# MotoMix Stihl fuel



## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

I was looking at saws online today and came across this on Stihls web site http://www.stihlusa.com/products/oils--lubricants-and-fuels/premixed-fuel/

they are also warning look before you pump http://www.stihlusa.com/information/articles/high-ethanol-gas-blend-damage-warning/

you know we have gas issues in the country when the top Saw manufacturer starts mixing their own fuel without the ethanol and garbage so that people can run their power equipment and not have to rebuild the carb every year 


I have been running only 91 octane Mobil Ethanol free gas and this works for me as i live in a place where gas can be sold without Ethanol it is about 4 dollars a gallon while 87 octane is 3.59 a gallon but I buy it a gallon at a time and that gets me a days cutting 

I have also been running this now in my lawn mower , yes mixed , it isn't hurting it at all it starts easier since I went to the better gas 


I suspect that dealers in areas with reformulated only were doing so much carb work that they said we need another option 

I know when reformulated gas came to south east Wisconsin some of the equipment dealers would bring in a tank and order race gas so that they could fill up the equipment that they had just finished working on and the gas wouldn't be bad before the equipment was sold or picked up

It is pricy but if you cut only a few cord of wood all year and your saw sits 48 or more weeks of the year It might very well be worth it , if you do more cutting you might want to see if there is a Racing fuel dealer or small air port near you and buy and mix


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## logbuilder (Jan 31, 2006)

I've seen that pre-mix stuff at the big box stores. I always thought it was for those that thought it was rocket science to mix your own and were willing to pay not to have that responsibility. I've not had any problems with current regular gas. I know some talk about the ethanol being bad but my equipment has had no problems with it. I mix heavy on oil. Basically 30 to 1. I realize that most folks think that is too oil rich but I started with 2 cycles 45 years ago and that is what we used. I've never had a 2 cycle seize and I don't have fouling problems. Works for me.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Yup they sell that husky stuff also. I bought a new husky string trimmer and if you bought 3 cans of that fuel with the trimmer they extended the warranty. Price equals out to about 15.00 dollars a gallon in this area.
I also use regular 87 octane gasoline in my equipment year round and store the ZRT, lawn tractors, tiller, and chain saw for a period of time and have never had a problem. When I am going to store for more than a month I add staibul per the instructions and make sure the tank it totally full. Brother in law does all that stuff in the fall of draining all the fuel out and running the engine till it dies before storing. Every year the big mower has to be hauled off to the small engine shop to get the carb redone as he doesn't know how to do it his self. all the seals and rubber parts dry up and crack allowing fuel to leak all over the place.
He has listened to the ANTI keep the fuel tank full folks so long he is afraid to try some thing different.

 Al


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

the other issue is many states are going to 15% ethanol and the manufacturers are saying not good for saws and 2 stroke equipment


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Doing some plumbing so went to Lowes yesterday for some parts I wanted. Looked at that husky fuel mix. Boy was I wrong price is $8.00 plus tax per *QUART. *That's over $32.00 a gallon just nuts. I can buy a bunch of staibul and 87 octane gas for that. They did have a off brand that was only $6.00 a *QUART *$24.00 a gallon.

Of course if your a vet and have the right ID saying so you can get a 10% discount.

 Al


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

I know it is crazy expensive , but if your joe avg home owner you fire up your saw for less than a full tank full maybe 2x a year so you get a year or year and a half on a can and don't have issues with the carb when you go to use it 

even a guy whos uses 1 gallon of gas for his saw over the year comes out ahead on 4 quarts at 24 dollars a quart he might end up miking 4 gallons of 87 octane and oil and stable for about 6 dollars each time , sure he dumps the rest in his lawn mower or snow blower as it gets to 2-3 months to use it up

for the people who are having more carb work done than they get use out of their saw it makes sense.

I was looking through the reviews for the stuff and one guy pointed out how expensive it is and a bunch of people jumped on him with how it was so much less expensive than carb work they had to have done nearly every year 

there is probably a reason they don't sell it by the gallon although i could see a lot of people out east using it a lot at 12 dollars a gallon in a can like Colman fuel comes in 
the target market is the people who use less than a gallon a year.

It's not me I am on my 4th gallon since January


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## plowjockey (Aug 18, 2008)

Like everybody else, Stihl is in business to make money.

if you can get $32 for a gallon of gas, why not?

One does pay for the convenience, like purchasing apples at the store already sliced.

Plus not have to deal with the effects of garbage ethanol, might be priceless to some.

