Im new to the motorbicycling, and i cant find any place were it tells me what type of gas to use? do these motors take regular gas at a gas station, or would unlimited be even better for the engine? Also what is the best type of oil to use at a local store like autozone or pepboys?
A question about oil and gas
- Thread starter Rnalecz
- Start date
if it is a 2 stroke, you have to mix oil with the gas (that's how the engine gets lubrication)
if it's a 4 stroke, no mix is needed (the engine will have a seperate oil fill location)
if it's a 4 stroke, no mix is needed (the engine will have a seperate oil fill location)
Unleaded gas (87 octane) is just fine. You won't be able to detect the difference if you use a higher octane fuel. As for oil I recommend a synthetic 2 cycle oil; this should be available at your local hardware store in the lawnmower section. Make sure to run a heavier gas/oil mix for the first several tanks to break in the engine.
For typical Chinese 2 stroke the lower octane the better. High octane is made for high compression engines to keep them from knocking, pre-igniting. By definition a higher octane fuel has a lower flash point and actually produces less combustion than lower octane. So use the cheap stuff and you will be just fine.
Just some thoughts on your oil mix, assuming you're operating a 2 cycle engine.
Octane has already been discussed. So let's talk about oils. There are synthetics and I've run them in motorcycles I've owned. Read the lable before using it in a new engine. Often engines need to be broken in with mineral based oils so the rings will wear in and seal properly against the cylinder. (again this may vary with synthetic so read what they suggest) I've used synthetics that requested the motor be broken in before switching to it. Then the synthetic
can do a fine job.
Consider if you choose to use mineral based oil for your break in or just choose to use it period....to purchase a good grade with the BIA/TCW rating. It will say that right on the container somewhere.
When you operate your engine, it is best to mix fresh quantities using fresh gasoline. Why ? Gasoline manufacturers may change their formulation up to 22 times a year to compensate for climate conditions. When the fresh gas is mixed with the oil it will be at it's most potent at that time. So it's best to mix small quantities rather than a large batch to run for months. Mixing isn't all that percise so if you are close it will still work fine. I keep a two liter soda bottle and a bar tenders measure (like two cups end to end, one cup is 1 oz and the other is 1 1/2 oz) Thus I use the calculation for oz per gallon and cut that in half. That would likely be 100 miles of gas mix.
2 cycle oil is packaged in small containers for string trimmers and quarts for outboard boat motors, to gallon jugs for larger outboard use. 40:1 ratio is common with lawn and garden motors and 50:1 up to 100:1 is possible with some of the boat motors.
So this should provide you with some insights into mixing fuel. You'll have to choose whether you wish to run synthetic or mineral based (pumped out of the ground) oil. Synthetic oil is created from chemicals and is molecularly slicker & smoother than mineral based oil thus giving better lubricity. (but often it's so slick......the piston rings won't break in properly using it if your engine is brand new....and that's the argument for breaking in with mineral based oil)
Octane has already been discussed. So let's talk about oils. There are synthetics and I've run them in motorcycles I've owned. Read the lable before using it in a new engine. Often engines need to be broken in with mineral based oils so the rings will wear in and seal properly against the cylinder. (again this may vary with synthetic so read what they suggest) I've used synthetics that requested the motor be broken in before switching to it. Then the synthetic
can do a fine job.
Consider if you choose to use mineral based oil for your break in or just choose to use it period....to purchase a good grade with the BIA/TCW rating. It will say that right on the container somewhere.
When you operate your engine, it is best to mix fresh quantities using fresh gasoline. Why ? Gasoline manufacturers may change their formulation up to 22 times a year to compensate for climate conditions. When the fresh gas is mixed with the oil it will be at it's most potent at that time. So it's best to mix small quantities rather than a large batch to run for months. Mixing isn't all that percise so if you are close it will still work fine. I keep a two liter soda bottle and a bar tenders measure (like two cups end to end, one cup is 1 oz and the other is 1 1/2 oz) Thus I use the calculation for oz per gallon and cut that in half. That would likely be 100 miles of gas mix.
2 cycle oil is packaged in small containers for string trimmers and quarts for outboard boat motors, to gallon jugs for larger outboard use. 40:1 ratio is common with lawn and garden motors and 50:1 up to 100:1 is possible with some of the boat motors.
So this should provide you with some insights into mixing fuel. You'll have to choose whether you wish to run synthetic or mineral based (pumped out of the ground) oil. Synthetic oil is created from chemicals and is molecularly slicker & smoother than mineral based oil thus giving better lubricity. (but often it's so slick......the piston rings won't break in properly using it if your engine is brand new....and that's the argument for breaking in with mineral based oil)
Down in my "ethanol is killing me" thread, I found out Monday Stihl (notorious for their warranty conditions) recommends 89 octane from major brands.
I'll be finishing up my nightmare of my first 2 gallons of ethanol (87 octane) by this weekend, making a trip to the store this morning to get a batch of 89, it'll take a few miles to jetison out the lower grade......
I'll be finishing up my nightmare of my first 2 gallons of ethanol (87 octane) by this weekend, making a trip to the store this morning to get a batch of 89, it'll take a few miles to jetison out the lower grade......
Nowadays, with all the folks coming for demo rides, I rarely have any old mix sitting around, but back when I did, I'd toss 3 week old mixed in the car or lawnmowe and start fresh.
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Indeed what engine? Great replies so far. I'll just add something to the break-in with synthetic stuff. A 2-stroke engine will break in just fine with synthetic oil of any brand. Maybe some mfr's of oil say this (I've not seen it) but with these engines it makes no difference if you start minute one with synthetic and it can be argued it's a better idea, especially when the ratios recommended for break in are 15:1 or 20:1 (which sorta flies in the face of no synthetic from the start)
On the fuel, save a few cents. It will burn most anything but not old ethanol fuel premix. Mix that and burn it. But don't store it.
Hope my gas that's been sitting for a couple weeks is still ok. I'd hate to have to go buy more just because I broke down for a while.
A couple weeks should be OK, but if your engine starts sputtering and running like **** right after you put it in suspect the fuel first.