TruFuel vs Stihl Motomix

Well, I was doing a little research and found the 2 SDS for TruFuel and Stihl Motomix.

First off let's preface this with I am completely new to 2-cycle gas engines as I have recently just restored a Stihl 028 WB AV chainsaw that had its fuel line melted shut from sitting in old fuel. Using motomix the chainsaw is up and running like a beast.

Anyways, the first thing I noticed immediately............is that they are manufactured literally right next to each other in Lousianna.

Now isn't that interesting.......

2 gallons of Stihl Motomix cost $75.84 including tax at my local AceHardware. It was $34.99 each before tax.

1 gallon of TruFuel at Home Depot costs $19.97 before tax.

They also have the same Emergency contact info: ChemTrec 800-424-9300.

That said, I noticed that the Stihl SDS states "WARNING: This product does not contain any chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer or to cause birth defects."

Whereas the TruFuel says "May cause cancer" in the Hazard Statements.

I also noticed that the ingredients are different.

Motomix on the left. TruFuel on the right.TruFuel has a lot more hydrocarbon ingredients (i.e. Toluene, xylene, ethylbenzene).

Has anyone run both fuels and found any difference performance and/or maintenance wise? $75.84 seems rather expensive. I've had my Stihl up and running less than a week and I've already burned through 1.5 quarts. The quarts were $10.99 each!!!!! I think the "does not cause cancer" is a pretty good reason to go with the Stihl fuel. That along with the video I'm embedding below.....This guy put new cylinders and heads to test each of the different fuels in the video.

 

That is super interesting, but I couldn’t afford to use my saws if I had to use MotoMix. I do appreciate using the best stuff in prized possessions though.
it would not surprise me if one company supplied all the canned fuel.

 

Since my saw is a relic and I don't know exactly know how it was treated in its past life, I do feel somewhat justified in pampering it a little. Plus, I only have the one gas saw and I process firewood for my own health, heat, and entertainment and not as a business. If I had to maintain a fleet of saws I think my approach would be a little different and I'd probably go out of my way to go get that ethanol free fuel. What I've learned thus far is just because it doesn't have ethanol doesn't mean it's good fuel.

 

The other thing I noticed in the SDSs are that they do a lot of testing it seems with rats and rabbits. Poor critters.

 

I'm no help, I do run E free rec gas in my saws. Mixed 32:1 5 gallons at a time. Some saws sit for months before I pull them out & use them, yes I leave the fuel in them. No issues for me, 3-4 pulls & they fire & run. I can't see spending that kinda coin on canned gas. I'd bet the two fuels are made in the same plant. Interesting info though.

 

Interesting, but wow the price!! Yikes!

pure-gas.org shows 857 stations that sell non-ethanol gasoline in NY. I think I'd drive a few miles to buy a couple of gallons before I paid that much for canned gas. Just like "what's the best oil" threads, everyone has their own opinion on the best 2 stroke oil and ratio. I have several stations near me that sell non-E gas, I just mix it up 1 gallon at a time with the little bottles of Stihl in the silver bottle... grand total for 1 gallon is probably only $5... way cheaper than either canned fuel..
But hey, it's your money and if you feel strongly about it then go for it! Don't let anyone discourage you! There is nothing wrong with canned fuel.

 

^same!

 

I think I'd go fill a small gas can with E free and then mix it up a quart or gallon at a time as its needed...if you don't use it all in reasonable time, dump it in the car...way cheaper in the long run that running that canned gas!

 

These 2 are not made by the same co. The CHEMTREC # is a general emergency # found on many hazardous products. I understand your concern for your new to you saw. I ran E fuel for close to 25 years in my saws without issue. And yes some sat longer with fuel in them than "recommended". Your 028 was set up to run 40:1 when they came out in 1977. Non E fuel is stihl only listed as having a lifespan of 3-6 mos. before it starts to degrade.(maybe longer with the stabilizers in your mix oil) The canned fuels "advertise" a shelf life of up to 2 years. That's a good video by Julian. Looks like the Motomix gave the best results.

 

As others have mentioned, I too buy E free fuel at the pump. $3-5 per gallon depending on where I am. I stabilize the fuel, and run it in almost all my small engines, both 2 & 4 stroke. lawn mower gets E fuel, as does the log splitter if I am using it constantly. Splitter gets the E free after the last tank of a lot of splitting where it will sit.

My generator has 5 gallons of stabilized E free fuel in it from 2 years ago. It will start on the first pull when called upon, as it has done in the past. Theres no way I would pay $20 a gallon for that canned fuel.

 

I'm going to see how much I use the Stihl. Of course, being that it's "new" to me and sounds like a beast I am inclined to use it and give it a real "test". Heh heh.

I'll bring it on Saturday to a FB MP post for free beech, oak, and ash. I think the ash is gone already. I'll have to see how much I can load into the truck but probably will take 2 trips. Also planned for saturday is going back to the Marriot hotel for the rest of the poplar. It's going to be a busy day!

