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| OK, I’ll bite, or strike, as we say in the musky biz…..
This is the 2nd time that this article has been brought to my attention in a month. The first time, my wife found it prominently displayed in the ladies room @ a marina!!
I’m not an engineer, not even a mechanic, but as an interested observer of the 2 stroke vs 4 stroke debate, the first question that jumps to mind is “Who signs Mr. Lambrecht’s paycheck?”
I have no data to present, though I notice that he failed to mention who supplied his. Here are a few other thoughts that occurred as I read.
A 4 stroke’s camshaft allows asymmetrical tuning of intake & exhaust timing for tuning flexibility not possible in a 2 stroke motor, regardless of induction method. The 2 stroke’s timing is fixed, by ports cast into the cylinder walls, & symmetrical w/regard to TDC.
Variable valve timing has been used in production cars (Honda) since the late ‘90’s & is now finding its way into marine application.
ALL lubrication used in a 2 stroke is discharged into the water. Though I confess a certain callousness, as I negotiate some of the large impoundments surrounded by a million other boats, it sometimes pricks @ my conscience while on my favorite 200 acre potholes.
In my own personal experience, (Sorry, no studies or data available) 2 stroke piston & ring life are comparatively shorter. I offer these possibilities: First, the accumulation of carbon in the ring grooves is accelerated by the combustion of lubricating oil. Second, the rings are hammered, each time they bulge out into the port windows & then are slammed back again onto the cylinder wall.
Finally, as my friendly mechanic says, “You can fix almost anything if you want to spend the money.” How much money are we willing to spend to upgrade old technology to increasingly stringent emissions standards? If memory serves, when the 2006 standards were announced - ’99 I think - none of the 2 strokes could pass but every current Honda already would have - no microprocessors needed! Following the scramble to bring 2 stroke DFI to market, one manufacturer was seriously depleted by a grievous shakedown period after introduction.
The hallmark of 2 strokes has always been simplicity & light weight. As 2 stroke tech has become more complex & 4 stroke tech becomes more lightweight, I believe that manufacturers & consumers will see that we’ve reached an economic point of diminishing returns. Witness the proliferation in the 4 stroke lines of most manufacturers & the corresponding elimination of many 2 stroke models.
I believe that in the next several years, barring a miraculous breakthrough in 2 stroke tech or a staggering reversal in environmental legislation, 2 stroke engines will be relegated to applications where lowest weight is the rock bottom criterion – weedeaters, chainsaws, motocrossers, etc., & high horsepower outboards for which there is not a corresponding 4 stroke model – currently, motors exceeding 225 HP.
For the record, I own (2) 2 stroke outboards, one old & one brand new, but they will be the last.
Steve Petree
West Chester, OH
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