Stihl HP Mix Oil

[bonner1040]

Is there anything to the expensive stuff?

Seems like Stihl thinks so, they double the warranty on saws if you buy a 6 pack w/ saw purchase. The 6 month on my 460 doubled to a year and the 1 year on the 200t doubled to two years. The dealer said "You wont be using this to make money right? So you get a double a warranty?" I was like "damn right I'm not, just piddling around the house". He smiled and said "Perfect!".

In any event it would appear that they believe it helps, or they are sure nothing will happen to the engines in 1-2 years.. One or the other.

I dont know much about engines and 2 cycle oil and such. Suffice it to say I know it needs it but not why. Any thoughts on whether this stuff is worth the extra cost? It is about $4-5 more per 6 pack I think.

Whatcha think?

Warranty: http://www.stihlusa.com/lubricants/engine-oil-double-warranty.html

 

[HolmenTree]

I've been running Stihl full synthetic mix in all my saws for about 4 yrs now and I never had a issue with it. I seem to breath easier too now. Its pricey though and for over 30 yrs I ran the older Stihl non synthetic and never had a problem with it either. My 20 yr old 066 ran the older mix for 16 yrs and still today never had the cylinder off.
If you care about your lungs I think the new full syn for the extra money would be the good choice.

 

[SkwerI]

I've cleaned up many mufflers on 200T's that were run on regular Stihl (orange bottle) oil. Over time a very thick tar-like buildup fills the muffler choking off the exhaust flow. And don't even think about using a spark arrester screen on the muffler. I've been running Stihl synthetic (white bottle) combined with premium gas for several years now and have had zero fuel related issues. My saws don't 'wear out' either, they keep running for years and years. I'm still running the piss out of the 346xp that Dan Henry ported for me about 12 years ago and it still amazes people who see it run.

If you mix all your fuel yourself and don't assign employees to do it then it's definitely much cheaper to buy the mix oil in gallon jugs. I think I paid $38 per gallon last time I bought it and that will last me a year. I have a measuring bottle with a screw lid (so it stays clean between uses) and I keep it next to the oil in the shop. I put the oil in the can before going to buy fuel.

 

[Al Smith]

I never really have a had a problem with oily chit in the exhaust running TSC stuff .However Tom runs strictly Stihl using the orange stuff and his do get gooey .

He's got a mindset on that stuff .If it's not Stihl mix oil or bar oil he doesn't run it .They're his saws though he can do as he pleases .

 

[Al Smith]

Okay speaking of oil ,figure this one out because I'm stumped .This is one of Toms crank cases from a 200T that I split a few weeks ago .The saw ran okay except for a leaky oil tank . The danged insides are black as the ace of spades .I had three crank cases split that day and only one looked like that .The other two were still nice and white inside

The only time I ever saw that before was on an 048 ran with a bad air filter that pyrolited injested dust and coked up a bearing .Nothing was wrong with either the filter on that 200 nor the boot .

 

[FJR]

Listen to Brian. The cost difference while running premium fuel and Stihl Ultra vs. regular fuel and Stihl HP on a yearly basis for a small business is insignificant, so you might as well use it.

 

[sawinredneck]

I'm really anal, I spend even more and only run Royal Purple mix in my two strokes, 50:1. You can tear any of my saws down right now and the piston is nice and oily, no black soot on the mufflers etc, I swear by the synthetics!

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Ditto what the Sqwerl said. Since I switched over to higher grade fuel and use the Stihl synthetic mix, my maintenance curve went down considerable. The money that curve (or spiral) saves me way offsets my fuel and mix expense. Let alone the cost of equipment replacement. I know. The amount of hours we put on gear every year tells me a lot fast about how things are working out.

 

[SkwerI]

If you're not going to run the Stihl synthetic then there are many other choices much better than the Stihl orange bottle stuff. The Husky XP branded mx oil is supposed to be good and I had several years of excellent results with Echo mix oil (a semi-synthetic). But the base Stihl oil is just crap (like many of their homeowner saws).

 

[HolmenTree]

Like I said earlier I had good luck with the old Stihl premium oil [Castrol Super 2 stroke] over the years but then gasoline was alot better quality back then. That old gas had lead in it which was probably brutal on the lungs but lead is another excellent form of lubrication.
Todays Stihl Premium and full syn Ultra have fuel stabilizers which is almost as important as premium gas. Good savings for the long run.

I tried Husqvarna's semi synthetic oil and for the price its a good bargain. But I have yet to find a gallon of Stihl Ultra for $38, I pay that much just for a 6 pack of the little 200ml bottles.

 

[bonner1040]

Premium gas huh? Thats an easy switch ill definitely do that... I have been using the Stihl HP so far in my personal saws and I wlll keep on doing so. Thanks for the advice.

As far as the gas, the higher the octane the better?

 

[woodworkingboy]

I have a couple stock saws that seem to run better on regular over premium. My modded saws like premium, and the stuff sold here is at least 100 octane. I can't decide if the MS200 runs better on premium or not.