I recently purchased no ethanol gas, for my power equipment, never going back ( unless I have to).


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## logbuilder (Jan 31, 2006)

I was in a local hardware store the other day. A guy was there buying a string trimmer. The salesmen in that store are very knowledgeable and helpful. I heard the salesman tell the customer that the 50:1 premixed was really good to break in the engine. The customer said thanks and picked up two quarts.


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## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

Bought a brand new Stihl several years ago. Have never run anything through it but cheap pump gas. Sometimes I'll even use something other than Stihl 2 stroke oil...
That saw has never caused me a lick of trouble. I don't buy into the ethanol is bad scare. If you want to pay 32 bucks a gallon have at it. Must be nice to have that kind of money.

I do not use anything but cheap pump gas in any gas engine on the place. My tiller starts with 1 or 2 pulls every spring
I can hop on any tractor that has sat in the shed over winter and it will fire almost immediately. My riding lawn mower fired right up for the first mowing this spring.


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## logbuilder (Jan 31, 2006)

sammyd said:


> Bought a brand new Stihl several years ago. Have never run anything through it but cheap pump gas. Sometimes I'll even use something other than Stihl 2 stroke oil...
> That saw has never caused me a lick of trouble. I don't buy into the ethanol is bad scare. If you want to pay 32 bucks a gallon have at it. Must be nice to have that kind of money.
> 
> I do not use anything but cheap pump gas in any gas engine on the place. My tiller starts with 1 or 2 pulls every spring
> I can hop on any tractor that has sat in the shed over winter and it will fire almost immediately. My riding lawn mower fired right up for the first mowing this spring.


I would agree. I have more battery problems than gas problems. Seldom used stuff gets run dry but sometimes not charged on schedule.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Better to rent a saw at the local tool supply if you only need it a time or two a year than pay those prices for the ready mix. Maybe just use a ripcitiong saw instead. I think Hitachi even sells a battery powered chain saw.

 Al


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

tool rental is steep on chain saws , 40-60 dollars a day if you need it for a 3-4 day weekend clean up project you might as well buy a homeowner grade saw and use premixed fuel it would be less than buying a new gas can , and oil and gas , often these projects are 5 minutes cutting 20 cleaning up most home owners don't take down multiple trees in a day or weekend that would warrant several hours cutting time using up a gallon of fuel and if they did they could buy a gas can and mix Premium ethanol gas and oil then run the saw dry when finished and fill back up with non ethanol mix when done 

like I said it doesn't make sense for everybody it isn't even for me 
but there is a reason they sell bar and chain oil in quarts also , because a lot of people wouldn't use a gallon in 3 or 4 years 
I use a few gallons a year 

also walmart sells a less expensive 92 octane premix fuel at 4-5 dollars a quart


My dad lives in Ethanol fuel land he can get non ethanol fuel at the dock where he fills his boat up or drive to the next county 30 minutes west ,but he has only one 2 stroke motor left his sting trimmer he is thinking of using the lowes or walmart premix as even when he does his lawn and trimming regularly he fills it 2 times all summer one quart of mixed fuel would do him for the year


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Lots of battery powered chain saws for those who don't run a saw for much over 10 hours a year.

http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=i:aps,k:Battery Powered Chainsaws


 Al


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## Kevingr (Mar 10, 2006)

It's a great money maker for the manufacturers, you're seeing this more and more. I think it's really geared more for the average homeowner too, they might only go through a quart in their weed trimmer or chainsaw a year and it's easy to store.


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## mrs whodunit (Feb 3, 2012)

GREENCOUNTYPETE said:


> I have been running only 91 octane Mobil Ethanol free gas and this works for me as i live in a place where gas can be sold without Ethanol it is about 4 dollars a gallon while 87 octane is 3.59 a gallon but* I buy it a gallon at a time and that gets me a days cutting *
> 
> 
> 
> It is pricy but if you cut only a few cord of wood all year and your saw sits 48 or more weeks of the year It might very well be worth it , if you do more cutting you might want to see if there is a Racing fuel dealer or small air port near you and buy and mix


You cut so much a day you use a gallon of fuel?? 

