole in the piston. Also never use Ethanol based fuel dryers; they burns too hot for a two stroke. Use Isopropyl based driers. A two stroke needs clean gas of a high octane for max performance and life. As a old hand with snow mobiles I saw MANY burned engines when the lean mixtures started to ping and burn down the pistons.0 -
Stens is the best. its blueish green. Goes in any 2 stroke engine. runs better than any brown mix oil out there 0 -
My buddy Glen Tucker of Glen's Small Engine recommends premium gasoline in all Echo engines, so I use premium in my Echo chain saw and string trimmer. I also use only Echo oil. 0 -
I run standard octane in every stock 2 stroke I have. Weed eater, chainsaw, atv's, jet ski's, etc.
Any thing I have built with high compression I use higher octane.
I have a built drag Banshee I run VP C12 in. It's 108 octane. The compression is too high and the timing is too advanced to run anything else. Even with the 108 octane. I has to be towed to and from the track. I can't start the bike until I'm on the start line and I have to shut if off as soon as I cross the finish line. Then we take two leaf blowers and blow the engine cool for the next race.0 -
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Get a nice, clean, new metal 5-gallon fuel can and fill it with:
3.25 gallons 100+ octane aviation gasoline
1.50 gallons methanol
16-20oz. castor oil
Fill your chainsaw with this stuff, Fire That Mother Up and start cuttin'! [;)]0 -
From my boat racing days, we would run 40:1 or 32:1 mix. The oil actually helps to boost octane, per say, by slowing down the "burn" somewhat. But ya gotta understand, these engines were being run "balls to the wall","foot thru the floor".[:D] These engines didn't idle for long.
Most consumer grade engines (2 & 4 stroke) are made to run 87 octane gas.
Now in my 2.o ltr v-6 Mercury o/b running a 22cc head, I had to run between a 100-108 octane gas to get it to turn 9,000 + rpm's. I used Klotz synthetic at a 40:1 ratio.
I'm a firm believer in the synthetic oils for 2 strokes. Plugs seem to last forever compared to regular oil.
As far as my weedeater and chainsaw, they get 87 with a manufacturer suggested 50:1.0 -
2.0 Gallons of Methanol
2.0 Gallons of NitroMethane
Klotz Oil
Watch the RPMs!!!0
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