Premium ethanol gas vs. pure regular unleaded

[AT sawyer]

I found a station in Luray VA (Liberty Gas) that has ethanol-free 87 octane regular gas. I've always run my 2-cycles on premium, but this pure gas has me wondering which is better. Anybody have a scientific comment on premium gasahol vs. pure regular?

 

[Andyshine77]

Well the octane is a bit low, however it wll hold it's octane longer and store much longer. I say buy a gallon and see how your saws run, my guess it they will run fine, it's up to you.

 

[nmurph]

89 octane or higher. 10% ethanol will not make a lick of difference.

 

[J.W Younger]

The ethanol free 87 will work in most saws if its fresh, ck your owners manual for min octane requirements. The price sometimes makes it a slow mover for some stations.

 

[never2many]

keep looking i can get 93 pure in oregon

 

[MacLaren]

Good stuff guys. I almost bought some 87 Ethanol free, but just decided to go with the 93 Ethanol and use it before long.
I could have went about 20 miles down the road and got 93 Ethanol free, but just didnt want to go that far.

 

[SawTroll]

I just use the Aspen alkylate fuel, following the KISS rule.......

 

[J.W Younger]

I just use the Aspen alkylate fuel, following the KISS rule.......

That wood be simple, wonder how much 25 gallons wood set me back?

 

[JimmyT]

I run 93 octane ethanol free gas with synthetic oil and always run the saws completely out of gas when I'm finished cutting. I've got a 25 year old snapper mower with a 2-cycle engine that had not been cranked in 20 years. I got it out this summer,hit the primer purge bulb 4 times and it started on the first pull.

 

[sunfish]

I can not tell any difference in the running of my saws between 87, 91, eth, or non-eth.

And I've run a bunch of all of it. :msp_unsure:

 

[RandyMac]

I like my alcohol at 86 proof.

 

[Chris-PA]

I can not tell any difference in the running of my saws between 87, 91, eth, or non-eth.

And I've run a bunch of all of it. :msp_unsure:

There's a gas station a mile from my house. I've started to use the high test because the extra 30 cents a gallon is pretty irrelevant for saw fuel, but I'll be darned if I'm going to drive to who knows were to try to find ethanol free fuel. I think people are making way too big a deal out of E10. Don't store it in the saw long, don't keep it around too long.

The only thing that seemed to have a problem was the fuel cap on the WT, but the latest one I got seems to be holding up much better. Besides, the saw is from 1999 and it started having fuel cap problems quite a while ago, so I'm not really sure it had anything to do with ethanol.

 

[Scooterbum]

Hop over the mountain to Mt. Jackson.Holtzman has a station in the middle of town that has all grades ethanol free.
Myself, I don't see a difference between regular and high test in my saws and trimmers.
Now my Samurai's that's a different story.

 

[mdavlee]

Before I really got into saws I ran a 460 and 044 on regular 87 for a couple years. I did go through a lot of it so it never got to sit long. I even ran some 110 in them once just to try it. Now I get ethanol free just for piece of mind since they sit a month or longer sometimes between use.

 

[Red Elm]

We've had ethanol in this area for 25 years or so, use to help an amish man in his saw shop when he got extra busy, I've seen first hand what ethanol can do to a saw, won't use it at all. I run 93 octane ethanol-free premium with amsoil sythetic mix. I run high revers ie. Husky 246 and 346's doing brush control, never burned a saw up.

 

[Oldsawnut]

I use the 87 ethanol free in all my saws... If you run stock saws then you are fine. If I run my modded saw which is almost never I get the super. I would say compression of over 175 or so needs the higher octane.

 

[AT sawyer]

Thanks to all. The lower octane may not be my first choice, but I can keep it around longer.

 

[nmurph]

We've had ethanol in this area for 25 years or so, use to help an amish man in his saw shop when he got extra busy, I've seen first hand what ethanol can do to a saw, won't use it at all. I run 93 octane ethanol-free premium with amsoil sythetic mix. I run high revers ie. Husky 246 and 346's doing brush control, never burned a saw up.

Do tell...........I've got "high" revvers too, and all I use is 10% ethanol 93 octane (raised compression) and I have never had a problem. As a matter of fact, the 361 hasn't been run since late March and it popped on the first pull and then fired right off.

 

[Andyshine77]

I use the 87 ethanol free in all my saws... If you run stock saws then you are fine. If I run my modded saw which is almost never I get the super. I would say compression of over 175 or so needs the higher octane.

Depends on displacement and method of measuring compression. You simply can't say 175psi = a compression ratio of 10:1 in a piston ported two cycle engine. http://www.drrinc.com/pdfs/higher_compression6.pdf

 

[Oldsawnut]

Depends on displacement and method of measuring compression. You simply can't say 175psi = a compression ratio of 10:1 in a piston ported two cycle engine. http://www.drrinc.com/pdfs/higher_compression6.pdf

Uhhh I didn't say 175psi = 10:1 :bang: Not sure where you got that???? Just said if your saw is stock and blowing less than 175 psi it should be fine with the 87 ethanol free gas... I suppose I can add that would be in any stihl or husky saw from 50-90cc mid 80's or newer I'm sure if you look hard enough you can find some special application 2 stroke with a wacky bore and stroke that might not apply but who really cares? oke: