Two Stroke Oil

[lots of boats]

Hello

There was a discussion a few days ago that started with the question of why should a particular brand of oil be used. There was reference to internet information, and it is possible to read about oil in general.

I would like to know what additives are in different brands of oil, and then be able to go to the internet to read about those additives.

Additives are not listed on consumer packaging, and not on bulk packaging either. Where do I look for this infomation?

 

[rndn]

Re: Two Stroke Oil

Make sure the oil is TC-W3 rated. I doubt you will be able to find out exactly what additives a given mfg adds to their oil.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Two Stroke Oil

Just "Google" TCW3 Oil Tests and read until you puke.

 

[wca_tim]

Re: Two Stroke Oil

modern oils can contain a waide array of ingredients, many of them have literally dozens of different "chemicals" included in the formulation with various purposes in mind. In general two-stroke oils may are probably less complex on average due to the fact that everything in the oul potentially becomes part of the compustion process and emission stream.

the other thing that's important to realize is that "oil" doesn't always mean the same thing, and what one company uses as a base, can be dramaticaly different than another - especially when it comes to synthetic and synthetic blend oils.

Oil formulations are proprietary - very competitive business overall... so it's hard to figure out what's in a given formulation. Companies literally spend millions of dollars each year reverse engineering the competitors' products in order to keep up.

most decent auto or marine oils are going to include (typically saparate) ingredients for: anti-scuff protection (reduce wear on metal-metal contact), something to help reduce possibility of combustion, polymeric additives to change viscosity, resist shear thinning, improve film adhesion (ie stickiness) to wetted parts, something to buffer ph (neutralize acids that are formed during combustion), detergents to suspend soot formed during compustion,emulsify water as needed and reduce sludge formation and the list goes on from there depending on the specific purpose, etc....

There's a lot you can read, but it can be tough to get too far into it because even if you are able to figure out the specific components of a formulation, understanding why something is added or how it worls together with other ingredients can be another can of worms alltogether.

there is some good information out there in terms of representative performance of different products vs standards and using standard tests. That's probably the best place to start (and maybe finish... depending on how determined you are,,,).

hope this is helpful even though I couldn't provide many concrete answers...

 

[lots of boats]

Re: Two Stroke Oil

Thanks all,
I guess I'll do more of the google, looking at tests, and see whether it will sort out some of the arguements and sales pitches. Cheers.

 

[wca_tim]

Re: Two Stroke Oil

IF you really get ambitous, one of the ways i dig into specifics for a particular product I'm interested in knowing more about, sometimes you can figure out what's most the "active" if you combine / cross reference tha msds sheet, the properties / specifications given for the product, and then do patent searches to see what tha manufacturing company has spent significant money to protect in the patent office that has similar benefits to the product you're diging into. It's not a gaurantee, but often times when you dig throuhg enough information, it falls together like puzzle pieces... can be a real challenge and also lots of work though...

 

[carpaediem123]

Re: Two Stroke Oil

I have always used Quick Silver premium 2 stroke oil. I have never done any research, but I suppose my logic is that it is one of the mose expensive and you normally get what you pay for.

 

[nineteensixtycaddy]

Re: Two Stroke Oil

guee, the manual I saw online, for my 59 evinrude lark, said to use "2 stroke oil" or if that's not available, to use straight 30 non-detergent. I can still get a quart of striaght 30 non detergent for less than 2 bucks at wal-mart, and a quart fills my 6 gallon tank perfectly, so I think I'll get a few cases before it shoots up like the price of gas.

 

[MLD]

Re: Two Stroke Oil

I just put amsoil in my boat and it ran a little faster and smoother.

I'm also a preferred customer.

 

[SunTrackerPB21]

Re: Two Stroke Oil

Make sure the oil is TC-W3 rated.

About 9 bucks a gallon at Walmart