 

[HolmenTree]

The regular versus premium gas has been tossed around by Stihl Canada for years. But today premium being recommended is because most regular gas now has so much ethanol in it.
.........in most parts of Canada .

 

[Burnham]

I believe our premium has ethanol, too. Non-ethanol premium is available at a very few locations around here, but not at most.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

All motor vehicle fuel in CA (diesel and av gas exceptions) has ethanol. The full synthetic oil helps keep it stable so you don't have separation and water issues. 89 plus octane is the best way to go with any equipment from what my maintenance curves tell me. My 4 strokes do better on it as well.

 

[woodworkingboy]

No ethanol in gas here to my knowledge, but I hear that they are talking about it. Hope they just keep talking. Gas station girls rock, and sure are tough in the winter.

 

[Al Smith]

They used to list the ethanol contend on the pumps but ceased that practice a few years back .At that time basically only metropoliton areas such as Cleveland Columbus Cincinnati ran ethanol in the winter months .Now we are blessed with it year round every where .

When they went to 100 percent blended fuel I started using hi test in the saws .It's only a dime of so higher per gallon ,maybe 20 cents so it doesn't cost that much more .

I myself have a habit of setting the saws just a tad rich and do get some carbon .On a few though ,038 mag and both 200T's they are clean as a whistle inside .Spark plug is the correct color .Looking through the plug hole those raised dome pistons still shine like a mirror .So at least a few of them I got correct .

 

[Tucker943]

I've run a number of oils. Amsoil here, klotz there, cheap gas station garbage, but more so than anything, husky grey bottle and high test gas. I've yet to lose compression in any of my saws. The rest of the saw crumbles eventually, but never any cylinder issues.

 

[woodworkingboy]

I see a rating on the back of two cycle oil cans, some institute that I believe the US also subscribes to. I use Yamaha oil because it has a 'D' rating, the only one that I have seen with it. Most stop at a C rating. I don't know what validity there is to it, but nothing has seized up so far.

I have some Stihl oil that I bought awhile ago. It is a purple color, but there is no indication on the container what type of oil it. Anybody know what the Stihl purple oil is...dino or synthetic?

 

[HolmenTree]

I have some Stihl oil that I bought awhile ago. It is a purple color, but there is no indication on the container what type of oil it. Anybody know what the Stihl purple oil is...dino or synthetic?

The Stihl Premium [dino] is a blue- purple color, the Stihl Ultra full synthetic is a dirty green color. Nice thing about living where there is snow on the ground, just pouring a little mixed gas in the snow shows the color nicely.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Thanks, I suspected it was dino oil. It took awhile before synthetic started showing up here.

 

[SydTreeguy]

If you care about your lungs I think the new full syn for the extra money would be the good choice.

Interesting you should make that comment about lungs, I've been running HP ultra for about 6 months now, and i find it really gets up my nose in a bad way. It makes my eyes water too. I dont know if the stuff we get in aus is the same as the stuff you guys are getting though, because our hp ultra is red. I really dont like the color because its hard to see in fuel.

I think these oils probably suit the occasional user better than full time tree guys. I've heard the HP ultra has fuel stabiliser in it, and that's probably the 'magic ingredient' that extends the warranty. We have 98 octane ethanol free available at most petrol station in aus, I use that and just last week I went back to standard stihl oil. I mix it in 5L jugs (about 1 1/4 gallons) nd go through a couple jugs most days. It never sits more than a couple days. Funny thing, which can't be a conincidence; All of my saws take one more pull to get started now. Nothing changed when I went from standard to ultra, but going back has made it one more pull.

Mixing at 50:1 rather than adding extra oil is what will keep your muffler and cyllinders clean in my opinion.

Shaun

 

[HolmenTree]

Interesting you should make that comment about lungs, I've been running HP ultra for about 6 months now, and i find it really gets up my nose in a bad way. It makes my eyes water too. I dont know if the stuff we get in aus is the same as the stuff you guys are getting though, because our hp ultra is red. I really dont like the color because its hard to see in fuel.
Shaun

Stihl HP Ultra mix oil is biodegradeable, by 80% within 21 days. It has very low emissions. The stihl regular Premium doesn't offer that.
That's why I said its easier on your lungs.
Same goes for the canola oil I use for bar oil, safe for the lungs. Husqvarna warns in their literature that regular bar oil mist is a health hazard.

 

[FJR]

Willard, does the canola turn into a solid in cold temperature, ie leaving it in the truck box overnight? I used it all last year up until October with good results, but I accidently bought vegetable oil the last time at the store. It definitly turned into a solid in the cold. :p

 

[HolmenTree]

Willard, does the canola turn into a solid in cold temperature, ie leaving it in the truck box overnight? I used it all last year up until October with good results, but I accidently bought vegetable oil the last time at the store. It definitly turned into a solid in the cold. :p

Yes it definately does turn solid in 4F -20Celcius or colder if left outside. I keep my canola oil and saws in the garage overnight and is good for the day . Doing arb work I'm always close to the truck so I just keep the canola jug in the truck's cab. Chainsaw oil tanks are built into the crankcase so the engines heat keep it plenty warm.