intel55

I am looking for those who have been using Toulene added to their gas to increase the octane and in what ratios they have been using.

Anybody put 5 gallons of 93 pump gas in and then 1 gallon of Toulene along with 25-30 oz of either mineral spirits or Mystery oil?? :cheers:

TLewis4095

Just bought a case of the new stuff from LAPD..can't remember the name of it, (see previous posts on it) Will try it this Sat at Bradenton & see how it works. Only took a day to receive it! Good job LAPD.

ArizonaZ06

IMO you would be better off adding 110 unleaded instead of Toulene plus it's cheaper and much easier to come by. :flag

intel55

ttt :flag

FRISKY

I have a gallon of toluene that I purchased years ago that I never used. I had bought it to see if it would raise the octane of street gas. At this time period, I had been messing around with different blends of race fuel, trying to get the "best bang for the buck". I don't think you would need anywhere close to a 1 to 5 ratio with toluene. That would dilute the "burning" part of the fuel too much.
The factory doesn't use anywhere near that much when they make gasoline. I would start out at an ounce or two if I were testing it. But I really don't have any idea and I hope someone else can answer your question...

I did discover that you could get a 10% increase in power from Propylene Oxide. Propylene is an oxygenating agent similar to nitro methane but it will mix with gasoline whereas nitro will only mix with alcohol-based fuels. Propylene will LOWER the octane level of the fuel. You will need to raise the timing and jetting a point or two if you use it. I also found that anything over a 1 to 12 mix (1/2 gallon added to 4 1/2 gallons of fuel) is a waste of money. It doesn't increase HP any more if you use a higher ratio.
When I was testing propylene it sold for about $3.00 a gallon, and the last time I checked it was over $25 a gallon

An added benefit to propylene is that it will clean anything it comes in contact with, fuel system, combustion chambers, etc. But, it will also destroy most o-rings and rubber products.

.

J Lance Miller

I don't race. My '02 Z06 runs fine on 91 octane pump gas. My '66 (11.5:1cr) BB would probably run on seawater, she never complains - but I usually add a bit of 110 octane leaded (5gals @ $3.89 a gallon) to 91 octane unleaded pump gas (15 gals @$2.00) raising the octane to about 98 because she deserves a treat. Ends up costing me around $2.50 a gallon. For comparison, in order to raise your octane the same magnitude with over-the-counter octane boosters you would need ten cans of octane booster that advertises a 7 "point" increase or run a mixture of 30% toulene and 70% 91 octane pump gas.

Here are some recipes for octane boosters - I included one that uses MTBE for comparison - gas companies have been using it for some time but it is finding it's way into some places it shouldn't be and is fairly toxic. Here in California the MTBE was just removed - dropped the octane of premium from 92 to 91.

Formula #1 - Toulene
R+M/2.........114
Cost...........$3/gal
Mixtures with 92 Octane Premium
10%...........94.2 Octane
20%...........96.4 Octane
30%...........98.6 Octane
Notes: Common ingredient in Octane Boosters in a can. 12-16 ounces will only raise octane 2-3 *points*, i.e. from 92 to 92.3. Often costs $3-5 for 12-16 ounces, when it can be purchased for less than $3/gal at chemical supply houses or paint stores.

Formula #2 - Xylene
R+M/2.........117
Cost...........$3+/gal
Mixtures with 92 Octane Premium
10%...........94.5 Octane
20%...........97.0 Octane
30%...........99.5 Octane
Notes: Similar to Toulene. 12-16 ounces will only raise octane 2-3 *points*, i.e. from 92 to 92.3. Usually mixed with Toulene and advertised as *race formula*.

Formula #3 - Methyl-tertiary-butyl-ether (MTBE)
R+M/2.........118
Cost...........$3+/gal (not likely to be available to individual consumers)
Mixtures with 92 Octane Premium
10%...........94.6 Octane
20%...........97.2 Octane
30%...........99.8 Octane
Notes: Oxygenate. Very common in octane booster products. Has lower BTU content than toulene or xylene, but oxygenate effect makes the gasoline burn better and produce more energy.

Sample Mixture
To make your own octane booster, it is easiest to make up a large batch, and then bottle it up in "dosage-size" uses.
Below is the basic formula of one of the popular octane booster products. To make eight 16 ounce bottles (128 oz = 1 gal):
· 100 oz of toulene for octane boost
· 25 oz of mineral spirits (cleaning agent)
· 3 oz of transmission fluid (lubricating agent)
This product is advertised as "octane booster with cleaning agent *and* lubricating agent!". Diesel fuel or kerosene can be substituted for mineral spirits and light turbine oil can be substituted for transmission fluid. Color can be added with petroleum dyes.

