4 stroke vs 2 stroke?

[ehg]

Recently was talking with a marine dealership owner and i was interested in getting new 9.9 outboard. I thought 4 stroke was the way to go despite the weight.

He told me that new 2 strokes are better. All the technology that goes in 4 strokes like fuel injection etc... is going into 2 strokes and eventually the 4 strokes will go the way of the dinosaur. I was surprised at the comments and now confused about future purchase. Looking for more input.

Edited April 14, 2010 by ehg

[Fisherman]

Recently was talking with a marine dealership owner and i was interested in getting new 9.9 outboard. I thought 4 stroke was the way to go despite the weight.

He told me that new 2 strokes are better. All the technology that goes in 4 strokes like fuel injection etc... is going into 2 strokes and eventually the 4 strokes will go the way of the dinosaur. I was surprised at the comments and now confused about future purchase. Looking for more input.

Hmmmm, 4 strokes going the way of the dinosaur, well how many 2 stroke land vehicles do you see moving, I think they beat the dinosaurs and 2 stroke outboards will more likely end up there. AFAIK there are already areas in the country that don't allow 2 strokes, regardless of the new technology. I'd rather put up with a bit of weight instead of the ring ting ting rattle shake shake of a 2 stroke.

[Tybo]

Sounds to me is this dealership bought to many

2 strokes and can't get rid of them.

[scugpg]

I'd get a 15hp 4-stroke...chances are its the same weight at the 9.9

 

If you're buying new I wouldn't even consider a 2-stroke.

2 Stroke has the weight and top-end power edge4 Stroke has so many more benefits.

This was a really good thread a while back: have a look through it http://www.ofncommunity.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=34029&st=0&p=360947&hl=stroke&fromsearch=1entry360947

[archie_james_c]

i'd be going 4 stroke for sure. no numb hand from trolling with a shakey 2 stroke motor, no smoke and noise. And besides...85 pounds for a 9.9 4 stroke....come ooooon suck it up butter cup .

[kickingfrog]

I think something was lost in translation. 2 strokes still have a place, but 4 strokes are were its going.

[ecmilley]

it would depend on the boat your putting it on and how it's stored I had a merc 9.9hp 4.stroke on a 12 ft cartopper boat it weighed in at 112lbs it was to much for me a battery and a motor had to move the battery to the front of the boat no big deal, it started good and ran great used little fuel but couldn't troll below 1.4 mph, the pain in the butt was walking up and down a set of stairs with it to put on the boat awkward to carry, but I would say that if your putting it on a boat to trailer around and only remove in the fall for storage then good to go.

If your gonna remove the motor on a regular basis for whatever reason i would go with the 2-stroke just for the ease of carrying the thing

[chris.brock]

I don't know much about the new outboards, but some snowmobiles come with great, efficient (comparitive to 4 stroke fuel consumption or better), light weight 2 strokes, maybe the same technology is in the new outboards????????

I have a 2003, Yamaha 8hp, 2 cylinder, 2 stroke, it seems to be very efficient, light, quiet, and can troll slow, also, the oil mix is 100:1, environmentally, I would guess a 4 stroke is still alot lower emissions though

[Big Cliff]

On a smaller engine like that I would go with the 2 stroke. The new technology makes them very fuel efficient, they are lighter weight, and have more low end power. They travel better too if they are going to be left in a position other than upright. There are more reasons but as a small engine technician, if I was buying one that I intended to transport and in that size range, I would put my money in a 2 stroke.

[ehg]

On a smaller engine like that I would go with the 2 stroke. The new technology makes them very fuel efficient, they are lighter weight, and have more low end power.

I would put my money in a 2 stroke.

Was thinking the same thing for a smaller engine. I guess a larger engine might take some thought.

The guy was pretty straight up when talking about future 2 stroke technology changes. Selling a 4 stroke would put more money in his pocket.

[waterwolf]

got a '95 ,15 hp. merc 2 stroke and can't imagine goin' in a different direction. eaisier on and off the tinnie , starts easily after storage periods, trolls darn slow. without having the benefits of an electric motor onboard getting in and out of tight, quiet areas sometimes requires a lot of cut the motor and drift for stealth. a 2 stroke with less compression makes for an easy half-pull start to get you out of a tricky spot.

pop the hood on a 4 stroke and find a quick fix while adrift,, yeah right.

