Redline 2-cycle oil

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Anyone got any experience or anything good/bad to say about Redline 2-cycle oil? I got a free bottle of it from my brother and I'm thinking of running it in an edger, blower, and a chainsaw at 50:1. Also, I've got a new small 2-cycle generator (basically as a back up to my main generator) and I'm wondering if anyone with knowledge can speak to whether using it during the 5hr break in period is good, bad, or indifferent.

Thanks
 
You will get mixed reviews about what mixture it is safe to run at, but everything I have heard is that it is one of the best synthetics, right up there with Amsoil and all the exotic boutiques in terms of quality and performance.

What mixture does it call for? 32:1? I would not run it with less than the recommended during break in no matter what oil is used...
 
Redline makes some fantastic products. I use many of them regularly.

However, if you are talking about Redline Racing Oil (2t), that is not a product for the non racer. And especially not for lawn equipment.

It promotes corrosion of internal brass carb parts and does not prevent internal engine corrosion (remember, most 2 stroke oils do a great job of preventing internal engine corrosion). I actually had a ryobi fail on this stuff! Took it apart and guess what I found? RUST!

Maybe it's great oil for shifter karts when the engines are fuel are changed regularly.

EDIT: from another RRO user: Redline: This was a strange oil. The piston and cylinder looked good, with minor shiny spots but no scuffing, and everything was reasonably clean and well-lubed. But this oil actually left surface rust on the crank wheels, and tarnished the carb brass. It also had a tendency to gum up the carb jets for some reason. How a metal surface can be both oily and have rust on it is beyond me, but clearly this oil lacks any proper corrosion-inhibitors, and it must have very high levels of esters that give it a strong hygroscopic effect. I would never use it again, nor could I recommend it.

A quick google search of redline racing oil corrosion brings up a few users who had the classic corrosion problem.

My Husky dirt bike also failed a crank on RRO. I kept the crank around to show the rust to others. As they knew I rode regularly.
 
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Originally Posted By: Cujet
Redline makes some fantastic products. I use many of them regularly.

However, if you are talking about Redline Racing Oil (2t), that is not a product for the non racer. And especially not for lawn equipment.

It promotes corrosion of internal brass carb parts and does not prevent internal engine corrosion (remember, most 2 stroke oils do a great job of preventing internal engine corrosion). I actually had a ryobi fail on this stuff! Took it apart and guess what I found? RUST!

Maybe it's great oil for shifter karts when the engines are fuel are changed regularly.

EDIT: from another RRO user: Redline: This was a strange oil. The piston and cylinder looked good, with minor shiny spots but no scuffing, and everything was reasonably clean and well-lubed. But this oil actually left surface rust on the crank wheels, and tarnished the carb brass. It also had a tendency to gum up the carb jets for some reason. How a metal surface can be both oily and have rust on it is beyond me, but clearly this oil lacks any proper corrosion-inhibitors, and it must have very high levels of esters that give it a strong hygroscopic effect. I would never use it again, nor could I recommend it.

A quick google search of redline racing oil corrosion brings up a few users who had the classic corrosion problem.

My Husky dirt bike also failed a crank on RRO. I kept the crank around to show the rust to others. As they knew I rode regularly.


Thanks for the info. What I've got isn't actually the racing oil, it's the regular 2 cycle Smokeless Oil. Here's the link to the product on Redline's site:

http://www.redlineoil.com/product.aspx?pid=23&pcid=16
 
My first experience with Redline oils was using their 2-Cycle racing oil for a small fleet of Puch mopeds.... Hardly racers, but the kids beat the snot out of them. Redline was the elixer of life in those engines. Everything stayed clean and no smoke. I also used it for 12 years in a Craftsman chainsaw. Maybe because of pre-E10 gas(?), but I never had any problems with corrosion or rust, internal or anywhere in the fuel system. I also used fuel stabilizer.

For the last few years I've been running the Mobil 2-cycle with great results in Stihl Chainsaw and blower, Echo trimmer. (the Puchs are long gone ...sold still running.)
I got a good stash of this when discontinued, but it's running low. I'm likely going back to using Redline... it's already mixed for the next fill.

I would be interested in more specifics on the corrosion/rust issues. If anyone has specific reference that would be great. Thanks.


For break-in though, Redline recommends to use conventional.
 
Originally Posted By: G.Frost
My first experience with Redline oils was using their 2-Cycle racing oil for a small fleet of Puch mopeds.... Hardly racers, but the kids beat the snot out of them. Redline was the elixer of life in those engines. Everything stayed clean and no smoke. I also used it for 12 years in a Craftsman chainsaw. Maybe because of pre-E10 gas(?), but I never had any problems with corrosion or rust, internal or anywhere in the fuel system. I also used fuel stabilizer.