I find it interesting that both Motomix and Trufuel are made literally right next to each other, which I find is more than just a coincidence.

If I can do anything to extend the life of the Stihl I will, especially since most parts are NLA. I use regular e10 gas in my log splitter, generator, wood chipper but mix in some Stabil during extended periods of storage. I haven't had any of these engines long enough to see any problems from them thus far. We shall see.

Nobody has used both??

 

I've been running Trufuel, VP Racing SEF 94, and Redmax premix for several years in all of my two-stroke power equipment. Any issues I've had with any of my tools has not been fuel related. I consider it a cheap insurance policy, because one carburetor is going to cost me more in parts and labor to replace, than a whole 5-gallon can of premix. I won't even take the chance of mixing my own with e-free gas, mix oil and stabilizer. I do use e-free pump gas in my 4-stroke engines, and similarly they never have any issues either. Call me crazy but it's worth the cost. Now, Motomix, on the other hand, is not worth the cost, that pricing is just insane. I buy 5-gallon steel cans of either VP SEF or Redmax 50:1 premix for $88 plus tax at my power equipment dealer. That gets me through a full year of trimming, tilling, leaf blowing and cutting firewood with all of my equipment. I don't even see the benefit to buying Motomix just to compare - as long as it's got a good octane rating and is premixed for two-stroke engines, there's no reason to pay a premium for it.

 

Something I don't think mentioned is the quality of the oil mixed with the gas, I bet the 2 stroke oil in the Trufuel is not as good as the Stihl Ultra. I go to my local small airport and buy 100 octane Low Lead gas (100LL av gas) for my small engines. When I mix two stroke fuel I typically use 9/10th's of a gallon to the pre measured containers of STIHL Ultra. This gives me a little more lube than 50/1. All my power equipment runs great on the av gas. Typically $5.40 a gallon, it is the only local source of ethanol free fuel, other than the Sunoco racing fuel which is about $10.00 a gallon.

 

The "might cause cancer" aka carcinogen part in TruFuel makes me reach for Motomix. I agree the price is a bit ridiculous.

I will see if I can purchase 100LL av gas from my local airport. I'm going to guess the price is not as good, though, 'round these parts.

 

100LL Avgas Full service $6.58/gallon.

I called the treeFBOs at the local airport they will *not* sell it to consumers. Even spoke to the assistant manager of airport operations and they told me while there's no regulation or rule prohibiting it, it would seem it is not something that they do around here.

What the *+&*#Q@$(*&@#.

 

LordOfTheFlies

I’m going to be honest here I hope it doesn't come off as condescending. I think you are putting too much thought into this.
What brenndatomu has suggested is a good idea. Or Maybe mix up a quart with e85 use it to do your cutting when your are done dump it and put some of whatever canned gas into the saw run it for a bit to get the no e fuel into the carb then put it away.

 

This is what I would do before I started getting AV Gas, I would run high octane pump gas mixed with STIHL Ultra oil. At the end of the session I would pour the remaining fuel in the saw back into the container, I would start it and let it sputter or stall. I would then pour some MOTO MIX in the saw and start it to flush out the ethanol fuel. Kind of a pain but I had no fuel related problems while following this procedure. I mix fuel a gallon at a time and have had ethanol mix in the can for like 6 months and it worked fine. I have also poured it in the lawn mower to use it up. It gets real dilluted and causes no harm to NON Catalytic engines.

 

No offense taken. As this thread has clearly shown, people are doing all sorts of things. Some use aviation, some only premixed, and some mix their own. I like to take care of my equipment so I just have to figure out what's going to work......

Yeah dumping fuel in and out doesn't really appeal to me that much. Like the way I process wood I'm always trying to minimize the touches.....Plus I don't really have enough room to be storing and keeping track of fuel. I like everything about the premix fuel except the price. But the convenience, performance, ease of use, etc...........that all appeals to me a lot. And when you say non-catalyic engine....are you saying that it's not a good idea to dump 2-cycle fuel that's been mixed with oil into a regular car because of the catalytic converter? If so that makes sense to me.....

I don't have a lawnmower because I don't really have any lawn. I kind of live in an isolated forest on .55 acres. It's weird and very atypical for this area. Everyone around me spends $$$$ on lawn maintenance.

 

A tiny bit of premix into the cars tank isn't going to hurt your cars cat...if that were the case then new cars that burn 1 qt of oil per 1000 miles would all have bad cats (under warranty)...but many manufactures claim 1 qt in 1000 miles is perfectly acceptable

 

LordOfTheFlies . I think you can get away with using 89 octane pump gas and a gallon size bottle of oil. Stihl.,husky,TSC or whatever after a month dump it in you car or truck. Won't hurt it. If your not going to run the saw for a while than run some canned fuel thru it. Like I said in an earlier post I ran e fuel for years with no issues.