Help settle a Ring Free debate.

[Frank G]

We have been adding ring free to the fuel since we bought our 2007 Grady White. Last night a couple of my friends said putting Ring Free in the tanks is a complete waste of money. One of them did admit that he adds Stabil to his fuel at most fill ups. I seem to remember a post where it was said that not adding Ring Free can have an effect on the warranty that we have on our Yamaha engines.

 

[seasick]

My motor is 11 years old and always has RingFree added when fueling. I use 1 oz per 10 G gas. Based on the condition I see inside the cylinders and O2 sensor, I think it works quite well. Search for posts about stuck rings on Yamis and in almost every case, Ring Free wasn't used.
Stabil is a different beast altogether, it is not intended to reduce carbon buildup. I Use it for winter storage only and feel that for me, it is a waste during regular season when my fuel changed frequently.

 

[Desperado]

I have three Yamaha outboards and do not run ring free, however, I only run Chevron or Texaco fuel with Techron. I was told Chevron/Texaco is the source provider for ringfree from someone with knowledge on the subject (no proof, just word of mouth). Basically the ringfree is rebadged Techron you can buy at Autozone or Walmart.

So far I have had no carbon/O2 issues. I do not think adding ringfree hurts and could only help, but I think quality fuel and oil (I run Yamalube) are better spent money if the budget is tight. If you are still under warranty i would play it safe and run it. Just my experience/opinion......

 

[uncljohn]

We have been adding ring free to the fuel since we bought our 2007 Grady White. Last night a couple of my friends said putting Ring Free in the tanks is a complete waste of money. One of them did admit that he adds Stabil to his fuel at most fill ups. I seem to remember a post where it was said that not adding Ring Free can have an effect on the warranty that we have on our Yamaha engines.

Its only a waste of money until your O2 sensor goes. I don't know if other OBs like Mercs require additives. But I always use Ring-Free.

Like was stated above, your friend is probably wasting money by using Sta-Bil if he uses the boat regularly. But Ring-Free is completely different product.

 

[enfish]

Basically the ringfree is rebadged Techron you can buy at Autozone or Walmart.

This is true, except that Ring-Free is a concentrated version of Techron. The stuff you buy at Walmart is diluted quite a bit.

 

[enfish]

Its only a waste of money until your O2 sensor goes. I don't know if other OBs like Mercs require additives. But I always use Ring-Free.

Like was stated above, your friend is probably wasting money by using Sta-Bil if he uses the boat regularly. But Ring-Free is completely different product.

x2... Insurance is a waste of money too, if you never file a claim. Ring-Free is a pretty cheap preventative maintenance item, in my opinion.

 

[Grog]

If you're running a 2 stroke you should run some sort of ring-free wether it be yami, rude, merc,... On a 4 stroke you can probably skip some fill-ups but if you're adding stabil and not ring-free during the season the money is definitely going towards the wrong product.

Techron isn't cheap, it used to be $20 a bottle and treat 20 gallons but it's probably more of a shock dosage and a $20 dollar bottle of ring-free does 120 gallons. Even if it's the same stuff there isn't enough of a price difference to mess with.

 

[Doc Stressor]

When I asked Chevron about the concentration of Techron in Ringfree, I was told that the 1 oz per 10 gallon of fuel ratio brings the final concentration of Techron up to approx. what is found in Chevron and Texaco gasoline. They would not comment as to whether or not the Techron formulation was the same as is found in their gasolines (there are various forms of PEA that are used different fuels).

So if you are using Chevron or Texaco gasoline, Ringfree MIGHT be a waste of money. The Yamaha manuals say that Ringfree is for protection against lower quality fuels. That is consistent with what Chevron said. But who knows for sure? I use it and it sure does keep deposits down and the fuel system clean. Ringfree Plus, which is all that you can get now, has an additional component that protects metal parts from corrosion caused by ethanol containing fuels. So that along is a good argument for using Ringfree.

As others have said, Ringfree is not a fuel stabilizer. You need another additive for that function.

 

[Tuna Man]

I purchased a new 2000 Yamaha SX250 0X66 in the summer of 1999. Mounted the engine and ran it for approximately 1000 hours over a period of seven seasons. A good friend purchased the boat from me and the engine failed almost exactly 100 hours later. I used ring free most of the time, but did have the o2 sensor foul twice on me. My friend also used ring-free pretty regularly for the short time he was able to use the engine. I suspect the amount of trolling we did (600prm all day for stripers in the fall, 2000 rpm offshore all summer) may have shortened the lifespan somewhat. When we were running I used to keep the rpm from 4000-4400 most of the time. When the engine was new I used Yamalube exclusively for the first 100 hours or so. After that I used Yamalube or Penziol synthetic blend (readily available at night before an offshore trip). The 2 stroke oil may have also contributed to the demise of the engine. I never got to pull the cylinder heads and check the internals, but II suspect the rings stuck and or their are some heavy carbon deposits.

