Which Two-stroke Oil Brand Wins?
In our test we compared 2 two-stroke oil options head to head. AMSOIL Dominator Racing 2-stroke oil came out on top. See the measured results, the runner-up, the budget pick, and a link to the full test video.
AMSOIL Dominator Racing 2-stroke oil
Price shown in test: $12.95, about four times as much as the SuperTech
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SuperTech
Price shown in test: around $3 per quart
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SuperTech
Price shown in test: around $3 per quart
Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
The quick take
The short version of why each pick lands where it does, built straight from the measured results.
“super tech not being a synthetic oil was definitely at a disadvantage and that really started to show we did several the test whether its corrosion resistance film strength as far as the engine temperature during the generator run am ZOL had a huge advantage”
The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Products are listed in the order they finished.
All measurements (11 more)+
Lubricity Wear Scar
- 1AMSOIL Dominator Racing 2-stroke oil17 percent
smaller wear scar than the SuperTech, not even close
- 2SuperTech Universal 2-Cycle Engine Oil
wear scar 17 percent larger than AMSOIL's
Corrosion Test
- 1AMSOIL Dominator Racing 2-stroke oil
no visible corrosion on the coated bolt, amazing job blocking rust
- 2SuperTech Universal 2-Cycle Engine Oil
quite a bit of rust formed on the coated bolt, did not do a good job blocking corrosion
Flashpoint Qualitative
- 1AMSOIL Dominator Racing 2-stroke oil
ignited first in the simple crucible/flame test, about 1 minute 15 seconds before SuperTech, indicating a lower flashpoint
- 2SuperTech Universal 2-Cycle Engine Oil
took about 1 minute 15 seconds longer than AMSOIL to ignite in the simple flame test, indicating a higher flashpoint
Flashpoint Lab Result
- 1AMSOIL Dominator Racing 2-stroke oil225 degrees
Fahrenheit per independent lab analysis (lower than SuperTech's 330 F)
- 2SuperTech Universal 2-Cycle Engine Oil330 degrees
Fahrenheit per independent lab analysis (higher than AMSOIL's 225 F)
Combustible Gas First Engine
- 1AMSOIL Dominator Racing 2-stroke oil15
to 108 parts per million, much lower (cleaner burn) than SuperTech's 300 to 475 ppm
- 2SuperTech Universal 2-Cycle Engine Oil300
to 475 parts per million, notably higher (less clean burn) than AMSOIL's 15 to 108 ppm
Carbon Deposits First Engine
- 1AMSOIL Dominator Racing 2-stroke oil
spark plug had a little more carbon buildup than SuperTech, but described overall as slightly better than SuperTech on carbon deposits due to less buildup on intake valve area
- 2SuperTech Universal 2-Cycle Engine Oil
cylinder head nearly spotless with some buildup near the valves; had quite a bit more carbon buildup on the intake valve and between the valves than AMSOIL
Compression PSI
- 1AMSOIL Dominator Racing 2-stroke oil
started at 85 psi new, rose to 90 psi after 4.5 hours of load testing at a 100 to 1 fuel to lubricant ratio
- 2SuperTech Universal 2-Cycle Engine Oil
initial compression test read 89 psi; a later passage says the generator engine started out at 88 psi (single-digit discrepancy in the transcript, not resolved) and rose to 90 psi after 4.5 hours of load testing
Generator Load Temps
- 1AMSOIL Dominator Racing 2-stroke oil
ran consistently cooler than SuperTech under load: cylinder head about 5 F cooler at 2 hrs, 15 F cooler at 3 hrs, 16 F cooler at 4 hrs, 20 F cooler at 4.5 hrs; exhaust gas about 10 F cooler from 2 to 4.5 hrs
- 2SuperTech Universal 2-Cycle Engine Oil
used as the baseline; ran hotter than the AMSOIL engine under load by the margins noted in AMSOIL's entry
Evaporation Residue
- 1AMSOIL Dominator Racing 2-stroke oil
evaporated much more quickly than SuperTech in the evaporation test, but left more visible residue behind in the crucible
- 2SuperTech Universal 2-Cycle Engine Oil
evaporated more slowly than AMSOIL and left less visible residue behind in the crucible
Carbon Deposits Second Engine
- 1AMSOIL Dominator Racing 2-stroke oil
left slightly more deposit on the spark plug and slightly more carbon buildup on the cylinder head and piston than SuperTech in the generator engine test
- 2SuperTech Universal 2-Cycle Engine Oil
had a little less carbon buildup on spark plug, cylinder head, and piston than AMSOIL in the generator engine test; lab noted SuperTech contains a small amount of calcium (a detergent dispersant) which may explain this
API Certification
- 2SuperTech Universal 2-Cycle Engine Oil
no American Petroleum Institute donut on the container, unlike a certified oil
- 1AMSOIL Dominator Racing 2-stroke oilnot tested
How it was tested
- lubricity / bearing wear scar test
- corrosion resistance (coated bolt rust test)
- flashpoint (simple flame ignition test)
- flashpoint (independent lab analysis)
- combustible gas / unburned hydrocarbons in exhaust (first small engine)
- carbon deposit buildup on spark plug, cylinder head, valves (first small engine)
- engine compression before and after load testing
- cylinder head and exhaust gas temperature under sustained generator load
- oil evaporation and residue
- carbon deposit buildup (second generator engine, after load test)
- independent oil lab chemistry analysis
“super tech not being a synthetic oil was definitely at a disadvantage and that really started to show we did several the test whether its corrosion resistance film strength as far as the engine temperature during the generator run am ZOL had a huge advantage”
