WHICH Two-Cycle Oil to Use as an Automotive Add?

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Well, I've been poring over the long thread that is the basic discussion here on the question of using 2C oil as a fuel add in cars. I've been trying it in the Camry for a tad over a week now, and I'm very favorably impressed. It's not often that you try some additive or another, and really see, feel, and hear results, but I can in this case. Starts are smoother (and this car starts a lot in urban driving), running is too, and though I have yet to nail it down with calculations, it appears I'm getting about 2 mpg better than I was before adding 2C.

But this leaves me wondering -- which one to choose. For now, I'm using this:
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Pennzoil seems to have at least two 2C products, a syn and a non-syn. Note the language on the back panel, to the effect that it uses ester base oils. This drew my attention, as I theorized that the polar nature of many esters would likely keep it more strongly attracted to metal than might be the case with other base oils. Unfortunately, it is also about 2.5x as expensive as the PZ product that's not synthetic. Both appear to be TC-W3. Anyway, there's quite an array of 2c oils out there (not as many as 4c it would seem), certainly enough to keep a consumer confused.

So, let the commentary and recommendations begin.
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Great product! Walmart sells their own labeled TC-W3 oil, and quite honestly it will work exactly the same and save you some cash. My brain just stalled or I would have posted the name of the WM branded TC-w3 oil. Sorry!
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As long as it is labeled TC-W3 use the least expensive one.
 
I've read claims that this stuff is ester based, but the MSDS doesn't say that.

I've been using the synthetic blend (premium plus) for a while now, and my car does really well on it.
 
Super Tech...............I had to go into the garage and look, it was killing me!
 
CF:

Do you have a link to the MSDS? They put it on the back of the bottle (the main reason I bothered with that second photo). I suppose perhaps it's the wiggle wording, but from that, I'd think there has to be SOME substantial content, or the bottle label itself would be fraudulent.
 
Ive tried a bunch. The wal-mart stuff was logical because it is cheap. However, it stinks so much worse than any others, likely becaue they use a real cheap solvent. It smells like partially-combusted diesel fuel.

Ive tried pennzoil, havoline, and amsoil saber.

Ive found them all to be about the same in terms of feel, operation, etc. The small amsoil saber bottles make it really easy to transport and meter in. The name brand 2c oils also tend to be a bit more viscous, so they can be poured with more control - a good thing when doing 2c oils.

Im running pennzoil for the most part now, due to availability. I refuse to run the wal-mart stuff, though it is a few dollars cheaper. Given the dose rate, I'm not concerned about the cost delta.
 
And I suppose that given the favorable comments about the less expensive products, I'll try them at some point too. The regular PZ TC-W3 at WM is about $10 per gallon jug, and this stuff is -- no kidding -- $26 per gallon! For that price, it darned well better have some esters in it (whether they do anything good or not
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).
 
Originally Posted By: ekpolk
CF:

Do you have a link to the MSDS? They put it on the back of the bottle (the main reason I bothered with that second photo). I suppose perhaps it's the wiggle wording, but from that, I'd think there has to be SOME substantial content, or the bottle label itself would be fraudulent.


http://www.pennzoil-quakerstate.com/techdata/msds/Display_MSDS.asp?ID=205888

Comparing it to the Premium Plus MSDS, it looks to be the same data. I bet someone was just lazy, or they didn't want to reveal anything. http://www.pennzoil-quakerstate.com/techdata/msds/Display_MSDS.asp?ID=205523
 
Does it have much of a sweet smell to it? The Premium Plus has a light solvent smell to it, but none of the sweetness I typically attribute to esters.
 
Hard to characterize the odor. It's not as awful as the ST stuff (I had to sneak a whiff at WM, given the comments I'd read in the other thread), but I'm not sure "sweet" is how I'd describe it. Stronger, and different from any oil I've messed with before. The Sta-bil bottle I'm using as a dispenser is in my trunk, tightly capped, x2. When you open the trunk, no doubt the stuff is in there. Thankfully, that odor has not migrated into the passenger compartment.
 