Mike Mercury

Anyone try nitro-methane? I have a gallon of it leftover from my RC Airplane hobby. Can it be mixed with unleaded gasoline to raise octane levels?

intel55

J Lance Miller: Yup those are the formulas that I am using for Toulene or Xylene. Luckily we have 93 Amoco gas here so I will not need as much as Californias crap 91 octane. I only use this mix at the track as I run nitrous on my car. To me is seems like a cheap and effective way to raise my octane from time to time. I am also hoping it will clean out my cc chambers.
:cheers: :flag

kraff

How about a combination of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen?? :D Provides about 200k of thrust in the space shuttle and only costs about $9million.
No offense, but with the stuff you fellows have stored in your garages, I'm kinda glad I don't live too close to you. ;)

intel55

That does it I am moving to Thousand Oaks California :D :D I will continue my pure oxyegen, alcohol, nitromethane, nitrous oxide and one big fat match from there!! :D :D
Be afraid, be very afraid!!!
PANIC!! :reddevil :cheers: :flag

PaulW98Z

I use 1/2 tank of Amoco 93 pump gas mixed with 2 to 2 1/2 gallon max of 114 purple racing fuel. It works great for me and I haven't had any problems from it yet.

BlondePebbles

I've heard that using additives will leave deposits on the spark plugs. Wears them out quicker. It would seem the better way to go would be with unleaded race gas, 100 octane.

Nilla Ice

I used the octane booster one time...it did foul my plugs. It did leave crud on the plugs, no telling what it left in the cylinders. Plus higher octane is usually wasted, unless you have the timing or compression ratio to use it properly.

Tony

J Lance Miller

Quite likely, but gasoline right out of the pump will also leave deposits. A nice grey ash indicates a happy motor. Not meeting your engine's octane requirement can cause it's premature failure - a few dollars more than a set of plugs.

Don't tell anyone, but pump gas is rumored to be filled with many additives already, things such as toulene, xylene, MTBE, methanol, perfumes, coloring agents and even fuel labeled "unleaded" may contain lead as long as it does not exceed a certain level.

Every major gas company uses a slightly different formula.

Knowing this, the simple fix for a percieved fuel related problem is to try a different brand - if the car runs better, stick with it - if not, switch again. Folks attempting this manuver should give each brand a fair shot - at least a couple of tanks, before moving to the next. You should also keep in mind that gas companies may alter thier formulas seasonally - so, what works for you in the spring may not in the fall. A good friend of mine swears by Chevron for carburated engines. His suggestion comes from thirty years of experience as a carburator and ignition specialist - he claims that the other fuel companies are formulating thier products more for fuel injected cars, using additives that, while they keep fuel injectors operating properly, are more likely to damage internal components of a carburator.

If you find that you must increase octane to avoid engine damage, I suggest doing as BP says - add a small amount of higher octane fuel appropriate for your application. Newer vehicles with catlytic converters must use unleaded fuel - I have a car with an all original, high compression, pre-catalytic converter engine that adds 40% to it's value - it was designed to run on leaded fuels, for it I can add some leaded high octane fuel to pump gas.

I provide the information on octane booster formulas not because I advocate them, but because the makers of octane boosters are - in my opinion -misleading the public. If you choose to make your own octane booster please keep in mind that using any of these additives in greater proportion than the amounts listed in the formulas can cause severe engine damage... use them at your own risk.

Mike Mercury

I guess if I had read your post more carefully I would have noticed you had already answered my question

intel55

:cry nobody using toulene hmmmm already a large component of gas... I got some cans at ace hardware, but it rained tonight ...no nitrous run down the edens expressway tonight... :eek: :eek: :eek:
taht MMT stuff will leave a redish/brown coating on the plugs, but so far does not seem to harm them. This is only to be used at the track, moreso when I am running nitrous. I would not be doing this for just driving around... :D

Eric94

I agree, except that you probably have a larger safety window for timing changes with higher octane.

Nilla Ice

You are correct sir...higher octane is a good thing on nitrous fed motors too!

intel55

Yup the hihger octane slows the flame travel which helps when running n2o (which accelerates it).


all alone using toulene... i am a contrarian... :p: :flag :cheers: :cool:

Bifkin

This is all pretty interesting... but a few quick questions:

1) Can you really put transmission fluid in there without screwing something up (synthetic or non?)? and does it really do anything?
2)Do you guys put this in your tank every fill-up?
3)On my Eagle Talon, I have a 16gallon tank, so 30% would be like 5.3 gallons.... You can't really put 5.3 gallons of this in your tank at the gas station... its not quite as portable as those 16oz bottles....
4) Do cars with turbo & high boost levels benifit heavily from these products?

I've put a 32oz/$1 bottle of isopropyl alcohol in my tank after a fillup before going to the track, and it seems to help a LITTLE.... I heard it also cleans it up a little and gets rid of water.

Oh, and I use 94octane Sunnoco Ultra.


[Modified by Bifkin, 8:06 AM 10/3/2001]