2 stroke oils

[Mike S.]

I'm sitting here at work right now talking fishing with a buddy of mine who is mainly into salmon fishing, but dabbles in bass fishing here and there. We got talking about outboard oils. He runs an 03 Opti 200, and I run a Vmax 225.

Here's the debate we are having. Now, my side of this is what a local dealer told me while I was buying my Yamalube 2M in bulk. When I bought the Skeeter I was running QuickSilver Premium Plus.  I couldn't find it one day so I called around and ended up switching to the Yamalube bought in bulk at a cheaper price per gallon than the QuickSilver. AsI was talking to the dealer he says to me, "It doesn't matter what brand of new outboard I purchase, I would run Yamalube in it."  He then tells me it is the best oil out. This dealer sells Merc and Yamaha.

As everyone knows, Optimax oil is expensive. As a result of the talk we have been having, my buddy is wondering if he could run the Yamalube in his Opti. Just on the basis of maybe saving some money. They are a competitive salmon fishing team, and they burn a ton of oil each year.

So, do any of you, or have any of you run Yamalube in an Opti?  Have any of you ever heard of or do you know someone who does?  I'm not trying to play the Yamalube is the best out there game. I personally just think it was his opinion. They do run the 2M in all the new HPDI motors, so why not in an Optimax?

[Manxfishing]

Oil is Oil

While I don't have any 2 stroke motor on the boat
I ran allot of 2 stroke bikes in the past

While some oils might might have a slight benifit here and there
There all basicly the same. It's the ratio (or anount of oil) that matters

Plus on the outboard oil, they have a TCW3 certification
So that you can buy other brands of oil with the same protection

http://www.nmma.org/certification/certification/oil/tc-w3.aspx

[Waterfoul]

You might consider West Marine branded oils.  They all exceed ALL major engine manufacturers oil recommendations and do NOT void any manufacturers warranties.  I've been running the West Marine Ultra Oil, a semi-synthetic oil that is the equivalent to Premium Plus and Yamalube.  It smokes less and costs less than either Merc or Yammy oil.  My good friend Ed Dyer has been running the same oil in his 2002 Yamaha 150 V-Max for several years now and has had very good results.  Ben Nielson is running the West Marine DFI oil in his brand new Merc 250 Pro-XS as well.

All that said, I'm not trying to make a sale here (djkimmel) but more or less agree that at the top of the heap, oil really is oil (excluding ultra expensive stuff like Klotz and such) so if you can save some money, that's a good thing.  I run my boat more than just about anyone I know, so saving a couple bucks per gallon of oil adds up over the course of a season.  I'm not fond of putting the $5 a quart gas station stuff in my 2 strokes though (that's for lawn mowers!), so I do stick to name brands.

[Manxfishing]

Mike,

Check out the link
West Marine is the first brand on the list for the TCW3 certification

[Waterfoul]

Mike,

Check out the link
West Marine is the first brand on the list for the TCW3 certification

What link?

[Mike S.]

I think he's talking about the link in his first post.  I checked it when I saw it posted, and noticed West Marine right away. I will have to compare prices.

[fiker]

I don't use a ton of oil each year so saving a few bucks doesn't matter to me.  I have a Yamaha HDPI.  I have used Yamalube 2m in it since I bought it on the recommendation of my salesman Ralph Blasey.  Ralph knows his stuff. 

I've never had a problem with anything using this oil.  For that matter everything Ralph has ever advised me on has been good advice.   

[Waterfoul]

Interesting list, but it really doesn't say if the oils listed are in any certain order.

[Manxfishing]

Interesting list, but it really doesn't say if the oils listed are in any certain order.

There not rating them
It's a list of oils that meet the TCW3 certification

[Waterfoul]

That's kind of what I thought.  I know all West Marine oils meet the rating EXCEPT for the one oil designed for Sea Doo models that require a NON-TCW3 oil.  And boy does it sell well!  LOL!!  Way too many of those things out there.... 

[LAPORTE]

This is what I put in my boat since the motor rebuild 4 years ago "Pennzoil Marine Premium Plus"  10.00 dollars a gallon on sale... she still runs great... 

[motocross269]

My motor is still under warranty...I am going to run exactly what the manufacturer suggests to save any problems should a warranty issue come up..

As far as oil being oil I will have to respectfully disagree...I raced 2 stroke motors for years and have done pretty extensive testing on oils... Not all oils perform the same and changing oils can drastically change your fuel air mixtures and cause a lean or rich condition..The specific gravity can be way different between brands....

This isn't really such a big deal in outboards because there is more room for error and outboard motors aren't running at 12,000 rpms...

With the cost of the rigs that we are running why skimp to save a few bucks on oil.??..It's the second most important thing you are running through your engine after the fuel quality..With powerhead rebuilds being in the thousands of dollars I won't take the chance.

[Mike S.]

I totally agree that all oils are not equal. When I had my snowmobiles, I strictly ran Klotz. I had many buddies that ran Amsoil. I also had buddies that would throw a quart of whatever the gas station had in their sleds just to get them riding for the day. Those guys usually were the ones rebuilding their sled.

I am going to stick to my Yamalube, mainly because the dealer is way closer to home than anywhere else that sells oil. My buddy isn't going to chance anything with his Opti. We were just wondering if anyone has run Yamalube in their Opti's.