Shell Nitrogen-enriched gas

[AOD]

So I was at my local Shell a bit ago and there's all kinds of promos about their new Nitrogen fuel. So I ask the clerk if it's any good and he says it actually gave him a bit more mileage in his Town Car and improved performance. So I then ask him if he knows if it's safe for 2-strokes, and as I expected he didn't have a clue. He directs me to the promo display and I grab a brochure about it, in it it states "safe for all types of engines" but makes no reference to 2 strokes or any small engines. So I go a step further and go to Shell's website to answer my questions, and once again, there is no info on using it in any small engines or 2 strokes. There's not even a FAQ in surprisingly very little real world info on the stuff. From what their website says, I think that all Shell gas has nitrogen in it and until I know for sure that it will mix properly with oil and not cause any damage to my engines I am not touching the stuff.

Call me paranoid, overprotective, whatever, but the fact is in any 2-stroke it is absolutely critical that the fuel carries the oil along with it correctly, especially in a high RPM, air cooled saw which is very much different from a car engine. This is the same reason I will never trust Amsoil or anything less than 50:1 and that I stick with Speedway, Mobil or BP gas.

 

[jmatteau]

Saw that for the first time today as well, hopefully people will post some good info.

 

[dingeryote]

I hope it's OK. I ran a couple tanks full through the 372XP today.

No issues so far..yet....

As far as I know Gasoline is supposed to mix with air and then burn, and plain old air is kinda full of Nitrogen. So any nitrogen added ain't gonna be a problem on that side of things.

Mixing with the 2-cycle oil properly is another issue, but I can't see Shell screwing themselves for the cost of a couple gazillion Outboard motors and snow machines.

At some point there will be more additives and ethanol in gasoline, than Gasoline.... "Early late Fall Ethanol blend w/Pixie farts" is just around the corner at this rate.

Where's Gary?

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[AOD]

I would assume that they would have a warning to not use it in 2-strokes if it was a major issue, but outboards and snowmobiles don't turn the same RPM's as saws under the same heat conditions, therefore making proper mixing of fuel and oil extremely important. I am skeptical until I see proof otherwise.

 

[blsnelling]

I'd run it.

 

[xcr440]

The nitrogen is just a cleaner from what I was told by a local small engine mechanic.

Locals have been running shell nitrogen fuel through their fan cooled snowmobiles all season. Yes they don't see the high rpm's as a chainsaw but they do see high heat when the operators run them on no snow and 50 degree F days. I would personally run it with no issues.

 

[jack-the-ripper]

I bought my brand new Dolmar 5100S yesterday and I ran 3 tanks of Shell premium thru it without any problems. That little saw is a screamer out of the box. Heres what the plug looks like after the 3 tanks of fuel.

 

[K9-Handler]

Use it

I've watched the ads, also. They came across to me as more Madison Avenue hype than scientific fact -- "New and Improved!!!" has been the mantra they live by.
The basic product all comes out of the same pipe (with the exception of 100LL, which has to be kept isolated because of the lead content) , then each company -- maybe -- adds a couple of extra ingredients and relies on commercials to sell their product over another.
The Shell ads seem to say that their Nitrogen-enriched gas does the same thing that Oxi-Clean does to laundry! I'm surprised they didn't use Billy Mays as their spokesman! It's just a different detergent for the gas.

Use it if the station is close. Your saw may look sprarkley-clean and have fresh breath! :hmm3grin2orange:

 

[heimannm]

I believe nitrogen is inert, does not burn and does not promote combustion.

What are they leaving out of the gasoline to make room for more nitrogen?

If I can remember all the way back to high school (that's over 30 years ago) heat from the combustion process causes a reaction with nitrogen and oxygen that creates the nuisance NOX emissions that contribute to photo-chemical smog. The old EGR valve would recycle some exhaust back through the intake to limit combustion temperatures to minimize the NOX production.

Obviously I don't understand something here.

Mark

 

[Lakeside53]

Sounds wacky and irrelevant. 80% of air is nitrogen, and about 12-14X more air than gas flows though a saw, so...

 

[BlackCatBone]

Sounds wacky and irrelevant. 80% of air is nitrogen, and about 12-14X more air than gas flows though a saw, so...

Yes, I suspect this is just another trick from the highly (over)paid marketing dept. at Shell.

 

[heimannm]

Hey just a minute, Shell is a Dutch based company and the Dutch never do anythign wacky or irrelevant.

Mark

 

[K9-Handler]

Hey just a minute, Shell is a Dutch based company and the Dutch never do anythign wacky or irrelevant.

Mark

Uh...wooden shoes?

 

[K9-Handler]

Sounds wacky and irrelevant...

Then it should fit right in here!!! :hmm3grin2orange::hmm3grin2orange::hmm3grin2orange:

 

[dingeryote]

Hey just a minute, Shell is a Dutch based company and the Dutch never do anythign wacky or irrelevant.

Mark

You obviously havn't tried to find a cold beer, or open business on a Sunday in Holland Michigan.

Very soon, an army of Dutchies will take scrub brushes to the streets, and then a whole Mob of loonies wearing wooden shoes will come along behind them making a horrible racket. Ya gotta see it to believe it. It's wackier than a one legged Chicken on a treadmill, and about as relevant as a fart in an outhouse, but the dutchies LIVE for that crap! LOL!!

Something about Tulips makes them lose thier minds....
"Shell Gasoline, now with more Tulip is next".

It is odd AOD is worried about the Dutch sabotaging his chainsaws....
they musta caught him eyeballing the log stash behind the wooden shoe factory.LOL!!!

Stay safe!
Dingeryote

 

[buzz sawyer]

Maybe the extra nitrogen in the exhaust will benefit the surrounding vegetation - kind of like foliar feeding?

Since it's an inert gas, my guess is it is there to cool combustion and reduce pinging - allowing more timing advance (or less timing retard) and more power.

 

[cmarti]

"There are only two things I can't stand in this world: People who are intollerant of other peoples' cultures, and the dutch." - Austin Powers