McMaster Carr's Tygon fuel line

[Mikey]

Yesterday I was going to order some parts from McMaster Carrs and when I looked at the website under flexible fuel lines I saw this and then sent an email to them

Nate when looking at the flexible fuel tubing area it says Do not use with ethanol-based gasoline
I'll be using this for a gas line for a motorcycle engine and the majority of the fuel when I'm on the road might be E15
So I take it this tubing won't work

Let me know thanks Mike

Hi Mike,





Yes, the flexible fuel tubing would not work with ethanol-based gasoline.


We are not able to make a recommendation for your specific application
So I replied : Thats the fuel line many are using does the ethanol make the lines brittle
Lets see what the reply is

Now what I thought Tygon lines were the go too fuel line

 

[Mikey]

Latest reply ( they get back to you quick!)
Hi Mike,



The flexible fuel tubing is not recommended for use with ethanol-based gasoline from our suppliers. We do not test the tubing for causing them to get brittle.



You may want to check with the manufacturer of your motorcycle engine for replacement gas lines or recommendations for replacement lines.

 

[Downeaster]

I've been using Tygon to replace every fuel line I've come across that's either dried out and brittle from age, or turned to snot by ethanol.

No problems yet, and I've been doing it for several years.

 

[jetmechmarty]

I use Motion Pro Premium. It comes right up when I search tygon. OTOH, most of my gas is E0.

 

[Mikey]

Yeah I've been running non alcohol gas locally and when I put them in storage they get the non alcohol gas its just when I'm riding around small towns where there gas selection is pretty minimal that they will get the blend

 

[RC4MAN]

Hadn't thought much about it but even back in the day, Pre-Ethanol, Tygon would work but would stiffen/harden with age and exposure to gasoline.
Always try and use rubber fuel line, Honda used to use some nice flexible non-reinforced stuff back in the 70's and the shops would sell it to you by the foot.

 

[Mikey]

Heres what I got off the SkySports website
1/4" Tygon Fuel Line - Not Affected by Ethanol - Sold by the foot.

​

1/4 ID See though Yellow Compatible with greater than 10% ethanol fuel Maintains air tight seal on fittings even in extreme temperatures Oil and gas resistant Resists swelling and hardening Special formulation for all power equipment Translucent material allows visual inspection of flow Wait a minute they just said above Oil and gas resistant I'm thinking McMasters doesn't want to say absolutely it's good for ethanol fuel ?? but that don't make sense either I wonder if the manufacturer is telling them this ??

 

[Mikey]

seems like when you search for tygon fuel line ethanol related articles you get both good and bad
Mine have all been switched to Tygon so time will tell I just won't order another 10' for now

 

[bosco659]

I’ve always used Tygon yellow lines on all my bikes, boats and small engines and never had an issue. I just bought 6ft of clear Tygon from Aircraft Spruce. Hopefully that will be ok. Btw I always use ethanol free fuel in my small engines.

 

[Mailman]

I’ve been running Tygon fuel line for years, here in Arizona they sell what is called CBG ( cleaner burning gas ) it not only has ethanol but also includes a whole laundry list of highly volatile solvents, this is the gas that melted my gas tank liner on my XS2. Anyways the only problems I have noticed with that fuel and Tygon fuel lines is a tendency to get a little stiff and turn a brownish shade over time.

 

[Jim]

Tygon isn't a particular "type" of tubing. It's nothing more than a "brand name." Here's the Wiki...

Tygon is a brand name for a family of flexible polymer tubing consisting of a variety of materials to be used "across a range of specialized fluid transfer requirements".[1] The specific composition of each type is a trade secret. Some variants have multiple layers of different materials. Tygon is a registered trademark of Saint-Gobain Corporation. It is an invented word, owned and used by Saint-Gobain and originated in the late 1930s. Tygon products are produced in three countries, but sold throughout the world. Tygon tubing is used in many markets, including food and beverage, chemical processing, industrial, laboratory, medical, pharmaceutical, and semiconductor processing. There are many formulations of clear, flexible, Tygon tubing. The chemical resistance and physical properties vary among the different formulations, but the tubing generally is intended to be "so resistant to chemical attack that it will handle practically any chemical", whether liquid, gas, or slurry.

It looks like different companies... mostly Chines I suspect, have latched onto the Tygon name, rendering it pretty much useless as a determiner of quality. Unless it comes with the trademarked name or logo, it's an illegal knockoff of god only knows quality and usage.

