I emailed some follow up questions to my friend, the Stihl dealer in Dallas. Below is my email to him followed by his reply:
Matt, I have a couple of follow up questions for you.
A lot of guys in the forums are using 100LL av gas, which does not have ethanol and is high octane. At $5.65 or so a gallon, it's costly but since a two gallon can will last me for many months the cost isn't much of a factor and I figure it is much better for the long term health of my 390. What do you think?
Stabil now makes a gas additive that supposedly neutralizes the bad effects of ethanol. What's your take on such additives? Does Stihl have a policy on additives?
Thanks,
Ken
Ken,
I would stick with Stihl’s recommendations on fuel. If you use the Stihl oil the additive is not necessary. Stihl’s oil is formulated with a stabilizer in it. The 10% ethanol is fine. The bigger problem is letting the fuel get too old or store it in a container that is not sealed properly.
We do have a product called Motomix. It is premix fuel for handheld equipment with no ethanol. It is 92 octane and mixed with the Stihl Ultra Synthetic oil. Shelf life after opening is about 2 years. Works great for someone who doesn’t use much fuel and it is a much better fuel than pump gas.
It sells at most Stihl dealers for 8.99/quart.
Matt
Matt, I have a couple of follow up questions for you.
A lot of guys in the forums are using 100LL av gas, which does not have ethanol and is high octane. At $5.65 or so a gallon, it's costly but since a two gallon can will last me for many months the cost isn't much of a factor and I figure it is much better for the long term health of my 390. What do you think?
Stabil now makes a gas additive that supposedly neutralizes the bad effects of ethanol. What's your take on such additives? Does Stihl have a policy on additives?
Thanks,
Ken
Ken,
I would stick with Stihl’s recommendations on fuel. If you use the Stihl oil the additive is not necessary. Stihl’s oil is formulated with a stabilizer in it. The 10% ethanol is fine. The bigger problem is letting the fuel get too old or store it in a container that is not sealed properly.
We do have a product called Motomix. It is premix fuel for handheld equipment with no ethanol. It is 92 octane and mixed with the Stihl Ultra Synthetic oil. Shelf life after opening is about 2 years. Works great for someone who doesn’t use much fuel and it is a much better fuel than pump gas.
It sells at most Stihl dealers for 8.99/quart.
Matt