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Anybody use Sea Foam in their Spyder?
- Thread starter Indyron
- Start date
ThreeWheels
Active member
Sea Foam is good stuff.
Put it in the tank in the fall and it keeps the gas clear and clean for that first ride in the spring.
Put it in the tank in the fall and it keeps the gas clear and clean for that first ride in the spring.
BajaRon
Well-known member
This is what it says on the Sea Foam web site;
Is Sea Foam Alcohol or Petroleum Based?
Sea Foam is a petroleum based product.
happyspyder2039
Active member
Used it once & couldn't tell much Difference. But I also use Star-tron at just about every fill up & can tell it dose work- better MPG's
pro10is
New member
Here we go again, I keep posting about this but it seems no one listens.
It all depends on what you use Seafoam for. Seafoam by today's standards is an outdated product, albeit with a still loyal following from older users. It is simply 50% pale oil, 30% Naphtha, and 20% Isopropyl Alcohol. You don't have to take my word for it, see for yourself: http://www.mta.ca/administration/fa...Engine treatment - SeaFoam Sales Co. 2010.pdf
The pale oil is just an inexpensive base. Naphtha is a fairly good, if not somewhat dangerous (a known carcinogen) petroleum distillate solvent and is good for cleaning parts or helping to dissolve carburetor contaminants (thus the loyal following from older users). The Isopropyl Alcohol was used primarily as a gas line antifreeze, and drier. However now that most gasoline these days already contains 10% ethanol alcohol it makes absolutely no sense to add any more, in fact you should definitely avoid adding more alcohol or you risk initiating phase separation where the alcohol and water separate from the gasoline and sink to the bottom of your tank where they can cause all kinds of problems. Read for yourself: http://fuelschool.blogspot.com/2009/02/phase-separation-in-ethanol-blended.html
So:
Is Seafoam a good fuel system cleaner? Naphtha is a decent solvent so it may help clean very dirty lines but the much more modern, high tech Techron based cleaners with polyetheramine are far and away better, especially for fuel injected engines, so it really makes no sense to continue to use the antiquated Seafoam formulation to clean fuel systems.
Is Seafoam a good fuel stabilizer? Again the naphtha will impart some benefit to keeping dirt and varnish in suspension but the isopropyl alcohol is less than worthless for dealing with water issues and should be avoided. Both Stabil and Star Tron are far better fuel stabilizers and do not contain alcohol.
So why use Seafoam? Personally I have no idea, but by all means decide for yourself as long as you know the facts.
It all depends on what you use Seafoam for. Seafoam by today's standards is an outdated product, albeit with a still loyal following from older users. It is simply 50% pale oil, 30% Naphtha, and 20% Isopropyl Alcohol. You don't have to take my word for it, see for yourself: http://www.mta.ca/administration/fa...Engine treatment - SeaFoam Sales Co. 2010.pdf
The pale oil is just an inexpensive base. Naphtha is a fairly good, if not somewhat dangerous (a known carcinogen) petroleum distillate solvent and is good for cleaning parts or helping to dissolve carburetor contaminants (thus the loyal following from older users). The Isopropyl Alcohol was used primarily as a gas line antifreeze, and drier. However now that most gasoline these days already contains 10% ethanol alcohol it makes absolutely no sense to add any more, in fact you should definitely avoid adding more alcohol or you risk initiating phase separation where the alcohol and water separate from the gasoline and sink to the bottom of your tank where they can cause all kinds of problems. Read for yourself: http://fuelschool.blogspot.com/2009/02/phase-separation-in-ethanol-blended.html
So:
Is Seafoam a good fuel system cleaner? Naphtha is a decent solvent so it may help clean very dirty lines but the much more modern, high tech Techron based cleaners with polyetheramine are far and away better, especially for fuel injected engines, so it really makes no sense to continue to use the antiquated Seafoam formulation to clean fuel systems.
Is Seafoam a good fuel stabilizer? Again the naphtha will impart some benefit to keeping dirt and varnish in suspension but the isopropyl alcohol is less than worthless for dealing with water issues and should be avoided. Both Stabil and Star Tron are far better fuel stabilizers and do not contain alcohol.
So why use Seafoam? Personally I have no idea, but by all means decide for yourself as long as you know the facts.
Last edited:
danlnc
New member
Thanks for the information.
carajony
New member
BajaRon
Well-known member
How about that! You learn something every day.... :thumbup:
shelbydave
New member
I haven't used it "in the tank", but do use it on occasion to clean out the carbon on my older car. Just don't do that while parked in front of a white one!!! 
pps:
pps:
Oklahoma Spyder
New member
what to use
Startron, it is awesome. doesnt take much at all for regular use, but if you have fuel related problems you can bump it way up one time.
