fuel savings 250 h.p. 4-stroke vs. carbureted engine

[rarebreed]

SCAngler - 5/9/2008 12:30 PM

25 to 35 % is what you will save. the 2 stroke oil & the oil changes for the 4 stroker will cancel each other out. the no carbs to clean is right on along with quieter opperation & almost no smoke. The only negative is if you are buying a new engine for better fuel economy the numbers will never work. the new engine will never save you enough gas to offset the cost . If you want the new engine then buy it
good luck

Why do people keep saying that 4 stroke oil changes are as much as 2 stroke oil burned in the same amount of time. I do not understand this because it costs me $150 to change both oil and oil filter every 100 or so hours usually max of 130 hours. 2 stroke oil is roughly 25 to 30 dollars a gallon are ya'll saying that you burn less than 6 gallons of 2S oil in roughly 100 hours

[Fletch]

I burn 5-7 gallons of XD-100 per 100 hours of use in my twin 175 E-TECs. I burned about the same amount in my single 250 E-TEC. XD-100 costs me $30 per gallon.

[jobowker]

rarebreed - 5/12/2008 9:50 AM

Why do people keep saying that 4 stroke oil changes are as much as 2 stroke oil burned in the same amount of time. I do not understand this because it costs me $150 to change both oil and oil filter every 100 or so hours usually max of 130 hours. 2 stroke oil is roughly 25 to 30 dollars a gallon are ya'll saying that you burn less than 6 gallons of 2S oil in roughly 100 hours

I don't have firsthand proof of the amount of oil used in newer outboards, so I cannot say whether or not that is true. The important point here is that even if you use $200 worth of oil, one could still argue that they balance each other out. No one is saying that the amounts are exactly the same. They are saying that the argument that 4 strokes save $$ by not having to purchase 2s oil is a flawed statement - you either spend money on oil changes or on 2s oil, and teh two costs are similiar.
That is the important part to remember, not one 4s guy saying how he spends less than $150 for an oil change, or the 2s guy then saying that he uses xd-100 and only needs half as much, and then the 4s guy countering that xd-100 costs more than xd-50, and then the 2s guy says my dad can beat up your dad, and it goes on and on ad nauseum.

SCAngler nailed it. Buying a new engine and trying to justify it by fuel savings almost NEVER pans out. This is true with buying a diesel truck instead of a gasser, or dumping old school 2s outboards and buying new 4s engines. If I tow all the time, THEN maybe a diesel truck makes sense. If my old OX66 died, THEN it makes sense to go with a 4s. The resale argument doesn't hold water either, but I dont' have the ambition to go and explain out all the numbers unless anyone really cares.

[JasonWA]

rarebreed - 5/12/2008 6:50 AM

Why do people keep saying that 4 stroke oil changes are as much as 2 stroke oil burned in the same amount of time. I do not understand this because it costs me $150 to change both oil and oil filter every 100 or so hours usually max of 130 hours. 2 stroke oil is roughly 25 to 30 dollars a gallon are ya'll saying that you burn less than 6 gallons of 2S oil in roughly 100 hours

$150? It cost me less than $50 for a oil/filter/lower unit change. $60 if you count the kicker motor in too, Yamaha F150 and T8. Buy the oil and lower unit lube by the gallon. Change it yourself.

[whays]

The interest you could earn on 15,000 would pay for your first 20 hours of fuel at 12 gph. The sale tax you'll pay on that new motor will pay for your next 20 hours of fuel also. I have been trying to justify a new engine for a while. It just doesn't make sense unless you're using the boat commercially or your old motor needs to be replaced anyway. My two stroke EFI Merc runs great, and is cheap to maintain. 6 plugs, fuel filter, impeller, and some lower unit lube cost me less than a hundred bucks. Now when the old girl goes, I'm going to adopt the new technology.

[rarebreed]

Jason,
This is for a case of Yamalube 4s oil and two filters. I have twin F225's and this is doing it myself. Filters are about $25 ish a piece and a case of the oil is roughly $100.

[aqua205]

SCAngler - 5/9/2008 1:30 PM

25 to 35 % is what you will save. the 2 stroke oil & the oil changes for the 4 stroker will cancel each other out. the no carbs to clean is right on along with quieter opperation & almost no smoke. The only negative is if you are buying a new engine for better fuel economy the numbers will never work. the new engine will never save you enough gas to offset the cost . If you want the new engine then buy it
good luck

Completely agree - in most cases you cannot justify a new engine on fuel consumption alone. Increased range and safety are valid reasons to upgrade though, if you go from 2 mpg to 4mpg you have doubled your range or your safety margin and a newer engine should be more reliable as well. In my case I can make ledge trips running 150 miles round trip with out strapping extra fuel tanks on my deck, therefore increased safety.

Bruce

[ifishcq]

Have to agree with Bruce he is right on range and safety valid reasons to change to a new technology motor