I have decided to buy some 2 stroke TC-W3 at £5.60 per litre produced by a small UK company.
The issue isn't just about minimum price. After all the amount I use per year it is a small fraction of my hobby cost. It is more to do with avoiding being ripped off by the big multi national companies powered by vast advertising budgets brain washing one into believing that they alone have the answer - I 've got that off my chest!"
Jeremy
TC-W3 Oil
Moderators: John@sos, charlesp, Charles uk, RickUK, Petergalileo
Re: TC-W3 Oil
I definitely think at 8 or 10:1 ratio the sheer quantity of oil ensures adequate lubrication pretty much regardless of the oil used. I don't believe using the cheapest TC-3W oil is a problem either, there may be less wear with a "better" oil but to measure any difference would require serious running time and several motors etc. to provide the necessary controls for it to be a scientific experiment. I'm sure the cheapest oil available today is superior to any oil available in the day.
2 Stroke oil is definitely a lot more expensive in the UK by the sounds of it, which may effect my choice if I lived there, but still unless you do a lot of boating an additional $15 or so a season is not much for the overall" environmental benefits" of a full synthetic oil and the possibility of less wear and tear on your motor. A motor running at 25:1 might be more likely to benefit from an improved oil, although I've never noticed a lack of oil with a Seagull. Even at 25:1, with them running at a low temperature where the oil does not burn off as much as it does on engines with a thermostat, there always seems plenty oozing from the exhaust after use. Sometimes it seems more comes out than went in to fuel used on an outing
Perhaps the Seagull is extremely environmentally friendly because oil is retained in the exhaust tube to leak out on the garage floor later, rather than being emitted into the water or burned to pollute the atmosphere
Gannet, the other consideration is that there are only so many producers of the actual oil, despite the numerous brands on the market. I've heard, but with no means to verify it that the Super Tech brand sold in Walmart is the same oil that is/was sold for Evinrude/Johnson motors under their own brand name. So cheap and "off brand" can just mean you are not paying for the brand name and their advertising/marketing budget when you purchase it.
Another consideration is that Seagulls are not high revving units and on just about every application I have, I hit hull speed at medium rpms and so there's no need to flog it and make more noise and use more fuel to go the same speed, so generally they live an easy life. I did once get caught in a strong windstorm in my inflatable on one of the big lakes here and ran my 90 at pretty much full throttle for about an hour getting back to the ramp that was some distance away. The extra thrust kept the boat more planted against the effects of the wind and controllable in the waves - at times like that it's good to know you are well lubricated, the motor that is, because any engine failure would have unpleasant consequences.
2 Stroke oil is definitely a lot more expensive in the UK by the sounds of it, which may effect my choice if I lived there, but still unless you do a lot of boating an additional $15 or so a season is not much for the overall" environmental benefits" of a full synthetic oil and the possibility of less wear and tear on your motor. A motor running at 25:1 might be more likely to benefit from an improved oil, although I've never noticed a lack of oil with a Seagull. Even at 25:1, with them running at a low temperature where the oil does not burn off as much as it does on engines with a thermostat, there always seems plenty oozing from the exhaust after use. Sometimes it seems more comes out than went in to fuel used on an outing
Perhaps the Seagull is extremely environmentally friendly because oil is retained in the exhaust tube to leak out on the garage floor later, rather than being emitted into the water or burned to pollute the atmosphere Gannet, the other consideration is that there are only so many producers of the actual oil, despite the numerous brands on the market. I've heard, but with no means to verify it that the Super Tech brand sold in Walmart is the same oil that is/was sold for Evinrude/Johnson motors under their own brand name. So cheap and "off brand" can just mean you are not paying for the brand name and their advertising/marketing budget when you purchase it.
Another consideration is that Seagulls are not high revving units and on just about every application I have, I hit hull speed at medium rpms and so there's no need to flog it and make more noise and use more fuel to go the same speed, so generally they live an easy life. I did once get caught in a strong windstorm in my inflatable on one of the big lakes here and ran my 90 at pretty much full throttle for about an hour getting back to the ramp that was some distance away. The extra thrust kept the boat more planted against the effects of the wind and controllable in the waves - at times like that it's good to know you are well lubricated, the motor that is, because any engine failure would have unpleasant consequences.
1975 Forty Plus L/S 30 hrs from new
1976 Forty Plus L/S 1 Gal. Long Range tank
1983 Silver Century 90 EFNR 32 hrs from new
1976 Forty Plus L/S 1 Gal. Long Range tank
1983 Silver Century 90 EFNR 32 hrs from new