 

[Mikey]

I would hope that McMaster Carr would be getting the good stuff
There good to work with I'll have to see if there is a trademark on the tubing I've bought so far

 

[Jim]

....if there is a trademark on the tubing....

 

[5twins]

Years back, I bought my fuel line from Mike's. He had very good high quality stuff, thin walled and an exact replica of the original stuff. That meant those original anti-kink protection springs would fit on it. Eventually, they changed suppliers (but not the description) and now the stuff they sell is just plain old 1/4" line, too fat because it's not thin wall anymore so the original protection springs won't fit. And to add insult to injury, it's crap, splitting where fitted on the tank or carb nipples within a year. But, I think I found the good stuff again. That new place, YamahaXS650.com, has it. I bought some recently, hoping it would be the thin walled type (as it's described), and it is. And even better yet, they sell it in 25' rolls for $15 .....

https://yamahaxs650.com/product/black-rubber-fuel-line-1-4-x-25/

I haven't had it that long to be able to test it's longevity, but I'm thinking and hoping it's the same stuff Mike's used to sell. This is because this new place is actually run by the old Mike. He's got the old original good Commando mufflers and I'm hoping it's the same for this fuel line. I really hope so because I sprung for the 25' roll, lol.

 

[jetmechmarty]

YamahaXS650.com

I’m shopping there when he has what I need. The price and sometimes the quality of the product is better than the usual suspects. I hope they get more stuff in stock.

 

[DogBunny]

Tygon isn't a particular "type" of tubing. It's nothing more than a "brand name." Here's the Wiki...

Tygon is a brand name for a family of flexible polymer tubing consisting of a variety of materials to be used "across a range of specialized fluid transfer requirements".[1] The specific composition of each type is a trade secret. Some variants have multiple layers of different materials. Tygon is a registered trademark of Saint-Gobain Corporation. It is an invented word, owned and used by Saint-Gobain and originated in the late 1930s. Tygon products are produced in three countries, but sold throughout the world. Tygon tubing is used in many markets, including food and beverage, chemical processing, industrial, laboratory, medical, pharmaceutical, and semiconductor processing. There are many formulations of clear, flexible, Tygon tubing. The chemical resistance and physical properties vary among the different formulations, but the tubing generally is intended to be "so resistant to chemical attack that it will handle practically any chemical", whether liquid, gas, or slurry.

It looks like different companies... mostly Chines I suspect, have latched onto the Tygon name, rendering it pretty much useless as a determiner of quality. Unless it comes with the trademarked name or logo, it's an illegal knockoff of god only knows quality and usage.

View attachment 209665

What he said.
Counterfeit Tygon has been sold on eBay for years -- decades even.
Genuine Tygon comes in about a dozen different flavors. You need to either know what kind you're getting and check out it's properties to see if it's ethanol-resistant, or buy from a seller you trust. I would assume that McMaster-Carr is selling a non-ethanol-resistant variant.

 

[Mikey]

What he said.
Counterfeit Tygon has been sold on eBay for years -- decades even.
Genuine Tygon comes in about a dozen different flavors. You need to either know what kind you're getting and check out it's properties to see if it's ethanol-resistant, or buy from a seller you trust. I would assume that McMaster-Carr is selling a non-ethanol-resistant variant.

They are a quality company so I doubt they would sell the knock off type

 

[Mikey]

The last stuff I bought from them says

Semi-Clear Soft Tygon PVC Tubing
for Fuels and Lubricants, 1/4" ID, 3/8" OD
But that stuff isn't branded
But I also bought some 1/4 OD from them that is branded on the tubing

 

[DogBunny]

They are a quality company so I doubt they would sell the knock off type

I was not implying that they are selling a counterfeit. I was surmising that they are selling a non-ethanol-resistant genuine Tygon variant, of which there are many.
The package in your pic says F-4040-A, the same as what is printed on the fuel line in Jim's Amazon screen grab. You can look that code up and see what it's properties are, including whether or not it is ethanol resistant. That number sounds familiar to me, I'm pretty sure it's what you want.

 

[DogBunny]

A couple years ago, I bought an un-opened 50-foot box of Tygon SE-200 for $50 on eBay. The box, the sealed plastic bag, and every foot of the line were properly labeled. I looked up that code before I bought it, and it was good. It is a clear variant. One dollar per foot. The seller had two more boxes -- was going to post it on the Forum, but never got around to it.