In 2-stroke engines, combustion and lubrication take place by means of a single element, the mixture. The undisputed protagonist of the lubrication process is the oil which, suspended within the solution, properly preserves all the components subject to friction, high wear and exposed to high temperatures.

Beware, however: not all oils are the same. There are normal commercial oils for 2-stroke engines (those that can also be bought at a supermarket and are used for the mixture of common road scooters, for example) and then there are racing oils, which can be used for kart engines at the high engine rotation speeds they reach.

But that’s not all, because, as we explained in the article “How to – How to make the mixture for a kart, the field of lubricating oils for 2-strroke engines is further divided into three types of product:

1. Synthetic oils, synthesized through industrial chemical processes; the biggest market share.
2. Vegetable oils, which are derived from the processing of vegetable substances (e.g. castor seeds) or from the refining, in the case of mineral oils, of pre-existing substances such as petroleum. These ensure very high lubricating standards, but in most cases also the appearance of combustion “products” that can affect both the power delivered by engines and their efficiency and duration over time.
3. Semi-synthetic oils, derived from the mixture of esters (at the base of synthetic oils) and vegetable oils. The meeting point between the qualities of the two lubricant product groups listed above. Precisely for this reason, in general, these kinds of oils are more expensive.

In this article we have surveyed the market to highlight all, or almost all, CIK-FIA approved lubricating oils i.e. those products specifically designed for races that are subject to CIK-FIA international regulations (also FIA Karting) approved by the federation.

Here we report on the main and technical characteristics as received from individual manufacturers and which are therefore not the result of tests we have carried out. To complete the article, however, we await your opinion, if you have used any of the products listed. Do not hesitate to leave your contribution at the end of the article.