2 Stroke oil debate WalMart brand vs. name brand

[Hdog412]

As Everyone knows the cost of everything is up.

So I went to buy oil for the boat yesterday and saw the walmart brand of 2 stroke oil about $8 less than brands I normally buy.

Is it worth the extra money buying the Johnson oil or is the Walmart brand going to be good enough?

 

[rockyrude]

Re: 2 Stroke oil debate WalMart brand vs. name brand

As long as it's rated TCW3, the walmart stuff should work just fine.

 

[MichaelP]

Re: 2 Stroke oil debate WalMart brand vs. name brand

So am I waisting money spending $38/gal for Amsoil synthetic?

 

[rockyrude]

Re: 2 Stroke oil debate WalMart brand vs. name brand

As good as the Amsoil products are, there are less expensive options. Yes, synthetic does smoke less, but dino still works just fine.

 

[Jim311]

Re: 2 Stroke oil debate WalMart brand vs. name brand

I buy the cheap stuff. The generic brands are probably produced by major companies anyway, and while the high end brands MAY exceed the TCW specifications, the generic brands at the very least MEET those specs so I am not too terribly concerned about running generics. Then again, I do not have an outboard thats worth 10 thousand dollars. I can understand wanting a little peace of mind there, and if I were running a 4 stroke motor I'd definitely be buying good quality oil.

 

[hidef]

Re: 2 Stroke oil debate WalMart brand vs. name brand

I am currently running Wal-Mart TC-W3 and it works fine it does smoke more than the Pennziol semi-synthetic I was using. I really notice it with my 4 horse which I run at 24:1. Although it does help keep the mosquitoes and black flies away.

 

[Georgesalmon]

Re: 2 Stroke oil debate WalMart brand vs. name brand

Just make sure it is TCW-3 rated and buy the cheapest. That all the manufacturer wants and usually says use their brand of oil OR TCW-3 rated in the fine print.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: 2 Stroke oil debate WalMart brand vs. name brand

I agree with most of the posters. However, I am hard pressed to say the full synthetic oil ($40/Gal) or synthetic-blend oil ($20/Gal) smokes any less than the Wallyworld Oil ($12). I ran the full synthetic for a year to see if the oil stunk less (it didn't) or smokes less (not appreciably less) than the Super-Tech Oil.

is that Amsoil even TC-WIII rated?

 

[HighTrim]

Re: 2 Stroke oil debate WalMart brand vs. name brand

It really depends on what motor you are talking about, ie an ETEC

If we are talking about older technology, alot of guys have had great success with the Wally World oil. I have found myself though that the XD series of oil, (BRP) smokes less, but more important, leaves less of a carbon buildup in the powerhead and exhaust. I have hundreds of outboards, 50 OMCS mainly, many the same, so have been experimenting with running the same motor, same setup with different oils. I could not find any with noticable wear internally so far, but have found the carbon buildups to differ.

Going to try a longer test and see what if find. Curious if compression levels change, bearings wear quicker with one oil over another, etc...

Yeah, winters are long up here in the great white north. I should really get another hobby, or so my wife tells me.

 

[nwcove]

Re: 2 Stroke oil debate WalMart brand vs. name brand

i used to use ( and still will in a pinch) , the hardware store tcw3 stuff, has the pics of chainsaws, lawn mowers etc on the jug, but recently got 4 litres of johnson oil......and what a difference in the amount of smoke and plug condition. when the jug of johnson oil is gone i will check out the stuff from wallyworld tho.

 

[hidef]

Re: 2 Stroke oil debate WalMart brand vs. name brand

Amsoil does have a TC-W3 Canadian Tire sells it for $15.00 a quart up here in Ontario.

 

[JB]

Re: 2 Stroke oil debate WalMart brand vs. name brand

I tried a variety of TC-W3 oils and the only difference I found was that the synthetic smoked and smelled less but cost a lot more.

I did figure out that the "name" brands spend a heap of bux in advertising and promotion, neither of which makes them work any better.

After that I used SuperTech exclusively in my 2 strokes, none of which were direct injected. I think I would use XD-50 in an ETEC.

 

[johnson89]

Re: 2 Stroke oil debate WalMart brand vs. name brand

thats all i have ever used....55hp nissan 10 years.........225hp evinrude 5 years.......140hp johnson 6 years.......and still running a 90hp johnson 10 years....all other motors were still running good when sold.....the newest motor is the 90hp johnson its a 1989

 

[Texasmark]

Re: 2 Stroke oil debate WalMart brand vs. name brand

I am currently running Wal-Mart TC-W3 and it works fine it does smoke more than the Pennziol semi-synthetic I was using. I really notice it with my 4 horse which I run at 24:1. Although it does help keep the mosquitoes and black flies away.

If it's 100% dino oil you are comparing apples to oranges. So it smokes a little more. So what? Don't mean that maliciously! Really, so what. I have run 100% dino and Merc super stuff and the Penn you are referring to. I run the Penn because I like syns and probably would run 100% if available, but not for $38 a gallon.

Now, on the flip side I just disabled the oiler on my 10 year old Merc and now my idle mixture is 50:1, not 80:1 so it smokes more now than it did, but other than first hole shot for the day, it is still hardly noticeable.

My 2c,
Mark

 

[JohnWI]

Re: 2 Stroke oil debate WalMart brand vs. name brand

Pennzoil Full Synthetic for less than $30/gallon at Menards.

Even though I spend money on Syn, it's probably not a huge improvement as the oil is burned so fast. It's not like it gets used over and over like in a 4 stroke.

And with an old engine like mine, I think any TCW3 beats the original formula (not sure if it was TCW2 back then or ?).

 

[pecheux]

Re: 2 Stroke oil debate WalMart brand vs. name brand

Amsoil does have a TC-W3 Canadian Tire sells it for $15.00 a quart up here in Ontario.

Hi, I use that oil and consider it great lube with less smoke, but I dont think it's tc-w3 "certified" but compatible. Nevertheless ALL outboard oil are either certified, or superior to, or meets tc-w3 specs, or compatible with, ect. and we all get fooled because tc-w3 is written somewhere on the can, and I beleve they all do the lube job. IMHO choosing a brand is simply "fine tuning" in order to get either synthetic lube and/ or more or less smoke.

 

[pecheux]

Re: 2 Stroke oil debate WalMart brand vs. name brand

So am I waisting money spending $38/gal for Amsoil synthetic?

Are we comparing carrots with apples here ??? (ex: dino vs synthetic)

 

[Philster]

Re: 2 Stroke oil debate WalMart brand vs. name brand

 

[Chris1956]

Re: 2 Stroke oil debate WalMart brand vs. name brand

OK, I just looked at the TC-WIII website.
http://www.nmma.org/certification/certification/oil/tc-w3.aspx

It lists Walmart Super Tech as a Shell Product, and shows Texaco OB oil is made by Chevron, Havoline is made by Chevron, Suzuki oil is made by the same folks who make Castrol (lubricants UK), Yamalube is made by Yamaha, but Yamalube Brazil is made by Chevron Brazil.

I did not see a TC-WII Amsoil product. Interesting stuff....

 

[pecheux]

Re: 2 Stroke oil debate WalMart brand vs. name brand

I totaly agree with JB's comment. The only reason I use synthetic at this time is that my rig is tiller controled thus siting right next to the motor I get all the possible smoke. At the time I owned a centrol console rig the Merc 6 cyl 115hp was feed the cheapest outboard oil available bought at either Wallmart or Canadian Tire. Only drawback was that other boaters at the marina would know when I started the motor after a fill up by the smoke cloud. LOL Five years of heavy duty service = never had a lube problem.