Acetone doubles gas milage?

[Oldfisti]

I might try this in my truck first to see if it really works.    http://www.random-good-stuff.com/



- Wasn't sure about where to put this post, so it's here

[ducpainter]

Try tech...you can move your own thread...

we can laugh over there.   

[ducpainter]

I read a thread about this on a truck forum.

Some improvement was seen, but it was small.

Probably due more to the fact that the acetone cleaned the injectors.

[Oldfisti]

Yeah, DOUBLE mileage seems quite outrageous. I will investigate further...

[Norm]

I used to use 50/50 gas/acetone to squirt into the injectors of a race boat to get it started & it worked quite well. I still use the stuff to rinse fowled plugs & get them to fire, BUT, I don't think I'd be brave enough to actually feed it to the motor. Maybe if you went WAY down in jetting - let us know 'cause I don't think anybody here is going to try it for you.

[SP3]

I did this a few years ago and there is some improvement but it is small. The benefit is supposed to be from the acetone breaking the surface tension of the gasoline which makes it atomize better for more complete burn. I can somewhat scientifically confirm it is not from cleaner injectors as the improvement was consistently maintained until I stopped adding the acetone. When I stopped adding acetone, the mileage dropped back to pre-test levels immediately. I did this for about 8 months straight and got about two more mpg during this period (26 mpg over the course of a tank versus 24). I did the same with my wife's truck for a shorter period but still got a measureable increase. A couple of links both for and against the claims:

http://www.pureenergysystems.com/news/2005/03/17/6900069_Acetone/

http://peswiki.com/index.php/Directory:Acetone_as_a_Fuel_Additive

http://www.snopes.com/autos/techno/acetone.asp

http://www.hammeruncut.com/does-acetone-increase-fuel-mileage/

[Oldfisti]

Thanks for the links. Now my head hurts from reading all of that!   I still would be willing to try that on my truck for a few tanks. I never track mileage so I'll have to establish a baseline first

[Jarvicious]

I've been tracking mileage on every tank on my bike for the last 4 months or so, this is even varying between 91, 89, and 87 gas.  This should be fun  .  I'll post up results when I'm done.

[mmakay]

I used to mix my own "race gas" when I spent a lot of time dragging a supercharged cage.  Acetone is pretty good at upping the octane rating (a lot) and yes, it keeps the injectors very clean.  The best to use is Toluene rather than Acetone, but it's harder to come by.

The down side is these chemical will DESTROY most common engine seals, fuel pumps, etc. in very short order if you use them too much.  If you ran this every day expect to rebuild the engine soon ... real soon. 

Of course, they are also stupidly expensive compared to gasoline.  What good is spending 3 or 4 times as much to get slightly better millage?  (Even if it did double the millage, which it doesn't.)

[Popeye the Sailor]

It's a bad plan. Drive slower-it's the same results, but cheaper.

http://www.snopes.com/autos/techno/acetone.asp

http://www.cartalk.com/content/columns/Archive/2006/January/08.html

Dear Tom and Ray:

Last week my neighbor gave me an 11-page treatise on the benefits of putting a small amount of acetone in your gas tank: an increase of 25 percent to 35 percent in gas mileage with NO damage to the engine. The article tells how much acetone per number of gallons and gives the rationale for why it works. I am NOT knowledgeable in the workings of engines, nor do I have knowledge about fuels, so I can be snowed by people who may or may not know what they are talking about. I value your opinions. What do YOU think about this? -- Wil

TOM: It's bo-o-o-o-gus, Wil. With four "o's." Don't put acetone in your gas tank.

RAY: It does absolutely nothing to increase your gas mileage. We spoke to a fuel-systems engineer who works for one of the major oil companies. He said that because of all these rumors floating around on the Web, his company tested acetone in its own labs and found no increase in mileage. None. And he said the equipment is precise enough to detect anything over a 1 percent difference.

TOM: But it's worse than useless -- it's also harmful. Acetone is the primary ingredient in nail-polish remover. And while it will burn and is a high-octane material, it's also a very powerful solvent. So while it's in your fuel system, it'll be eagerly dissolving all of your rubber components ... like gaskets and O-rings.

RAY: In fact, some cars have a rubber hose in the fuel line that goes between the fuel-cap assembly and the tank. When you add your acetone, pouring 100 percent, undiluted rubber-eater right onto that tube, you'll be eating through it in no time.

TOM: Here's our final reason not to use it: It dissolves paint. So if you slip and spill a little bit outside your fuel filler door, you'll have a nice, unpainted line running down to the bottom edge of your rear quarter panel. When we see you drive by, we'll know you didn't take our advice!

[ducpainter]

Just for the record...

Tom should stick to engines...

because he doesn't know shit about paint. 

[Howie]

Maybe Tom paints his car with nail polish

I could see acetone making a difference if ping is taking place or a knock sensor is retarding ping due to low octane gas, otherwise, no.  Um, or if you are adding acetone and not counting that quantity when figuring your MPG.

Every time there is a gasoline shortage or gasoline gets expensive this myth jumps back to life

[herm]

so,.......lets assume it does increase mileage...
what is the extra cost per mile due to the acetone additive?
is it worth it?
i bet no

[Speeddog]

The last gallon of acetone I bought was $24.
That's 7.4x the price of gasoline.

At a 10% acetone/gasoline ratio, 10 gallons of 'mix' costs $53.25.
10 gallons of gas is $32.50.

So unless you get more than a 64% increase in mileage, you're worse off.

[Oldfisti]

The suggested ratio is 1oz acetone to 5 gal gasoline. That's an extra 56 cents per fill based on 15 gal.