Avgas or Mogas? Castrol or Pennzoil? 2% or 3%? What’s best for my engine?
Ask this question in a room full of paramotor pilots then take cover. Instructors and dealers will come out swinging from the corner of their chosen ones. But I marvel at the different opinions offered by reputable, experienced pilots and instructors. here are their recommendations along with the reasoning behind their preferences. You can make your own choice from there.
About mixing. Here is a detailed, REAL detailed look at ratios but mostly as they apply to units, namely Canadian Gallons and US Gallons.
Oil
I talked with a two-stroke engine mechanic who said he mixed regular motor oil in his two-stroke’s gas and it ran fine.
Sacrilege!
Almost everybody agrees that your choice of oil will greatly affect your engine’s operation. But there’s a lot of differences on how. A vast majority of experts seem to settle on synthetic 2-cycle oil for air-cooled engines.
The goal of oil is to lubricate while minimizing carbon buildup.
Here are some more specific recommendations by top mechanics and pilots on oils and ratios they have found effective.
1. Scott Traverse prefers Pennzoil 2-Cycle for air cooled motors. I’ve been told that
2. Alex Varv likes Honda HP fully synthetic at 40:1 (2.5%).
3. Wayne Mitchler prefers Yamalube 2R.
4. Chris Bowles prefers Castrol TTS at 30:1 with Mogas and 50:1 with Avgas.
Gas
Here is another subject that gets swords swinging: what gas to use. The first big question is Avgas or Mogas. Avgas means 100 octane “low lead.”
100 low lead is anything but low in lead. Back when 100 LL earned the name, it was indeed lighter leaded than other aviation fuels and even some Mogas (regular auto fuel). Then, when lead was banned from car gas, it was not banned from Avgas.
Some pilots and mechanics absolutely swear by Avgas for a variety of reasons, while others have reported lead deposits and slight thrust loss. My read is that more pilots find benefit in Avgas than drawback. These are all pilots who I trust. They’ve got nothing are giving me good information so there is probably more than meets the eye.