[ohhenrygsr]

Well i know for a fact that, for a Merc the 2-Stroke is the way of the fossil. Mercury has stopped production of all conventional 2-stroke's but they still make Optimax. So the four strokes are the way of the future. Cleaner for the environment, quieter, better on gas, no smoke and weight wise it's about 85Lbs a 2-stroke will come in about 10-15lbs lighter. If you go to the Merc website 2-stroke's aren't even listed anymore.

[craigdritchie]

I will guarantee that the dealer who told you this is either (1) an Evinrude dealer, or (2) a sucker who has a shed full of OLD engines he's desperately looking to unload. Shop around, because you need to hear the reality from a few other dealers.

 

Four-strokes are the future. This is why every major manufacturer out there (with the exception of Evinrude, and Merc with their OptiMax line) has stopped manufacturing two-stroke engines altogether. Oh yes - that and the fact that as of January 1, they can't sell non-DFI two-strokes to dealers any more because they don't comply with pollution laws. New regulations coming down the pipe will likely mean the end of DFI two-strokes too.

 

New four-strokes outperform old two-strokes in every way, including power-to-weight. Yamaha introduced a bunch of new four-strokes last fall, and the majority of them are lighter in weight than an equivalent two-stroke. Oh yeah - they also use way less gas, you don't have to buy oil every time you fuel up, they don't smoke/stink, and they don't leave oil slicks in the water.

 

If "new" two-strokes are the future, why has Evinrude lost so much market share in the last 10 years? They've gone from number two in the market to somewhere behind Honda and Suzuki ..... competing with Tohatsu for last place in outboard sales. Why? Oh ... they don't even make a four-stroke.

 

Everyone's entitled to their opinion, but guys who say they still prefer two-strokes really do need to get out there and actually drive the newer four-stroke outboards. There's just no reason to use a dinosaur, and put up with the extra operating cost and pollution any more.

Edited April 15, 2010 by Craig_Ritchie

[Fisherman]

pop the hood on a 4 stroke and find a quick fix while adrift,, yeah right.

 

Hasn't happened in 22 years of using 4 strokes, now 2 strokes and finding a quick fix as you're slowly drifting over Niagara Falls , yeah right.

[ehg]

I will guarantee that the dealer who told you this is either (1) an Evinrude dealer,

 

Four-strokes are the future.

 

New four-strokes outperform old two-strokes in every way, including power-to-weight.

 

Hmmm...this guy primarily was into Evinrude.

More food for thought,it seems that especially in the future 4 strokes will be the way to go.

[Guest ThisPlaceSucks]

A yamaha 4-stroke is the nicest line of motors I've used. These included 8hp, 15hp, and a 25hp. We use them for work and they get more mileage per summer than most recreational motors would. Sometimes lifting the 15hp on and off is a carp (we have to at the beginning and end of each work day), but performance wise they are brilliant.

[bigfish1965]

I like the 2 strokes for 25 HP and less. A motor that fires each time the piston reaches the top will always have better low end torque than one that fires every other time. Less moving parts= less to go wrong.

[Handlebarz]

My next motor will be a 4 stroke for these couple reasons

1 no smoke from it this is for my family as they seem to get sick from the two stroke at times.

 

2 no extra oil to make sure is topped up and with the Mariner I have now it leaks oil out the top if its to full as the cap they have for this year sucks it is a flat seal style and does not seal and was only made for a couple years.

 

3 it seems that I will save a lot of $$$ with the 4 stroke I was fishing with a friend a few years back we went 8-9 hours day 1 4 hours day 2 and he went 4 hours later that day and did not burn much at all compaired to what i would have used. (fule savings is not my main reason family comfort is #1 as I have listed)

[Another Canadian]

IMO, When you are comparing a 4 stroke motor to the new 2 stroke DFI (Etec / Optimax) there is some benefits to each, but both are good choices in today's world. You have determine what is personally best and most important to you. For me it is reliability, and the Honda I run has never let me down (yet).

 

In the size of motor you are looking at (9.9), there is no 2stroke DFI choice as of now. The smallest Optimax from Mercury is a 75 and Evinrude has just released a 15 HO. The 15 HO is actually a detuned 25 as it has the same physical size as the 25. At 177 lbs, I would not want to try and move it around very much compared to the 15 4 strokes weighing in around 130 lbs. You can see a comparison on Evinrudes own website.

