Synthetic 2-Stroke oil, Is it worth using?

[battery]

So I did the math. I can get a one shot of synthetic oil three towns over for a gallon for $4, or buy a quart of valvoline 2-stroke oil for $5 at the auto parts store here in town. I figure for as long as the engine lasts. maybe two years tops @ 400 miles a month I can buy six new engines in that time with the amount of money I would save by using the cheap stuff.

 

[Deleted member 12676]

When modify my engine I want it to last and so I use synthetic or semi-synthetic oil at 30:1

If you just leave it stock then there is no time or effort invested into it and so the engine can then be considered more "expendable".
Regular oil is fine for a stock engine because it is weaker than a baby.

 

[battery]

what would you consider to be the most cost effecient power mods?

 

[Deleted member 12676]

raising the compression
extending the intake tract (between carb and cylinder)
using an iridium plug
using a dremel to report the cylinder to be more in-sync and rev higher
install a lighter wrist pin to reduce engine vibrations
replace the crappy nuts/bolts with a set of good ones

 

[battery]

I like the irridium plug idea. only $6 I have an extended carb. it ruined my power band. the rest I feel with kill the longetivity of my engine.

 

[Fabian]

what would you consider to be the most cost efficient power mods?

I can't give any advise on "power" mods, but i can say that a reed valve intake is very effective method of improving low and midrange torque.

 

[Fabian]

a stock engine because it is weaker than a baby.

Now that is stretching the truth by a monumental margin!
All of my engines (which have individually done a heck of a lot of miles) are (mechanically) stock standard, with aftermarket upgrades confined to the ignition and the carburettor and reed valve system.

.

 

[Fabian]

I use the cheapest (air cooled specification) 2-stroke oil i can find and run the engine at 25:1 oil/fuel ratio. Typically i get 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles) out of a cylinder before it needs replacement.
The bottom end of my previous engine out lasted two replacement cylinders.

If an engine has the sh!t revved out of it, no oil on the market (no matter how good it might be) will be able to protect the engine internals from mechanical failure.

 

[Deleted member 12676]

Only if you haven't corrected the crank imbalance does reving the "sh-it" out of it cause mechanical failure.

Extending the intake does rob some high end popwer to give more low end power.
these two cheap mods definitely will not reduce reliability:
install a lighter wrist pin to reduce engine vibrations
replace the crappy nuts/bolts with a set of good ones

 

[Fabian]

Now lets be sensible Jaguar: revving the sh!t out of the engine will cause problems that only money can fix, regardless if new nuts and bolts are installed or a lighter wrist pin is fitted or "your" so called crankshaft imbalance is corrected.

All i know is that there is an imbalance in the system, and sometimes it isn't the engine.