We use the the ethanol free gas for our chainsaw. I cut 12+ cords a year

Didnt for the lawnmower and now it doesnt run so great. OOps


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

mrs whodunit said:


> You cut so much a day you use a gallon of fuel??
> 
> We use the the ethanol free gas for our chainsaw. I cut 12+ cords a year
> 
> Didnt for the lawnmower and now it doesnt run so great. OOps


It's not often I use a hole gallon but with 8 fills of the saw to the gallon I often get past half , then fill up a lawn mower or snow blower , the oil mix doesn't hurt the mower or snow blower , I also have 2 saws 

buy a can of seafoam http://www.farmandfleet.com/products/282059-sea-foam-motor-treatment.html#.U5KGj3bRh8E
and mix it at the maximum recommended ammount in with your non-ethanol gas and run it in the lawn mower in a tank or 2 it often makes them run better if the carb was gummed up but still running enough to use


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

With dropping limbing and blocking fire wood I burn a gallon of saw gas nearly every day when I am out cutting fire wood. I don't cut 12 cord a year only a bit over 4.5 is all we need. This year I cut a lot more as I am worried the standing dead Ash will go bad before I can burn it all. Has been dead about 5 years total now.

 Al


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## Wildog (Jul 9, 2014)

plowjockey said:


> Like everybody else, Stihl is in business to make money.
> 
> if you can get $32 for a gallon of gas, why not?
> 
> ...


Sure they are in it to make money but I can't see them getting rich off of fuel, maybe power equipment, not fuel. If you read up on the STIHL Motomix it isn't like any other premix fuel sold. Yes the cans look similar, but people make great Rolex fake watches too. STIHL actually has a patent on this fuel if you check with the online US patent office because it is a completely synthetic man made fuel unlike all the others that are mostly fossil fuels. It is more costly than others but this is the reason why, it's man made. It's not made for guys who run several tanks of fuel through their equipment each month or even a year unless you want to spend the money on a really good fuel. It is meant to be for those who run a few tanks a month through their equipment or want an easy way to store their equipment for extended periods and not worry about carb issues. Yes ethanol is real and yes it will damage rubber fuel lines and stiffen diaphragms in carbs if it sits and dries out. Motomix isn't some gimmick fuel for lazy people or rich people, it's a fuel in my opinion to help users keep their equipment in good running condition. Ethanol isn't going away and isn't easy to combat. No most who run equipment regularly won't notice ethanol damage but this is a great product for those who don't use their stuff as often. I pay close to $10 a quart for my Valvoline Full Synthetic for my car, I know it's high but again it's synthetic (man made) and it protects and lasts wayyyyyy longer than a fossil oil. I run this Motomix in all of my 2-stroke stuff because I know it's dependable, and yes I mix my own fuel too, but I dump it out at the end of season into my mower or car and use the Motomix to store my stuff. Pour a little in and run a few seconds and don't have to worry about replacing a $58 carb and a $45 labor charge next season.....$10 can....worth it!


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

my dad went to wally and got a can of their mix in a can , he said his string trimmer has been much better since he started running it 

he is over towards Milwaukee and every summer they have reformulated that goes beyond the standard E10 in the rest of the state


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## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

I bought one can of the premix and it is going to sit out in the shed available for that "rainy day."
Around here they call it Recreational Gas. . To me it seems worth it to pay the .6o cents or so, more per gallon to prevent fuel problems. All the stuff I run it in runs way better. For the stash of fuel for the generator, the Rec. gas and Pri-G should give me good workable fuel 4-5 years down the road. . . .No way are you gonna store the dam alchy fuel that long.
A guy I know who repairs "small engine" stuff says that 90% of his business is for carb and fuel line replacement. So for us who don't make a living with a chain saw, sixty cents extra per gallon, is not bad insurance to help keep the equipment running properly.

Yes stihl and others will promote the canned premix fuel because they know damed well that the other "junk" is harmful to their product.


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## tab (Aug 20, 2002)

Etanol raised its ugly head a year or two ago with carb problems. We have a decent small gas engine guy and he has lots to say, all bad, about ethanol. Actually have not spoken with anyone who likes the stuff. Most of the time we buy the 91octane w/o ethanol. 

If Stihl has a synthetic product I can understand the high price, like synthetic oil. Stihl saws are not cheap and I can understand a person wanting to keep the saw running trouble free for a long time. Sometimes those things sit for a couple of years w/o starting.

I will stick with mixing my own w/o ethanol. We use the saws quite regularly and so far, that seems to be ok.

It's great if you use the regular, until you can't. One thing about it, it is rare to have equipment fail when you don't need it!


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## jumpstartjack (Jun 28, 2014)

I burned up a couple of Echo weedeaters and the local gas from gas too high in ethanol. The warranty rep said they were finding huge fluctuations in samples. He suggest mid and high grade gas only. I switched to high grade gas and non-echo products and my 2 stroke issues were over.


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