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We know our pocketbikes require the use of two stroke oil. But does the type of oil really matter? That's what I tried to determine and the answer isn't as clear as you might think.

The only person to really answer me as to the benefits of synthetic oil vs mineral oil was a product engineer from Royal Purple who responded to me on a Sunday. The main difference he stated was not the type of oil, but rather the additives that make the difference. He also stated that they did not have any tests done on two stroke engines but that four stroke data wold be similar. I apologize for not being able to produce the results taht I thought I would be able to, but this is better than nothing.

In tests, synthetic oil was found to increase torque by as much as 3.5% over mineral oil. Engine horsepower increased by 2%. Temperatures also decreased as well, achieving an 11F reduction at idle. Over other synthetic oils, Royal Purple oils helped gain 1.2% more horsepower and 1.3% more torque. The study did not say what type of synthetic oil was replaced.

It is also worthwhile to note that emissions were reduced and fuel consumption was decreased. Against mineral oil, Royal Purple gained 3.68% more fuel economy, soot was reduced by 11.75% and CO was reduced by 17.7%.

If the numbers don't impress you all the way around then just take it this way. Good synthetic oil will save you fuel, and increase power while reducing the crap from your exhaust pipe. I was not able to find a decent shootout of synthetic oils, but I will try to find one for a followup to this article.

This article was written by Bruce Peresky for pocketbikeforum.com. Copying is permitted provided you give credit to http://www.pocketbikeforum.com

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