Startron, it is awesome. doesnt take much at all for regular use, but if you have fuel related problems you can bump it way up one time.
pro10is
New member
There are no perfect products, they all have their flaws, and you have to first decide if you want to put -any- additives in your very expensive and high tech Spyder motor. That said this is what I use based upon years of searching, researching, and testing various products on my own vehicles:
For a fuel system cleaner Chevron Techron Concentrate is generally regarded to be the best product currently available. The ingredient polyetheramine sets it apart from other cleaners although others may also contain it. It's the same additive found in many designated 'top tier" detergent gasolines. If you're looking for a fuel system cleaner Techron is your best bet especially for high tech computer controlled fuel injected engines.
For a fuel stabilizer both Sta-Bil and StarTron (as well as products containing similar ingredients) have the best qualities. Here is what I wrote about fuel stabilizers in an earlier post:
Gasoline degrades over time primarily due to:
- UV Exposure (this can be easily reduced by not exposing fuel to sunlight and is not a big issue).
- Water Absorption (this occurs in many ways and can be reduced by trying to prevent condensation).
- Oxidation (fuel will slowly oxidize when exposed to air, this is hard to prevent without chemical treatment) .
- Volatile Component Evaporation (again hard to prevent without chemical treatment). This can cause the fuel to form varnish and gum.
- Phase Separation (Our E10 fuels contain ethanol which attracts and holds water. If enough water is absorbed the alcohol and water mixture will separate from the fuel and sink to the bottom). As you can imagine this is bad and can cause significant problems.
So the job of any "fuel stabilizer" is to try to prevent, delay, or "cure" any or all of the above. The way to decide on a fuel stabilizer is to know how they work chemically. Here is the breakdown the the most popular three often mentioned:
STA-BIL
- Cannot prevent UV exposure
- Does not prevent water absorption but attempts to contain phase separation by removing a "fraction of a percent" (STA-BIL's own words) of the water without using any additional alcohol.
- STA-BIL demulsifies the water (breaks the water into small droplets) dropping it to the bottom of the fuel tank. Again these are STA-BIL's own words. Small droplets are much better than phase separation though.
- Effectively reduces and delays oxidation with oxidation inhibitors which delay the degradation of fuel molecules by surrounding and protecting them. This is the primary benefit of using STA-BIL.
- Claims to helps prevent Volatile Component Evaporation by delaying fuel degradation but doesn't explain exactly how. I would guess it uses its Naphtha and oils to keep gum and varnish in a suspension.
Star Tron
- Cannot prevent UV exposure
- Does not prevent water absorption but attempts to contain phase separation by using enzymes to reduce surface tension between fuel and water breaking down the water into sub-micron sized droplets which are then dispersed throughout the fuel and later burned off harmlessly. No alcohol is used.
- Claims to effectively reduce and delay oxidation with enzymes which delay the degradation of fuel molecules. However it is not clear precisely how it accomplishes this.
- Uses enzymes to break down and disperse microbial spores that feed on hydrocarbon fuels. Untreated the collection of these spores will degrade the fuel and clog filters. This is mostly a diesel fuel issue.
- Claims to use enzymes to remove gums and varnish. Again the exact method is not clear but enzyme technology is widely and very effectively used in many areas including our own bodies.
- Additionally claims to improve fuel combustion by breaking apart fuel molecule clusters resulting in a more complete burn improving fuel economy and reducing carbon deposits.
Seafoam
- Cannot prevent UV exposure
- Does not prevent water absorption but attempts to contain phase separation by adding alcohol to the fuel to try to contain more water. Because modern E10 fuels already contain up to 10% alcohol this is an outdated and poor method of resolving water issues. Alcohol attracts water, you don't want to add even more of it. Attracting more water increases the chance of phase separation. Both STA-BIL and Star Tron go out of their way not to add alcohol to their formulas.
- Seafoam is primarily an engine cleaner. It is simply "a petroleum blend with no chemical additives" (Seafoam's own words). It's actually mostly Pale Oil, Naphtha, and Isopropyl Alcohol. It claims to help stabilize fuel by preventing ("liquifying") the build up of varnish and gums. It's a great parts cleaner but it's not an effective fuel preservative as I see it because it doesn't appear to prevent oxidation which is a primary function of fuel stabilizers.
After consideration of these facts my opinion is that both STA-BIL and Star Tron can effectively be used as a decent fuel stabilizer. I think STA-BIL has a better oxygen inhibitor and Star Tron has a better water dispersant methodology which will better control phase separation. STA-BIL works by chemically surrounding and protecting the fuel from contaminants whereas Star Tron uses proven enzyme technology to break down and disperse contaminants rendering them more harmless. Star Tron may also help to better prepare fuel for more efficient combustion although perhaps only slightly in my view. Seafoam is not as effective as a fuel stabilizer nor is it even the best fuel system cleaner. The newer PEA based cleaners such as Techtron are much better. And because it uses Isopropyl Alcohol I would never use it. You simply do not want to add even more alcohol to E10 fuel.
Bottom line: I would use Star Tron throughout the riding season as a fuel conditioner (a small bottle lasts a long time) and at the end of the season I would use both Star Tron and STA-BIL to help stabilize my fuel for winter storage. This way you get the benefits of both, and both manufacturers state their products can be used safely with other additives.
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