Originally Posted By: ekpolk
And I suppose that given the favorable comments about the less expensive products, I'll try them at some point too. The regular PZ TC-W3 at WM is about $10 per gallon jug, and this stuff is -- no kidding -- $26 per gallon! For that price, it darned well better have some esters in it (whether they do anything good or not
wink.gif
).


Given that i didnt note any difference with Amsil saber (besides the excellent bottle), I wouldnt hold my breath about the penzoil syn version... but your thought about the esters may have good basis. The question will become if aromatics in the fuel will solve to the point where you do not really have surface coverage anyway... Perhaps molakile can give some thoughts for the coverage in the fuel system vice engine due to 2-stroke oil. Lubricity is one thing, coating/coverage may be another...
 
Good points J. I'll see if I can get Mola's thoughts on this.

p.s. it appears that you're lubricating your keyboard with a low-quality Grp-I product of some sort or another!
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ekpolk,

Have you tried MMO instead of a 2-stroke additive. I have tried TCW3 and other various non TCW3 oils and I have found that MMO has been the best out of all the fuel add's not just for performance difference and smoothness you can feel but also for keeping the injectors quiet.

Just my $0.02 but if you haven't tried it I would. I wasn't a user until recently but now I can see why some really like the product.

cheers3.gif
 
I mix 50:50 Pennzoil full synthetic : Pennzoil premium plus.
Sarge recommends the full synthetic. It is pretty cheap compared to other synthetic 2c oil, and it only adds 1% to the cost of your fuel, while increasing your mileage by 2% or possibly up to 5%.

You could go really cheap and just buy the ST at 11$ a jug, but I prefer to use a premium product, in order to avoid disappointment.

It's labeled as containing esters, and that is supposed to be a good thing. Compared to the price of all of the rest of the [censored] that I used to buy and add to the gasoline, this is quite cheap. for instance i might buy gumout, 1.50$ for one tank of gas, or some other STP fuel treatment, roughly the same. For this stuff, a 15 US gallon tank (60l) will use 3 ounces (100ml), If your oil works out to $5 per litre (when you mix 50:50 pz synth: pz prem plus) this works out to 50 cents a tank, much cheaper than MMO or anything else on the market. If you're using ST 2c oil, then it's 25 cents a tank.
 
Originally Posted By: StevieC
ekpolk,

Have you tried MMO instead of a 2-stroke additive. I have tried TCW3 and other various non TCW3 oils and I have found that MMO has been the best out of all the fuel add's not just for performance difference and smoothness you can feel but also for keeping the injectors quiet.

Just my $0.02 but if you haven't tried it I would. I wasn't a user until recently but now I can see why some really like the product.

cheers3.gif




+1....MMO seems to be a better choice for me as well. The V6 Duratec idles smooth as glass with 4-5oz/15 gallons of fuel and runs real smooth. I noticed a distinct drop-off in power and knock-increase experimenting with various 2-cycle oil combinations.

MMO is specifically made as a gasoline additive for 4-stroke engines. (I also replace about 25% of 2-cycle oil with MMO for my 2-stroke mower and trimmers. Reduces smoking and general exhaust stinky-ness)
 
When I used TC-W3 oil I always went for the least expensive, at a mix rate of 1 oz/5 gallons of gas I didn't think the quality of the product mattered much. All I was looking for was an oil that had the TC-W3 rating, which is ashless. JMO YMMV

I read Sarge's thread a while back and he was suggesting the cheap TC-W3 oil I thought. Funny thing is I kept going back to MMO.
 
I have not used MMO in probably ten years. Back then, I used it when I had a new car, in the fuel, and then stopped after I deemed the car broken in.

I actually have a bottle in the trunk that I bought a few months back. I was going to experiment with it, but never got around to it. I think I'll run a few tanks of the PZ 2C stuff, and then try a few tanks of the MMO.
 
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