Adding TC-W3 oil to your fuel, anyone doing this ?

Discussion in 'Mechanics Garage' started by John451, Jan 27, 2014.

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  1. John451

    John451 Member

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    Have read in a few places about people adding 2 Stroke Oil TC-W3 to their 4 stroke engines with some improvements in drivability and Fuel economy so being cheap I have been adding it for about 2 months to my 9 yro Ford Fiesta and Gen 5 '99 VFR800 and believe my early seat dyno and gas pump observations appear to back up their claims.

    When I discussed it with to a older rev head work colleague who used to race bikes in the early / mid '80s, he said lots of riders used to add a little 2 stroke race oil to their 4 stroke race bikes then. The reason Outboard motor TC-W3 is recommended is it is supposed to burn 100% so wil not fowl O2 senors like other 2 stroke oils might.

    Not wishing to be tarred with the SLICK50 brush but is anyone here doing this or have heard of others adding TC-W3 2 stroke oil to their motor vehicles long term ?

    TC-W3 discussion Linkys:
    http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/2947980/1

    http://www.ls1.com/forums/f48/been-testing-oil-91206/
     
  2. soloii-74

    soloii-74 New Member

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    :potstir: Some people here in the USA run that type of 2 stroke oil in diesels to make up for the lower lubricant levels in the most recent EPA required blend of very low sulfur over the road diesel fuel. I periodically add it to my truck's fuel to help keep the injection pump happy - at least that's the thought - I keep very good records of my fuel mileage, and there was zero change in fuel mileage over similar driving mixes, and several tanks of fuel. Other than that issue with diesels, I can't think of any reason why you would want to add 2 stroke oil in a fairly modern gasoline 4 stroke engine. It might help some of the older (before 1972) engines with reducing valve seat recession caused by no-lead gasoline but a modern engine? I can't see how it would help. :unsure: :pop2:
     
  3. 34468 Randy

    34468 Randy Secret Insider

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    Does it make the bike smoke like a '62 Chevy II ?
     
  4. tinkerinWstuff

    tinkerinWstuff Administrator Staff Member

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    I used to add it to my diesel but got lazy and gave up.
     
  5. John451

    John451 Member

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    No, TC-W3 2stroke outboard oil apparently burns 100% and is ashless which is why it's fine with O2 Sensors and Cats.

    Admit to being hesitant to say I'm a convert but it seems to have made a noticeable drivabilty difference to my '99 VFR and '04 Fiesta but not to my wifes 2012 Impreza ( so only used it on it for couple of tanks ). As for the older engines I'm wondering if its benefit is in lubing the injectors, valve stems and bore like the "Positive" case suggests or if it just acts like a very cheaply priced injector cleaner which I concede is possible ?
     
  6. ShawnCT450R

    ShawnCT450R New Member

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    I add about a quart during every fuel fill-up in my diesel truck. Helps with cylinder lubrication and prevents injector stiction. Would I use it in any of my gasoline powered vehicles? Nope. Not until I see some testing results. JMHO
     
  7. Badbilly

    Badbilly Official VFRWorld Troll Of The Year!

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    Sounds a little iffy. A sixpack of injector cleaner is cheap. The cleaner to fuel ratio is huge.

    Back in the day whey Castrol R was the oil of choice for racebikes the street guys would add a smidgen to their gas to at least smell like Ricky Racer.

    Ricky Racer was for awhile a product line. Had one of their cans on a bike (Yamaha SR500) the baffle was ceramic. Blew it out on the slab one day and a semi ran over it. I was about 70 mile out with the exhaust note coming out of a 4" megaphone. Loud pipes saving lives may be fact or fiction. Gotta admit for that few miles out it was kinda fun..
     
  8. Mark919

    Mark919 New Member

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    The idea of TC-W3 actually makes sense to me - especially related to the fuel injection system. I'm going to try it.
     
  9. Pliskin

    Pliskin New Member

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    For those of you interested, note there are various types of TC W3 oil. For example, Evinrude (who manufactures outboard engines) sells both an XD50 and and XD100. The 100 is a much cleaner burning than the 50, producing less carbon. You can walk into Walmart and buy any gallon of TC W3 off the shelf, but that may not be as clean burning as some of the synthetics. I've always bought the XD50 for my boat in bulk, but if I recall, its somewhere around $30 a gallon.

    Am I starting an oil controversy thread?
     
  10. John451

    John451 Member

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    A bit of Googling and found below in another " Bob the oil guys " TCW3 thread which may partially explain why using it helped smooth out my old Fiestas engine at idle ( and noticably quietened the Injectors ) and improved low end power ie clean combustion chamber, seal rings and valves and to a lesser extent my 45K mile VFR 800 to but made no difference my wifes 2012 Impreza engine especially points 1 & 2, it's just an opinion but it seems to fit my own experience so far.


    " The more I think about it, there could be 3 separate reasons why TCW3 helps with idle and possibly MPG.
    1. Nitrogen-based detergents clean combustion chambers and improve octane requirements (this is a slow effect).
    2. Minimal UCL helps seal rings and valves in high milage motors improving compression.
    3. The gas atomization and flame propagation is somehow changed by low concentration of PIB. We know that high molecular weight PIB is capable of doing that and that TCW-3 contains PIB. "

    From Linky:
    http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/2199335/3
     
  11. squirrelman

    squirrelman Member

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    I'd beware of its lowering oil viscosity and increasing wear, wouldn't try it.
     
  12. John451

    John451 Member

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    When adding TC-W3 to the GAS tank at 1 ounce / 5 Gallons how would it lower oil viscosity ?
     
  13. Badbilly

    Badbilly Official VFRWorld Troll Of The Year!

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    Ya know, injector cleaner may be nothing but that oil in a different bottle.
     
  14. squirrelman

    squirrelman Member

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    Guess i wuz drunk wuz why.......:party2: Howzat ?:pig: Sorry for the confusion.
     
    Last edited: Jan 30, 2014
  15. rangemaster

    rangemaster New Member

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    Look on the LS1.com website. That's where I first read about using TC-W3, they have over 50 pages about it. In my carbed '97 I use the Amzoil 50:1 1oz. to 5 gallons of Ethanol (when I can;t get the non-Ethanol stuff) and it makes a big difference.
     
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