 

http://www.evinrude.com/en-CA/Engines/ETEC_HO/ETEC_15_HO

 

Of course a traditional 2 stroke carburated model weighs less and costs less, but they will be harder to find new as there is less demand for them. There are still some used ones out there as people trade them in on new 4 strokes.

 

AC

[craigdritchie]

In response to the private message I received questioning my sanity, I just did a quick comparison of different two-stroke and four-stroke outboards, to see which really is heavier. Since no one seems to even make a two-stroke 9.9 these days, I compared current 15 hp models. The information below comes from each manufacturer's own website (URL provided), so it should be up-to-date.

 

YAMAHA

Model: F15

Type: Four-stroke

Weight: 114 pounds

http://yamaha-motor.ca/products/products.php?model=3504&section=td&group=O#contentTop

 

SUZUKI

Model: DF15

Type: Four-stroke

Weight: 97 pounds (manual start), or 105 pounds (electric start)

http://marine.suzuki.ca/Product%20Lines/Outboard%20Motors/Products/DF15/2010/DF15.aspx

 

HONDA

Model: BF15

Type: Four-stroke

Weight: 101 pounds (short-shaft) or 108 pounds (long-shaft)

http://www.honda.ca/HMarine/Models/Specifications?Type=20-15HP&Model=BF15&L=E

 

MERCURY

Model: 15

Type: Four-stroke

Weight: 115 pounds

http://www.mercurymarine.com/engines/outboards/fourstrokes/enginesetfour_specs.php?ID=67

 

EVINRUDE

Model: E-TEC 15 HO

Type: Two-stroke

Weight: 177 pounds (manual tilt) or 183 pounds (power tilt)

http://www.evinrude.com/en-CA/Engines/ETEC_HO/ETEC_15_HO

 

 

Hmmmmm.

[Fisherman]

 

EVINRUDE

Model: E-TEC 15 HO

Type: Two-stroke

Weight: 177 pounds (manual tilt) or 183 pounds (power tilt)

http://www.evinrude.com/en-CA/Engines/ETEC_HO/ETEC_15_HO

 

Hmmmmm.

 

That's a big hmmmm, my Honda 25 longshaft electric is only around 150lb.

[Sinker]

I've got a 40HP, 2 stroke. Its wight is comparable to some of those 15hp engines listed. I can take it off/on by myself and carry it around. Its a bit heavy, but doable.

 

I'd go with a 2 stroke, for a 9.9hp, without a second thought.

 

I'm thinking about upgrading my engine, but finding a 40hp 2 stroke is going to be nearly impossible. The same motor in a 4 stroke is A LOT heavier. If you think weight is not an issue, think again, because it certainly is for me. I would gain an extra 100lbs or so, and lose top end........some upgrade huh? I think I'll just put parts on my old girl, and keep her. She hasn't cost me much to run in the 13 years I've had it, so any repairs would be worth it.

 

S.

[irishfield]

Yep.. I believe I read either 68 or 72 kg in the manual (it's at the lake) for mine fisherman... enough that I don't lift it off! lol 25 HP Electric start Honda.

[troutboy]

2 stroke,much lighter,better for portaging to a lake.

[craigdritchie]

I've got a 40HP, 2 stroke.

 

I'm thinking about upgrading my engine, but finding a 40hp 2 stroke is going to be nearly impossible. The same motor in a 4 stroke is A LOT heavier.

 

That's not true at all. Let's look at some 40 hp engines:

 

Evinrude E-TEC 40 Two-Stroke ... 232 to 250 pounds, depending on model (see http://www.evinrude.com/en-CA/Engines/ETEC_INLINES/ETEC_40_INLINE)

 

Suzuki DF40 Four-stroke ... 243 pounds, or basically the same weight as a two-stroke. (see http://marine.suzuki.ca/Product%20Lines/Outboard%20Motors/Products/DF40/2010/DF40.aspx)

 

Or if you're really concerned with weight, try this:

 

Yamaha F40 Four-stroke ... 205 pounds (see http://www.yamaha-motor.ca/products/products.php?section=td&model=3498#contentTop)

 

You guys who think four-strokes are automatically heavier than two-strokes are living in the past. In the case of these 40s, the four-stroke is lighter, and by 30 to 45 pounds!

 

You're right Sinker, finding a new 40hp two-stroke will be almost impossible. The choice is Evinrude - period. Every other manufacturer has gone to four-strokes, and with good reason.