what gas and additives do you use

[fisher_i_am]

I bought a 2002 Yamaha 4stoke, first big engine I have owned.

Just curious what gas you put in your engine during the fishing season?

1- cheapest
2- most expensive
3- do you add additives?

[yarcraft91]

Cheapest unleaded regular I can find with Stabil or Seafoam additive. Alcohol? Our state doesn't require gas stations to post alcohol content in fuel and almost no one does.

50 horse Merc EFI

[Jimmy Jig]

Cheapest gas with out alcohol (if possible) Add Quickleen

40HP, 4-stroke Merc.

[Morton]

Prem unleaded w/ Seafoam

60 Mariner

Morton

[went522]

Yamaha F150...87 octane. A can of seafoam every 2-3 tanks until oct., then stabil till it gets put away.

BIRDDOG

[phowler]

91 Octane, non corn alcohol fuel and Seafoam.

150 E-Tec

[teamlund]

87 octane and quickleen or seafoam every other tank...08 175 verado

[Modog]

87 octane, Seafoam every other fill-up
225 ProXS

[Suzuki]

Premium gas. Fresh gas is more important than additives in my experience. If you go through gas regularly there is no need to constantly add anything. Every once is a while I will throw in some seafoam but for the most part just gas.

[perchjerker]

Premium gas. Fresh gas is more important than additives in my experience. If you go through gas regularly there is no need to constantly add anything. Every once is a while I will throw in some seafoam but for the most part just gas.

problem with premium is how many people do you see pumping it at the station? Not many in my neck of the woods.That gas may sit in the tank in the ground for a long time, unlike regular unleaded which gets used all the time

so your fresh gas may not be so fresh if you are using premium.

[unlogged dml]

I use Yamaha Ringfree plus Sta-bil marine in every tank with regular 87 octane. With the investment in the rig, I believe the cost of additives is very minimal. Seafoam is a good additive, too. I fish several times a week from April thru November, but never hesitate to use the additives. I also use the Yamaha oil and lubes plus filters. Don't forget the main water/fuel filter, too. I use a Racor brand filter, 10 micron.

Just a note, you wouldn't believe the horror stories of motor troubles, that I heard/seen when some have tried to cut costs.

2006 Yamaha 75 tiller w/ vts

I do agree that the freshest gas is probably the regular since many don't need/use the premium.

[T Mac]

I use regular gas, YAMAHA "RingFree" ....semi-regularly & fuel stabilizer in fall.
My current rig has a 200 Verado and a YAMAHA T-8 kicker.

[big_crappie]

Yamaha recommends 87 octane fuel with a ethanol content of up to 10%. I recommend stabilizing the fuel every tank and running the Yamaha Ring Free.

[Lundexp]

I was always running premium 91 octane in my boat. When I was up at canada last year all they had was regular 87 so I ran that and noticed I got more rpms with it. I also run seafoam every other tank. Yamaha F80

[walfshmn]

I use 87 octane regular, Yamaha ring free every tank and Seafoam every 2nd or 3rd tank until fall then the Seafoam goes in every tank.

[Suzuki]

problem with premium is how many people do you see pumping it at the station? Not many in my neck of the woods.That gas may sit in the tank in the ground for a long time, unlike regular unleaded which gets used all the time

so your fresh gas may not be so fresh if you are using premium.

True. When I suspect that I use 87.
I've got a story about premuim. I upgraded my 06 GMC so that I could only use 91+ octane gas. That is all I have used in 2 years. I have 50K on the truck. Recently I did the seafoam manifold cleaning process. Normally when you do this the outcome is clouds of smoke. I did the same thing on my wifes Jeep and it was VERY smokey. My GMC did not smoke at all. Nothing. It looks like one of the benefits to using premium is clean internals. Just an observation.

[fisher-1]

Regular 87 gas and Stabil Marine in every fill. I never buy gas at a marina.
Yamaha F90

[San Chan]

Octane 91 since day 2 with seaform. 0% Ethenol was what they stated on the 91 I got. I hope they didn't lie.


Mercury 90HP 4Stroke

[undguy]

I have a 225 VMax HPDI. I always include Ring Free with every fill. It is a Yamaha product.

[rpieske]

I have been a believer in RingFree for many years. I put over 1200 hours on a '98 Ficht 150 without a whimper. I now run a 200 hp Ficht '03 and have run Seafoam in every tank. Recently, I have been convinced to use Star Tron Gas Enzyme Treatment. This stuff has had great results in Florida with E10 gasoline problems, carbon buildup, etc. It is also one of the most economical treatments to use from a cost standpoint. Here is a link:
http://mystarbrite.com/startron//content/view/14/37/lang,en/

[Terroreyes]

problem with premium is how many people do you see pumping it at the station? Not many in my neck of the woods.That gas may sit in the tank in the ground for a long time, unlike regular unleaded which gets used all the time

so your fresh gas may not be so fresh if you are using premium.

EXACTLY! I saw something last summer on the local news where they checked to see how old premium gas was as various stations because nobody was buying it, and they said it needs to be used in something like 60 days before it starts to lose it's properties. Some stations had premium that was 6 months old or more.

[RAW]

Good point, the trucks bring regular 8-10 times a week and fill the tank. Premium tank only filled to about a third of volume every 10 days or so. Another thing to keep in mind is the mid grades are a mix of regular and premium.