I now use ring-free with ethanol formula in the my 2006 F250 outboards as a precaution. Can't prove it worked before or is working now, but I gives peace of mind.

 

[NOTHING ELSE MATTERS]

Religiously EVERY fill up Ring Free and Startron, i don't care if you tell me i waste my money on one or the other product or both, but has work for me for many many many years and lots of ethanol.

 

[Grouper Duper]

I haven't used any additives in any of my boats, and never had any problems. I sold one engine with over 3,000 hours on it! I even run cheap 2-stroke oil. Of course, that doesn't prove anything at all.

One thing I know is that my boats run almost every week, and rarely sit for more than two or three (sometimes in the winter). Maybe the regular running helps?

 

[NOTHING ELSE MATTERS]

Yes, regular running does help, that is why we don't use that stuff in our cars.

 

[ROBERTH]

Before my Yamaha's, I only used Startron and I have to day, my old 2 stroke benefit was better performance, less fuel and smoking and better idle. The plugs were cleaner as well. In addition, I did also switch over to full synthetic 2 stroke oil.

Now, with my Yamaha's, using Ring Free, Startron and Amsoil Full Synthetic 2 stroke oil. At the price of 2 stroke oil, I can get the Amsoil cheaper than normal oil from WM and near the same as Walmart Pennzoil Full Synthetic. In a crunch, I would use the Pennzoil as I used it for a long period on my old 2 stroke. That motor was under powered for the boat for my liking and she was always running offshore for more that 1.5 hours each way at 4500 to 5000 rpm's and never missed a beat!

Happy now I have sufficient power with the twin 200 HPDI's, but due to running with lower RPM's, I feel the additives will help keep the carbon down.

 

[Legend]

Every engine I ran before using ringfree neeeded to have the engine rebuilt - they were all 2 strokes - now running 2 four stroles I have continued and have not had a problem for 7 years - maybe the quality of the newer yamaha 4 strokes, however, for the price of replacing those 2 puppies, I am ok spending a few dollars of insurance for ring free- dealer also recommends - he is also selling it too so who knows

 

[wdlfbio]

But even if you are running Chevron or Texaco, are you not also adding lots of wonderful E-10 fuel? I'd rather buy ethanol-free fuel and add ring-free.

 

[Cocoliso VI]

The debate over fuel additives has been around for a while now. Engine manufacturers are well aware of varying degrees of fuel qualities available to boaters. Back in the 80's de-carbing an engine was a simple process done once in a while and the only additive I used was Marvel Mystery oil in our fuel. Later the game changed when we no longer neede to mix oil with the gas. The mixing was done by the motor itself. I'm not fully convinced this was a good thing, I'm not sure the mixture was as homogeneous as when we added oil to the fuel, but this was progress. It was after these new systems appeared that the need for additives increased and issues with upper cylinder lubrication and sticky rings became more prevalent. Then later we were hit with more changes in fuel formulations and ethanol appeared as a fuel component. The bottom line is if you own a 2 stroke and don't add oil to the gas you need to add an additive to improve upper cylinder lubrication and fight carbon build up on the rings. if you own a 4 stroke change your oil frequently and religiously and use ring-free for peace of mind. Use non-ethanol gas if possible or use a good ethanol treatment otherwise. On my motors with 600 hrs I still use the MMO like the old days and avoid ethanol fuel if at all possible and when I can't find it I burn that fuel first and don't allow it to sit in the tank for long. That's my .02 cents and for what its worth the worst enemy our boats have is lack of use so use your boat as often as possible and if the additives provide peace of mind use them too.

 

[Frank G]

Thanks for the feed back. Interestingly, the comments are as varied as I got at the meeting or around our docks. FWIW. I will continue to use ring free with each fill up.

 

[LUNDINROOF]

One of the reasons I switched from a 2 stroke to 4 stroke was to eliminate the expensive oil I had to add when filling the boat with gas. Having to use "ring free" is almost as expensive as the oil I was buying. I have about 180 hours on my motors and except for using Stabil in my last fill up in the fall and my first in the spring I haven't used any other additives. I pay a $0.60 premium for gas at my marina because they have ethanol free gas but as many of you suggested, ethanol is not what "ring free" is for.
At West Marine's price of $26 per 12OZ bottle, this will add about $38 to my cost of a tank of fuel. I know many of you will say that this is cheap insurance but it's still a lot of money. I don't pay that much for good Scotch.

 

[wdlfbio]

Holy smokes, $26 a bottle seems steep. I seem to remember that I picked up a case from Shipyard Island Marine for $16 a bottle with the E10 fuel additive.

 

[ROBERTH]

If I can't find it on sale, I get the 8oz bottle from walmart for just over $8.00. Close to $1 per oz. and treats 128 gallons at the recommended dosage of 1 oz per 16 gallons. Not so bad actually.

Sometimes, I have found it on sale somewhere. Last time, WM had the 32 oz bottle on sale and it came out just under the $1 per oz I use as a basis for if the price is good or bad.