Sta-bil vs Sea Foam

ZLrider

ZLrider

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Just wondering what others are putting in their tanks for winter storage? Also do you drain your carbs?
 
I drain the carbs and use stabilizer with the tank filled to the brim.
 
I use Ethanol free gas too but still use sea foam in that with the carbs drained. The gas I have around with ethanol in it gets stabil for ethanol.
 
Ethanol free gas, eh? Who sells that, unicorns? It's been decades since I've seen that magical fluid.

I'm sure there are alternatives to Sta-Bil and Sea Foam, I happen to have both on the shelf and don't really want to buy any more snake oil when I have something that will likely work fine. Been using Sta-Bil for years, but still, my carbs got gummed up. Like RJ I also run a can of SF through my 4 wheelers from time to time, as well as the bike and my tractor. Never used it as a stabilizer though, but it says on the can it'll work and it'll work for 2 whole years. Have a couple friends who swear by it for winter storage. Current thinking is maybe SF is better than Stabil? I've never tried to drain my carbs, but seems like a good idea. Although the screws on my 600 look a bit hard to get to. :unsure:
 
Found some info that may be of use in making the right decision. Since I found it on the internet we know it must be true, right? :p

Sta-Bil Fuel Stabilizer is used by many people to keep fuel fresh and clean throughout storage or low use. This is what the company promises and we absolutely agree, provided you use it in a car or truck. Sta-Bil is a glycol based product that is actually similar to antifreeze, not like petroleum based gasoline. The glycol creates a separate layer over the gasoline and serves to keep moisture and air out. The problem with this method though, is any moving or jostling of the gas tank will disrupt the layer and allow air and moisture into the fuel. This layer does not reseal itself so the protection is gone. This is the main reason we recommend this for large vehicles that cannot be easily jostled about during storage.

Sea Foam Fuel Additive is a different type of product and we recommend it for small engines. This is a petroleum based product and mixes well with gasoline. The petroleum base eliminates the layering we spoke of with Sta-Bil products. Because Sea Foam mixes consistently with gasoline, their is no need to worry about breaking the “glycol seal” when moving your mower or snowblower around the garage.

Source: https://removeethanol.com/2019/02/01/sta-bil-vs-seafoam/

I read this same thing on another site and it *sounds* right. Anyway I'm leaning towards the Sea Foam now. Anybody got any thoughts on this before I pull the trigger? I've not ridden the ZL in going on 2 weeks and don't want to wait much longer.
 
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Thanks for the links guys. Furchin's worked and just as I thought there is nowhere even remotely nearby to get the good stuff. I'm not driving/riding an hour every time the bike needs gas. As for RJs, sorry dude, but I *think* what you are looking at is a listing of all the gas stations in your area. At least that's what I got.

Gonna go with the Sea Foam. Just makes more sense and unless I feel like bundling up for one last ride today, think the ZL is going to get put up until spring. Prob with drained bowls. I'd really like to start the next riding season with a properly working machine for a change.
 
I didn't mean to imply you were pulling anyone's leg, but the search you used seems to turn up ALL gas stations, not just the ones who sell ethanol free gas. I sure wish the days of ethanol free gas weren't coming to an end. I'd definitely pay more for it, just as I used to for leaded gas. When they started phasing it out, I'd drive to a nearby town to fill up. Then one day that place was gone and the party was over. Just like the party for ethanol-free gas is about done as well. The end to leaded gas also lead to the demise of my trusty 71 Chevy pickup. Within a mo of switching to unleaded it was blowing huge clouds of blue smoke and had lost so much power it would barely move. I could have likely revived it with a valve job, but the body was getting a bit crappy so ended up replacing it. Then about 10 years ago I stumbled upon my old friend once more. Sitting in the yard of an abandoned house with most of the parts removed. Weird feeling. Almost like seeing a ghost......LOL
 
:hello: I didn't think anyone thought that. The first link is of just some places to buy ethanol free gas. The newer places are not on the map.
 
I run 87 octane E10 until the last tank of the season. For that tank, I fill a 5 gallon container with 3 gallons of 91-93 octane E10 and a half gallon or so of water, shake well and let settle. The pure gasoline will float on the heavier water/ethanol layer. You end up with about 88 octane E0. There's no E0 filling stations close enough me to justify the driving the distance.

You should always put stabilizer in the tank and drain the carbs. Even with E10, you shouldn't have problems if you do that. My EFI bike would need a fuel pump if it sits too long without stablizer because it's submerged and shouldn't be run dry.
 
Wow Ed that sounds like a really smart idea to me. Seems like it might be a bit risky though unless your 5 gal container is clear. Hmm, maybe one of those water cooler bottles would work well to be able to see where the water/fuel line is at. Food for thought for sure. I might just start fueling my bike up with home brew alky free gas from now on.
 
https://www.pure-gas.org/extensions/maps.jsp

Non ethanol gas is probably less than a half hour away from you.

No offense Ed but it sounds like a science experiment that can easily go bad. How do you know your not sucking up water and what do you do with the discards, pour it down the sewer like cousin Eddy?
 
Unlike gasohol, gasoline can only hold an insignificant amount of water in suspension. It can't hold enough water to cause running issues like E10 can. It'll settle to bottom and is easy to see and drain but with E10, the water is there to stay until the ethanol can't hold anymore. Best to force phase separation and remove all the ethanol and any water it might be holding before putting it in the tank. The water/ethanol mix that gets drained from the bottom always equals the water added plus 10% of 3 gallons of E10. The process is exactly the same as a commonly used test for ethanol content. It's a fool proof and proven method. The water and ethanol at the bottom gets separated by a thin emulsion layer and it's so much heavier than the gasoline that it's impossible to remix or accidentally end up with water in it if you don't try to get every last drop.
 
As far as disposal goes, water shouldn't pull any constituents from the gasoline so the bottom should be just water and grain alcohol. If the ethanol wasn't denatured before it was added, you could probably drink it. I don't feel bad about dumping that anywhere. The emulsion layer is no more than a half cup and that gets dumped in with used oil and recycled for what it's worth.
 
Well I've been doing science experiments since I got my first science lab back when I was 10 years old. I don't see how can really pull this off though without a clear container. Otherwise how would you know when you've siphoned off all the pure gasoline? No concerns with getting rid of the alky water. I'd not dump it on the ground, but like with other small amount of waste solvents, apply it to my burn pile. It either helps to get it going or if I don't burn until later it simply evaporates. Maybe not totally eco-friendly, but figure better than it hitting the ground. We all have wells around here, so I try to never let chemicals soak into the soil.

Also I recently checked once more for the availability of alky free fuel and there is none within a half hour of me. Now if I wanted to drive an hour I could get some, but that doesn't make any sense. If I rode that far, by the time I got back I'd be needing gas again! The make your own at home option though interests me. Maybe next year I'll give that a try. Seems like a quick ez way to keep the ZL happy and maybe cut down on future problems.
 
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