93 Octane, or 87 Ethanol-free?

i run this in my saws it doesn't cause problems and it has a long shelf life.

 

Octane too low my friend

 

241c ported - Stihl motomix 50:1 - oh sing to me baby ! Beerwhoop!!!!!

 

Not always. If your saw only needs 87, then use that. If your saw needs 89, as some do, then run that. If your saw needs 89 run that. Don't worry about e10 or e free.

 

Ok ... your saws ... but just be aware that sometimes what comes out the nozzle ain’t what the sign sez !

 

Oh yeah, I'm 100% aware of that.

Just because it says "ethanol free", doesn't mean it is at a station. If a tanker shows up, and it has e10, then that e10 goes into the tank that has the " e-free" sign. There's also a little fudge factor and room for octane discrepancies in stock saws.

 

I use 100LL in all my small engines.
Works for me

 

I run 93 octane E10. 93 octane has a longer shelf life than 87.

 

Dolmar specs 91 octane for my 5105, so I use Esso 91 octane e-free. The 5 Imperial gallon jug gets 5 ounces of Seafoam as soon as it gets home. 2 cycle engines usually get Canadian Stihl 2 cycle oil at 40:1, although I'm playing with other oils.

 

I have easy access to 91 e-free so that's what I run. In your case where 87 e-free or 93 with ethanol is available, I'd probably run the 93 all summer when I'm cutting frequently and maybe switch to e-free in winter when the saw/fuel sits for longer stretches.

Remember it's not necessarily the ethanol that hurts small engines, it's ethanol sitting for months and attracting water/breaking down plastics.

 

i test it regularly i KNOW what is in the tank.

 

Ok gotcha Jake ... in my area they have sampled fuel and found 15-20% ethanol in it ... definitely destroy a saw right quick ... your mileage may vary !

 

Octane by definition is a gasoline's ability to resist detonation. None of these saws, even ported units with high comp have enough compression or timing to require high octane fuel. That being said, run what you have and can afford, if I could afford VP fuel, that's what I would use. I go thru alot of mix however, so it's not cost effective for me.

 

Also keep in mind that the mix oil LOWERS the overall octane ... Stihl recommends 89 octane at 50:1 mix ... guys that are trying to “save money on gas” by using 87 and “I’ll run 32:1 mix “ need to reconsider imho

 

Yeah, it's claimed adding oil to fuel reduces it's octane by two points. I do not know if that is true or not, I am not an expert in the petroleum industry

 

All good stuff...appreciate the replies!

 

I'd do just the opposite, since Oct-April are my prime cutting months...don't like working firewood in the summer.

 

Saws perform a hair better with E-10.