When I bought my 2015 Outlander 1000 Max Xt Pro-Caliber Motorsports recommended that I only us Non-Ethanol gas in it. Said if I couldn't get it where I live use Premium Unleaded with an additive, what do you guys use in your rigs.

 

Hi there Scubasonic.


This topic along with engine oils are some of the most hotly debated ones that you'll find on forums in general. I my humble opinion, you can follow your owner's manual. As long as your gas is fresh then it's all good. If your machine is not going to be used for a few months or more it's a good idea to have none ethanol gas along with fuel stabilizer for "ethanol treatment" such as Starbrite or Seafoam. I use either one in my many toys and gas powered tools and they work great. The reason I recommend this is because there's usually some ethanol left in your tank or in the gas pump hose from the previous person's purchase.


Once again, beware of what you read on the big old interweb (including my advise) and follow your manual.


Skidoogrampa

 

87 octane. I use my machines way too much to worry about additives.

 

The reason we are concerned about Ethenol blended fuels is that the ethanol absorbs water, and the water will tend to seperate out of the gas and settle at the bottom of everything (gas tank, fuel bowl, etc...) if not mixed up constantly from daily driving. Every friend of mine that does not use Ethanol fuel treatment has rust/white resude in the bottom of the fuel bowl of quads/dirt bikes. I still get the white residue in the fuel bowl, but it's not as much and not as scary looking. If I burned through a tank of gas every 2 weeks, I may not worry about it, but if the fuel is going to sit, water will seperate out. In the 3+ years I have had quads, I have added Ethanol treatment to every bit of gas that goes in the tanks whether I know I will burn it all immideately or it may sit. I bought a large bottle of Sta-Bil Marnie Formula Ethanol Treatment (32oz) for $22, and after three years, I still have slightly more than half a bottle. It is not worth the risk/headache to not run the additive. I have had to leave friends behind at the staging area a couple of times because they can't get there machines started. Don't know if that is the reason, but for ~$3 a year in additive, I'm willing to spend the $$ for more peace of mind.

I hear good things about Starbrite (StarTron) stuff as well. I have used SeaFoam before to treat fuel for storage and to remove carbon buildup, but have not deliberately tried it for water absorption. It claims to "dry up" the water and prevent phase seperation (water out of fuel), so it probably works fine as well.

 

You're gonna wanna get a new bottle of Stabil. That stuff goes bad. [Insert irony comparison here]. Shelf life is about 2 years after opening. Says so on the bottle.

 

Ehanol has caused many carb related problems.
If you have non ethanol gas available, it should be used.
Your dealer surely has had ehthanol problems to fix in their shop. I'd think their expierience is why they made their recomendations.

 

I don't know how many people over the years I told to use some kind of preservative/stabilizer along with keeping batteries on a maintainer. I had enough carb cleaning jobs every spring for pleasure riders and in the fall for hunters along with replacing tons of batteries,some only a year or so old but sulfated.

 

Hi everyone,

Since I'm still new I just want to let you know I work for the makers of STA-BILŽ (among other products).

The biggest problem with water in ethanol blended gas typically comes from condensation in the gas tank. You won't see phase separation from the gas just sitting for too long. The problem with ethanol blended gas sitting too long is going to be it's very short shelf life. Today's ethanol blended gas can begin to break down in as little as 30 days.

With that said, our recommendation is to keep the tank about 95% full, add a high quality fuel stabilizer/ethanol treatment and run the equipment for about 10 minutes. This leaves very little room for condensation to cause rust & corrosion or phase separation and will help ensure the whole system is protected from damaging effects of ethanol.

Additionally, yes STA-BILŽ has a shelf life of 2 years once it is opened. Unopened, the shelf life is essentially indefinite.

Hopefully this is helpful!