Fuel Stabilizer

[smporter420]

what do you put in spyders fuel
During cold winter storage?

Sent from my SCH-R760 using Tapatalk 2

 

[asp125]

Sta-Bil or Seafoam

 

[Big Arm]

Stabil, Marine Stabil, or SeaFoam and be sure to top off the tank.

 

[boborgera]

And run the engine for a short while to circulate the stabilizer though the whole fuel system.:thumbup:

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

STIR THE POT !!!!!!

And run the engine for a short while to circulate the stabilizer though the whole fuel system.:thumbup:

:agree::agree::agree::hun::2excited:....Mike :thumbup:

 

[Fusionfool]

Marine Stabil

I put this in as recommended on last fill and drove 3 miles home. This has been my product of choice for snowmobiles, motorcycles, boats, Garden Tractor, and snowblower for years now. No issues with any 4 stoke I have had.:thumbup:

 

[pickelhead]

The owners manual recommends putting 1/2 oz every other fill-up and 1 oz if storing for awhile if the fuel you are using has ethanol. I do this to keep water and condensation out of the fuel.

 

[Bob Denman]

Sta-Bil has a formula now that's designed to handle the ethanol.
I'm giving StarTron a try this year; although the older versions of Sta-Bil served me well in the past... :thumbup:

 

[CSW61]

Nothing, we ride all winter. We will take an hour or 2 ride at least a couple time of month.:trike:

 

[serf]

Stabil or any of the big names if one happens to be on sale. Use it for my mower/tractor.

 

[Sarge707]

View attachment 58591I put this in as recommended on last fill and drove 3 miles home. This has been my product of choice for snowmobiles, motorcycles, boats, Garden Tractor, and snowblower for years now. No issues with any 4 stoke I have had.:thumbup:

:agree: A Small Bottle lasts Quite a few Fill-Ups during winter!

 

[jerpinoy]

:agree: and keep your tank top off all the time

 

[Mr. White]

Star tron or Sta Bil in BR1 12 months a year. Not every fill up, but when I remember it...don't store...ride 12 months a year. It gets a little warm in May, June, July, August and Sept. in So. Texas, but tomorrow when we go on our lunch run, 250+/- miles, it will be 75....

p.s. I also use the cheap crap from Wal Mart too...can't tell any difference.

:spyder2:

 

[asp125]

I ride year round, too. But with more than one bike some are going to sit awhile so they all get Sta-Bil, whether they are ridden or not.

 

[spydercowboy]

I buy 300 gallons of gas and diesel at a time and have always used Sta-Bil until this year. I switched to Pri-G and Pri-D. Cost less and stabilizes longer and has a better mix ratio for my situation and storage.
http://www.priproducts.com/consumer_products.cfm
My fuel provider is still able to get ethanol free fuel too which I really like.

 

[n7wol]

I use Soltron

I have found that Soltron Works very well with stabilizing and counteracting the garbage from Ethanol put in to the fuel. It also increased my mpg 2-3 mpg

Here is a link to the product http://www.navstore.com/soltron.aspx

 

[pro10is]

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 oxidate 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 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 in my opinion. 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 humble 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.

 

[Fusionfool]

Fuel / ethanol

Even thought the stabil does state works well with Ethanol, I never use fuel with Ethanol added unless I can absolutly not avoid it. So far only one time, I placed 1 gallon of fuel with Ethanol and rode to next town where they had zero eth fuel. I have seen all to well what Ethanol can do to fuel lines, intectors, ext:yikes:. You would be surprised the damage the stuff can do. So long as I can purchase zero eth, I am fine :yes: paying the higher price.

 

[boborgera]

The secret ingredient in most stabilizers is Kerosene, As to what amount who knows?
Thats still part of the secret.

 

[pro10is]

The secret ingredient in most stabilizers is Kerosene, As to what amount who knows?
Thats still part of the secret.

Actually the primary ingredient in most stabilizers is Naptha (as much as 95%) but it's hardly a secret because manufacturers are required to submit an MSDS (material safety data sheet). Naptha is mostly used as an inexpensive solvent to keep gum and varnish in suspension. The secret (proprietary) ingredients are what separate a really effective formula from a sub standard one. In STA-BIL and Pri-G it's the antioxidants or oxidation inhibitors, in Star Tron and SolTron it's the enzyme formula. Others like Seafoam have no proprietary ingredients and are nothing more than Naptha, alcohol, and pale oil.