Why are 4 stroke engines better than 2 stroke engines for water? from what I read seems like none of the minis are great for water, not positive though. thank you

 

dogvet,

I think some of the minis do not have sealed stators, this would cause the ignition and charging systems to short out in water. I have also heard that CVT transmissions can also be a problem if they get wet. I don't think that its so much 2 stroke or 4 stroke not being good in water but I think that 2-stroke engines have been used on minis because of size, power to weight ratio and lower unit cost. maufacturers of these quads have not wanted to put the $$$ into making these lower cost machines water-proof (sealing stators, transmissions and oil injection units).

The Yamaha minis (Raptor and Grizzly) are pretty good in water (sealed stator and transmission in the crankcase) as long as its not getting into the air filter box (air intake). my guess would be that the Honda mini is also pretty good in the water (I'm sure there are other ones). however, these minis are higher priced.

 

I agree with atvingnc....It's technically not a 2 stroke vs 4 stroke thing its just that the 4 stroke engines on the mini's are usually sealed up much better..They also usually have manual trans so there is no belt to get wet...The 2 strokes are ok if you stay below the running boards with the water and take it easy to prevent big splashing...