For the last few years I've been running the Mobil 2-cycle with great results in Stihl Chainsaw and blower, Echo trimmer. (the Puchs are long gone ...sold still running.)
I got a good stash of this when discontinued, but it's running low. I'm likely going back to using Redline... it's already mixed for the next fill.

I would be interested in more specifics on the corrosion/rust issues. If anyone has specific reference that would be great. Thanks.


For break-in though, Redline recommends to use conventional.


That makes me feel a bit better about using the stuff. I do not use E10 when mixing 2-cycle fuel. I wonder if that is the root cause of the people reporting corrosion when using Redline. There really aren't that many reports and most appear to be people using the racing oil. And of course, anecdotal information can often be missing leading. Think I'll give this stuff a try.

I did see that Redline does not recommend using their 2-cycle oils for break in. Everything I have is well broken in except for the little generator, which I've started to break in on regular petroleum based oil. Think I'll switch over after the break-in period is done unless someone has some definitive evidence that this oil promotes corrosion.
 
I used the redline racing oil for 8 years in a Honda elite 50 two stroke scooter. Heavily modified with a large carb and expansion pipe exhaust, 24,000 miles later, it was wrecked by a drunk pickup truck driver. I never even opened the engine up, it ran forever.

I now have 24 quarts of M1 racing 2t on the shelf, which should last me the rest of my life.
 
Originally Posted By: car54
I used the redline racing oil for 8 years in a Honda elite 50 two stroke scooter. Heavily modified with a large carb and expansion pipe exhaust, 24,000 miles later, it was wrecked by a drunk pickup truck driver. I never even opened the engine up, it ran forever.

I now have 24 quarts of M1 racing 2t on the shelf, which should last me the rest of my life.


That's a pretty good testimonial to me. I ran some of the Redline 2-stroke smokeless yesterday and today in a string trimmer, blower, and a chainsaw. Everything ran well, truly no smoke to speak of on any of these three engines at 50:1, and it appears to have cleaned up something in the carburetor on the string trimmer after about 15~20 minutes of use. It was surging and wouldn't make full power at WOT with the prior 50:1 mix, which was mixed up about 6 weeks ago. After awhile the engine smoothed out, stopped surging, and made full power at WOT. Could be a coincidence though.

Just curious about your preference for M1 racing 2t oil. I've heard several people sing it's praises, but given the good service you got our of the Redline on your Honda I'm curious to know why you consider the M1 to be a better oil? A price/performance thing maybe?
 
I purchased the mobil1 because the sunoco gas station that carried the redline two stroke jacked the prices up thru the roof. I bought the cases of M1 r2t from avlube and never got to put any in before the scooter was wrecked. I still have two small bottles or redline two stroke racing on the shelf. The redline certainly gave the exhaust a better smell than the mobil oil, but I have nothing bad to say about redline. It worked great and I rode the he1l out of that scooter. It had oil injection but with the larger carb and increased fuel the engine was getting, oil flow was never increased. I worked the oil ratio out to be somewhere around 70-80:1 The oil pump had an adjustment, which I went to full wide open but I still only had to dump a bottle of oil in it every month or so.

I even raced this thing at a gokart track against minimoto pocketbikes. I would beat the [censored] out of them. It was much faster. The redline worked well at keeping the indoor air smelling better than most two stroke oils.

scooter.jpg


This is it after the wreck. Not much left. took half the front off and the side panel is gone.
scooterwreck1.jpg
 
I would also give the nod to Redline Racing oil over M1 for better smell/less smoke (or whatever it is that comes out the exhaust...). Most noticed when working in close with the chainsaw.
 
I think Red Line Oil recommends most people use their "All-Sport" formula as a one-size fits all oil for air-cooled 2-cycle engines.

When BITOG was very new, there was an ultralight owner that had some anecdotal evidence that this was a nearly miraculous oil. He and other ultralight aircraft enthusiasts swore by it.

Their site seems down at the moment so I cannot provide a link.
 
Originally Posted By: Bror Jace
I think Red Line Oil recommends most people use their "All-Sport" formula as a one-size fits all oil for air-cooled 2-cycle engines.

When BITOG was very new, there was an ultralight owner that had some anecdotal evidence that this was a nearly miraculous oil. He and other ultralight aircraft enthusiasts swore by it.

Their site seems down at the moment so I cannot provide a link.


If that site comes back and you think about it post a link.

Thanks,
 
I use the Red Line 2T Snowmobile in my Aprilia RS50 and RS125 injector. Never a problem. I also use it for my portable generator when I hunt during the winter, again no problem. I sometime use the Red Line Racing 2T as a premix when racing in extremely hot weather during the summer.
 
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