Whuuuuuuuut!? I’m down to my last couple of doses. Actually, just realized the bottles I buy are only 12oz I think.

 

I have a lifetime supply!

 

WHAAAAT???? Remember what your mama taught you--"it's nice to share"!

 

that stuff is repackaged Techron

 

Sounds about like everything else including batteries. All the same few manufacturers selling repackaged product claiming it’s so much more advanced etc etc.

 

I'm not convinced Yamaha's high-dollar "Ring Free" is better than Techron and others, either. My Yamaha 115 SHO started and ran flawlessly for years, with a simple routine. Always run E0 (non-ethanol) gas. Alternate a small amount of Star-Tron Enzyme Fuel Treatment and Star-Tron Ring-Clean Motor Treatment every time you add fuel to the tank. At every oil change, dump a bottle of STP Fuel Injector Cleaner into the tank, and run as much as possible, of that batch of treated fuel out of the tank, before you fill it again.

 

Star Tron ring + free is a few bucks cheaper than Ring Free, $46 vs $52, and considering that Ring Free also does what Star Tron fuel treatment does, it is actually a bargain compared to Star Tron.

Complain all you want about Ring Free, but it is about 16 cents a gallon of fuel to use. Difference between ethanol and non ethanol fuel is typically more than that.

 

I think you may have it bass-ackwards. Star-Tron Ring Clean does what a combination of Yamalube Ring-Free and Star-Tron Enzyme Treatment combined, would do. Yamalube Ring-Free does not have the enzyme technology that conditions the fuel like Star-Tron Ring-Clean has. Yamaha recommends you buy two additional Yamalube products (stabilizer and conditioner) to keep the fuel in top condition.

Yamalube Ring-Free is liked by many users, and I'm sure it's a great product. My suggestion was to alternate Star-Tron Ring-Clean at fill-up and Star-Tron Enzyme Treatment instead on the next fill-up, which would be more than a few cents in savings. And, the STP Fuel Injector Cleaner is an amazing product for about $3 or $4 a bottle.

Non-Ethanol pure gas is actually less expensive to run than E10 fuel, as long as the price of E0 pure gas is not more than 20% higher at the pump. That's because a tank of E0 pure gas will take you about 20% farther than a tank of E10 fuel. Add in the fact that E0 pure gas gives you more power and punch, and none of the alcohol related problems, and there's no question - it's a smarter choice.

 

I think it’s all a bunch of snake oil. I only use it because it was included with my boat. Once I run out I’ll just run ethanol gas with no additives. Just run the motor on the hose for ten minutes every week if you don’t get it out on the water and it is fine.

 

Skiffa, I suggest you read up on ring free, it also is a fuel treatment as well as a carbon deposit remover. It does address phase separation and cleans injectors, so using a fuel stabilizer and injector cleaner is not really needed. Somewhere there is video of a motor tear down after 1000 hrs, with and without ring free.

Yes, Yamaha does mention using all three products, but if you just look at what ring free does, the others are over kill. Does not have enzymes, but my experience working with engine manufacturers and lubricant experts for 30 plus years is that enzyme formulations are great for diesel engines, but not really needed for gas engines. If someone wants to use all 3, by all means go ahead.

Have been using ring free for over 25 yrs on a multitude of motors and have not had issues except for having to replace a low pressure diaphragm fuel pump, which pumped fine and was only replaced due to a little leakage around the plunger which would contaminate the oil sump. Do not know how much it helped, but it certainly did not hurt. Using other products probably works well too, but I guess my main point is that ring free is at worst only marginally more expensive compared to other products and might ultimately be less expensive than some not intended for marine use.

 

Skiffa, I suggest you read up on ring free, it also is a fuel treatment as well as a carbon deposit remover. It does address phase separation and cleans injectors, so using a fuel stabilizer and injector cleaner is not really needed. Somewhere there is video of a motor tear down after 1000 hrs, with and without ring free.

Good suggestion, I will read up on it some more. I was only sharing what has worked well for me so far.

I think it’s all a bunch of snake oil. I only use it because it was included with my boat. Once I run out I’ll just run ethanol gas with no additives. Just run the motor on the hose for ten minutes every week if you don’t get it out on the water and it is fine.

You may be right Smack. I am fortunate to have good quality E0 pure gas available near where I run my skiff, and I run it often, and that may be the main reason I don't have fuel related problems.

 

I’m a member of the church of Yamalube with my Yamaha outboards.

 

I ran a 2 stroke 150 Pro V from 1999 to 2018 when the cooling system gave way. I used Yami ring free the whole time. I'm not sure how many hours I had on it. I went through four gauges that went out around 500 hours each and I ran the boat for a few months between gauges. I can safely say I had well over 2000 hours on that power head. When we took off the heads it was pretty clean on the inside. Still believe in the Yami version. It could be snake oil but it worked for me. Outside of maintenance I replaced the seals in the lower unit, trim and tilt switches and fuel pumps. I didn't think that engine owed me a nickel by the time replaced the power head

 

My take... ring free is the good stuff the epa makes refineries remove from our gas so they can fit all that corn in there!🤣

Seriously though, folks it is good stuff! I have personally seen what it does for keeping engines clean of carbon. The OTC snake oil products do not hold a candle to this stuff! As a tech, you will find a total of three additives/ treatments in my arsenal. Ring free, BRP engine tuner, and diesel kleen. I recently saved a local several thousand dollars by advising a shock treat with ring free! He had a sticking valve caused by wrong oil and old fuel! Local shop wanted to “tear it down” and go through the head. After a few hundred dollars in fuel, ring free, oil/filter, and new spark plugs, an hr on the hose, an hr on the water running through the rpms... he said it runs better than it ever did!

 

BRP Engine Tuner = the sh*t; I hope they will continue to make it, I only have about 15 cans left, havent checked since they went defunkt; better than anything else. From what I understand, stabil or any other stabilizer will suspend ethanol and any other "water attracking" substances into the solution so that it does not phase separate. Ring Free is the good stuff; I run it in everything, my truck, lawn equipment, etc. A couple years ago, I had a lawn mower that had an idle problem, where it was fluctuating up and down every 3-4 seconds, clearly a needle/seat problem; after a couple weeks of ring-free, problem was gone and I never had to tear the carb apart. Ring Free today has a stabilzer in it so you do not have to add multiple products. Also, Chevron Techron is 1oz to 1gal, whereas Ring Free is 1oz to 10gal. I hope I remembered this correctly.
But, Smackdaddy is completely right. If you run your engine regularly, this is all snake oil - using your engine mixes and flushes everthing out. I know many commercial fisherman that use nothing but 87 ethanol gas for decades and never have an issue. Bad gas (and all gas these days is bad; non ethanol or ethanol; moreso ethanol) will do more damage if it is left to set. Perfect excuse to fish 12months of the year..

 

I never put anything in my tanks but fuel. Keep them full and use them. Never had a fuel or carb (old motors & 2 smokes) problem of any type.

If you want to add something do it from day one and never stop or don't do it at all.

 

Always used ring free, great stuff

 

986 hours on a 2 stroke 90 and have never used Ring Free. I decarb with Seafoam every 100 hrs, use non ethanol fuel and bulk yamalube.

 

Over 8000 hours on 1989 200 HP Johnson
Engine never rebuilt

Run regular gas - no aditives from day one
Run nothing but We$t Marine 2 smoke oil from day one
Flush with city water only
Keep fuel tank full - No condensation water