[southerncomfort1]

I have been a believer in RingFree for many years. I put over 1200 hours on a '98 Ficht 150 without a whimper. I now run a 200 hp Ficht '03 and have run Seafoam in every tank. Recently, I have been convinced to use Star Tron Gas Enzyme Treatment. This stuff has had great results in Florida with E10 gasoline problems, carbon buildup, etc. It is also one of the most economical treatments to use from a cost standpoint. Here is a link:
http://mystarbrite.com/startron//content/view/14/37/lang,en/

Interesting link to the product.I use Seafoam every couple of tanks or so but this stuff sounds like some good stuff also but I have a couple of questions

1. What does it cost
2. What if any difference did you notice after starting to use it
3. Anybody else have any experience or knowledge of this product

[ndfishin]

I use 87 octane regular with ringfree on my 2006 yamaha 75 4stroke. Ringfree is a great additive I have recomended it to people that were having running problems and it solved them.No I do not get a comission for addvertising.

[rpieske]

Interesting link to the product.I use Seafoam every couple of tanks or so but this stuff sounds like some good stuff also but I have a couple of questions

1. What does it cost
2. What if any difference did you notice after starting to use it


The cost per treated gallon of gasoline is less than $.08. That makes it one of the most economical products out there. 8 oz. of StarTron Fuel Treatment treats 128 gallons of gas at a cost of around $9.00.

I noticed that the fuel I had in my tank which had been in there since September burned more cleanly and my engine started more quickly with less fouling. I cannot speak to its effectiveness on carbon buildup, but boaters with more knowledge than I down in Florida swear by this stuff. It prevents damage to the lining of inboard fuel tanks which has been a big problem for Ethanol users in larger boats. It eliminates water problems in fuel and conditions the E10 fuel to prevent breakdown and water attraction. It also can be used with any other fuel additive without affecting its performance. I know approximately how long I can go between changing plugs and I will watch to see if that changes. I really noticed the difference in my 9.9 hp four stroke kicker's performance after using the StarTron this winter. It ran more smoothly and didn't foul.

[southerncomfort1]

Thanks for the info..I see Walmart sells it might have to try it.

[yarcraft91]

I have been a believer in RingFree for many years. I put over 1200 hours on a '98 Ficht 150 without a whimper. I now run a 200 hp Ficht '03 and have run Seafoam in every tank. Recently, I have been convinced to use Star Tron Gas Enzyme Treatment. This stuff has had great results in Florida with E10 gasoline problems, carbon buildup, etc. It is also one of the most economical treatments to use from a cost standpoint. Here is a link:
http://mystarbrite.com/startron//content/view/14/37/lang,en/

Star Tron may be a fine product, but the web-site's description of their product has too much mis-leading technical mumbo-jumbo for my comfort (based on my 40 years professional experience in chemistry). One example, their description of emulsification is just plain wrong and tells me Star Tron does not know how that process works. I avoid products that publish technically-inaccurate literature on their products. My concern is that either they don't understand their own product or they are trying to mis-lead the public and either one makes me uncomfortable.

[rpieske]

Just out of curiosity, which part of the emulsification process was badly described? Was it about the deionization? Sometimes I believe manufacturers would be better off not trying to "dumb down" the technical jargon and just concentrate on describing results. I am not challenging you...I really want to know. Thanks.

[yarcraft91]

Just out of curiosity, which part of the emulsification process was badly described? Was it about the deionization? Sometimes I believe manufacturers would be better off not trying to "dumb down" the technical jargon and just concentrate on describing results. I am not challenging you...I really want to know. Thanks.

Thanks for asking. :)

The statement in the Star Tron product literature:
"The real harm comes during combustion. The earliest reference to experiments with gasoline and water emulsifications (water chemically bonded to an oil is called an emulsification) we know of is 1913."

The truth:
Emulsification is not a chemical reaction, it is the physical mixing of two liquids that don't want to mix naturally (think oil and vinegar dressing- shake the two together and you get a milky emulsion, which separates into two layers on standing). An oil-water emulsion does not involve chemical bonds between oil and water.

I'm not saying Star Tron does not work- it may be a perfectly good product. The emulsion example above is one of several examples of inaccurate or mis-leading statements I saw in the Star Tron literature, enough to keep me away from their product. I'd have been happier if they simply said "Hey- this stuff works" and skip the mumbo-jumbo. After all, I'm a Seafoam user and that's about all they say.

[Terroreyes]

Thanks for asking. :)

The statement in the Star Tron product literature:
"The real harm comes during combustion. The earliest reference to experiments with gasoline and water emulsifications (water chemically bonded to an oil is called an emulsification) we know of is 1913."

The truth:
Emulsification is not a chemical reaction, it is the physical mixing of two liquids that don't want to mix naturally (think oil and vinegar dressing- shake the two together and you get a milky emulsion, which separates into two layers on standing). An oil-water emulsion does not involve chemical bonds between oil and water.

I'm not saying Star Tron does not work- it may be a perfectly good product. The emulsion example above is one of several examples of inaccurate or mis-leading statements I saw in the Star Tron literature, enough to keep me away from their product. I'd have been happier if they simply said "Hey- this stuff works" and skip the mumbo-jumbo. After all, I'm a Seafoam user and that's about all they say.


Well, thanks for going there Yar. I didn't want to be the first and get an "oil-type battle going" and get the usual attack. LOL :) I worked with Star-Brite for 7 years, toll manufacturing their products and formulating a few. Based on what I know, I would steer clear of their products. I'll leave it that. :badidea:

[southerncomfort1]

Thanks for the info..I see Walmart sells it might have to try it.

Ok, maybe not.....Thanks for the info guys...Staying with seafoam

[Binks61]

Mid-grade and Seafoam every full tank. Dealer specifically said to use the mid-grade and stay away from premium ( 04 115 Merc 4Stk)

[JOHN L. HECKLSMILLER]

I have used "amsoil" fuel additive & seafoam with 2 bf90 hondas while using 10% ethonal fuel. 1600 combined hours & both mtrs have been flawless performers! Good stuff!!