Outdoor Power Equipment and Small Engines - Non-Standard 2-Stroke Gas/Oil mixture for Ryobi!!

I just got off the phone with Ryobi and found out that unless you use their brand of 2 stroke oil you have to mix it at 4 oz. oil to 1 Gal. gass instead of the standaard 2.6 oz. to 1 Gal. This goes for all machines made after 2001.

I always suggest using Stihl oil at a 50:1 ratio for any newer 2-cycle(95 on), it has everything necessary. For old 2-cycle Lawnboy and Tecumshe 32:1 or 16:1 mixture might be necessary but they weren't picky. Have a good one. Geo

That brings up a memory...my dad burned up a Stihl chain saw once using the correct ratio fuel and oil. Shop told him the ratio was based on using Stihl 2-cycle oil and using another brand resulted in a different effective mixture. I'm jumping on this thread more as a question: I've been reading here about the 'new' synthetic 2 cycle oils that are a universal mix and now assume (sorry if I assume wrong geo) the Stihl 50:1 mix will work as well. What are the thoughts on this subject?

50:1 = 2.6 oz. oil per gal. gas.
32:1 = 4 oz. oil per gal. gas.
16:1 = 8 oz. oil per gal. gas!
Just wanted to post these conversions. I know it seems fairly obvious but ....

Another question: is it safer to over-oil or under-oil the mixture?

It's always better to over oil, it just causes the engine to carbon up faster, foul plugs faster and smoke if really a rich mixture. Have a good one. Geo

I wonder if under oiled fuel would cause the problems I'm having.

Our recommendation here at my shop is and will be to use a quality synthetic oil - preferably manufactured specifically for outdoor power equipment - at the oil manufacturers recommended ratio. And always use pre-mix oil, as opposed to injected oil (unless you have one of the rare Lawn-Boy injected, walk-behind lawn mowers) as they are different viscosity oils. We sell Opti oils and have never had a complaint of engine seizure as a result of using it.

Am I understanding this correctly -- one should follow the mix ratio that is displayed on the oil container you are using as opposed to what the equipment manufactuer had previously recommended. I use vintage homelite chainsaws and trimmers, which seem to last a lifetime. Instead of a 16:1 mix, I should use whatever the oil container says ???????
Thanks in advance for the clarification.

Only if you use a synthetic oil!!!!! Not if you use a standard, petrolium based oil, you then mix at the equipment manufacturers recommendation. In your case, jl66redcpe, the 16:1 ratio that you are most likely finding on the fuel cap is likely an old Homelite and if you had the original owners manual you'd notice that you would mix SAE 40 motor oil with the gasoline. There was no such thing as 2-cycle specific oil in the day. I recommend that if you use standard oil you mix at 32:1 (4 ounces oil per gallon of gas) but recommend using synthetic though.