2 Cycle question

[GasGuzzler]

I used my 13 year old Echo saw Sunday for the firs time since spring. I had to add some fuel. Both my mowers have Honda engines with the same air filter and I keep those in stock due to the dust in the shade under my big trees. But nothing has needed a spark plug. The only other 2-cycle I have besides my saw and my Echo blower is an Echo PAS225 that I use with attachments (string trimmer, blade edger, pole saw and extension, hedge trimmer). They all get treated the same.

 

[rovernut]

Yes.

I spend the big bucks and buy canned fuel. Smells better.

I haven't figured out the reason for using premixed, other than convenience, as opposed to ethanol free gas + 2-cycle oil.
To me it's like premix antifreeze vs 100% antifreeze + distilled water.

Maybe newer saws like higher octane? All my chainsaws are old Stihls (oldest is my 075 bought in 1981) and they do fine with 90 octane.

Miserly,
Tom

 

[GasGuzzler]

90 octane is not a thing down here. We have 87 89 92/93 at regular pumps. Some places have 100 unleaded.

I bought a case of 12 small round cans in 2020 because I knew the price would go up due to Covid plus The Home Depot had a discount per can when you bought six or more. I finished the last one cutting downed trees for my dad in 2024.

The answers to your wonderings have mostly been stated in this very topic already.

1) It smells good
2) It's way more convenient and not much more expensive
3) Ethanol free fuel is very difficult to get for me (also explained already ... one store has it and they don't have pay at the pump, have short hours, and closed weekends)
4) 2-cycle oil is sold where pre-mix is. Same trip but I don't have to go to the gas station. I have some 2-stroke oil I got free but I keep it in the gun chem cabinet.
5) If I used a lot of anti-freeze for personal use (I do not) and I did not have an almost endless supply of concentrate (I do), I would use pre-mix.
6) Can says 93 octane but is smells like VP C-12 fuel when it burns (that's 112 octane).

 

[rovernut]

Of course there are unique situations/concerns that could drive someone to use premix.
You're fortunate it's not much more expensive in your area. It's around $23/gal here in GA. I can have 6 gal of mixed myself for $50 vs $138 for premix.

For people who have trouble finding ethanol free, I've used this site when out of town.
https://www.pure-gas.org/

 

[GasGuzzler]

TruFuel is $4.57 per gallon here.

93 no ethanol is $3.19 per gallon at the one place that sells it from 7:30-5:00 M-F with no pay at the pump. Two-stroke oil equivalent to what is in TruFuel is $5.97 per gallon of gas making apples to apples home brew fuel $9.16 per gallon which is nearly exactly twice the price of pre-mix.

It would be way cheaper if the local store offered a large size of 2-stroke oil but they only have the small ones made for one gallon of gas in the recommended brand.

Looking at your link I see Dallas has FOUR choices for E0. So does my home town according to the list but one is racing fuel offered by a tractor dealer and one is a semi-private club. The one I forgot about is Walmart so there are two here.

 

[RC44Mag]

https://offroadtopspeed.com/vetted/best-2-stroke-oil/

 

[32shooter]

I don't use much mixed gas, buy a quart of Lucas to mix and saved some of my little bottles that mix a gallon and I have it premeasered and only mix one gallon at a time with ethanol free gas. We have quite a few local stations that sell it, so it's easy to get. Been working for me so far.

 

[Mobuck]

Pretty much everyone has their own opinion. Here's mine: One of the local fuel stations has the option for 91-93 octane w/o ethanol. That's what I use for small engines both 2 and 4 cycle. I'm such a stickler that we don't even mix brands of oil additive between Stihl and Echo. It's not that difficult nor is it worth an argument. Just do what you feel is right.

 

[Jack Ryan]

I buy premix when I'm at my saw dealer/repair shop. They use higher octane AV fuel. I get everything tuned to run on it, saws and weed whackers and it all just runs better, starts easier. Even in winter and first thing in the spring they start the same as the last day I set it down.