What oil is best? and what ratio?

[Wilhelm]

Might wanna edit out your address on the letter there buddy.

Although, we could subscribe him to any and all surveys, he seems to like them!

 

[thedude74]

I've been using Amsoil Dominator with great results. My 357XP still drools a little, but I've got it tuned a little fat (and it's still spinning 14500)

I took your advice....40:1???

 

[Woodpecker]

View attachment 376558Bunch of damn hippies.

Box-o used dent pullers incoming!

 

[Kiwioilboiler]

Box-o used dent pullers incoming!

 

[Mastermind]

I took your advice....View attachment 37659240:1???

Yes.

 

[Gearshifter]

Where in the Land of the Long White Cloud are you mate?

I'm in dunedin ! Yourself ?

 

[Kiwioilboiler]

I'm in dunedin ! Yourself ?

Other end. Whangarei.

Welcome ehoa.

Few of us sprinkled about the country. Holla if you need anything.

 

[Joe Kidd]

Sticky crap. Fills mufflers with goo.

One thing I really liked about the Dominator over Red Armor is it readily mixes with fuel. When I use RA in my ratio-rite, I have to pour in little raw fuel and stir to get it to mix completely before going into my mix jug. Could be the base oils and viscocity differences.

 

[jakethesnake]

I know saws pull over harder when starting them when it’s cold.

 

[rogue60]

I am interested to see how mixed 2 stroke oil is effected by sub zero temps. They say most of 4 strokes engines wear comes from start up and is accelerated in freezing conditions. Does starting saws in freezing conditions increase wear and letting it idle in those conditions be more critical?

Asmoil is good at getting oils to keep low viscosity at a sub freezing temps.

In 4 stroke vehicles most of the wear from cold starts is from fuel (choke) washing oil off the bores and no oil pressure on initial start up. I can see in freezing conditions the above would be worse and last longer until the engine gets some warmth into it.
Not sure if cold starts in 2T chainsaws matter much as the fuel being dumped in on choke has oil in it?
Actually thinking about it obviously it doesn't as some guy's tune on the very rich side with saws with little to no problems?. Yet you can't tune a 4T rich and get long life out of the engine it does the same as choke but worse also contaminates the oil in the sump with raw fuel and the longer the engine is run like this the more diluted the oil gets.
I imagine where some of you guy's live when it gets really cold warming up a saw would be beneficial at preventing cold seizure, could even have oil separation if it's really cold?
I've never worried about warming saws up where I live as it doesn't get anything close to what you guys call cold.

 

[huskihl]

Red Armor being thick can be a bítch to start a saw if it’s really cold.



BUT
That tells you it’s still in the bearings and on the walls

 

[jakethesnake]

Red Armor being thick can be a bítch to start a saw if it’s really cold.



BUT
That tells you it’s still in the bearings and on the walls

That was my opinion as well. As long as I can get the saw moving pulling it thicker oil doesn’t bother me

Reason I mention it at all is my 288 is nearly too much for me to start when it’s cold cold out. Like 20s outside. I usually cut when it’s real cold outside because usually around a woods you can get out of the wind and the ground is frozen.

 

[jakethesnake]

In other words 20 degrees isn’t that bad if you’re in a woods with warm clothes. Shielded from the wind. But if I have to start that miserable thing it can be an issue

 

[karrl]

Red Armor leaves a pretty sticky residue after it’s mixed with gas and has been spilled and reevaporated in my experience. I’ve gotten some muffler goo too, especially at 40/1 or 32/1 too.

I’ve also noticed is that it takes a few more pulls to start my saw if it’s been stored with RA. Like it’s gotta warm up that thick coating to get the piston moving smoothly. I’m in an uninsulated garage tho so it’s making me feel better about storing them in the damp/dry/damp environment.

Like any good oil, If it doesn’t blow up your top end and it makes you feel warm and fuzzy about your about your oil choices… that’s what oil threads are really about.

That and making fun of Stihl Ultra Hp

 

[Czed]

Red Armor being thick can be a bítch to start a saw if it’s really cold.



BUT
That tells you it’s still in the bearings and on the walls

I have to warm my ported non decomp saws up in winter or leave them in the cab of the truck
I've broken three recoils on a 266 Steve ported.
When it was cold
It have a non decomp 288 with the base cut a guy swore was locked up
It's probably 220+ comp

 

[thedude74]

That and making fun of Stihl Ultra Hp

Haha. Indeed. The Stihl oil that came with my used saws gets repurposed as "assembly lube".

 

[Czed]

Red Armor leaves a pretty sticky residue after it’s mixed with gas and has been spilled and reevaporated in my experience. I’ve gotten some muffler goo too, especially at 40/1 or 32/1 too.

I’ve also noticed is that it takes a few more pulls to start my saw if it’s been stored with RA. Like it’s gotta warm up that thick coating to get the piston moving smoothly. I’m in an uninsulated garage tho so it’s making me feel better about storing them in the damp/dry/damp environment.

Like any good oil, If it doesn’t blow up your top end and it makes you feel warm and fuzzy about your about your oil choices… that’s what oil threads are really about.

That and making fun of Stihl Ultra Hp

It must've about been 10 years now since I bought my first shindaiwa red armor
I repaired a bunch of vintage saws that were only run on usually whatever dino oil was around
For decades or even Stihl ultra from the local dealer
After some runtime with the red armor
The deposits would loosen and run out of the muffler
Sometimes a large amount of sludge would run down the saws
Price got to expensive to continue running it
It more than doubled in a year
I don't know if the new version is as good as the old but it was impressive back then.

 

[thedude74]

"price got to expensive"

That was exactly my thought.
Paid $17/ 16 oz for Red Armor or $1.06 an oz.
$15/32 oz for Dominator or $0.46 an oz

For reference Walmart super tech synthetic is $2.10/6.4 oz
or $0.33 an ounce. It appears to lubricate ok ... But it stinks and leaves carbon deposits behind.

Two years ago I could buy Dominator for $10 a quart...shoulda stocked up.

 

[NateSaw]

Is it possible to run a ported saw on 50:1 and expect any longevity from it?

 

[qurotro]

Too many variable... Oil is cheap, port work and jugs are expensive.