Home › Forum › Ask A Member › Cheating with synthetics? › Re: Cheating with synthetics?
Why do you want to lean out the gas/oil mix? If you have spark plugs fouling too often, I’d use a heat range hotter plug and it will stay cleaner. If it’s for smoke, most motors only smoke much when they are first started anyway. Even my 16 HP Johnson that runs at 8 to 1 does not smoke hardly at all once it’s once it’s warmed up and haulin’. Note I only use the generic brands of TCW3 rated oil – like Walmart’s house brand and have no problems. Years ago Dad and I ran straight 30 non-detergent at 20 to 1 in a 1960 40 Johnson and 40 to 1 in a 1965 60 Johnson – running well over 200 gallons of gas a summer in each motor with no oil-related problems. That 60, we ran that way for 10 years (hmmm – that’s over 2000 gallons of gas) and it was runnin’ great when he traded it. My advice – run rated ratio or a bit more oil. Note the 20 to 1 and 40 to 1 were convenience things – a quart or a pint into a 5 gallon can of gas – then dumping that into the 6 gallon motor tank as needed. Note less oil will not give you more speed. Also interesting that the 16 HP that Champion outboard (called a Hot Rod) sold as a class B hydroplane racing motor in the 1950s was rated to use a 4 to 1 mix!
Dave