Where to buy Pure Methanol?
 

Anyone know where to buy 99-100% pure methanol? I just realized I need to know where to buy the stuff before installing a methanol injection system lol.

thewird

I was getting it locally for $2/liter, that source has dried up though.

any performance shop that sells fuel will probably sell methanol as well - lots of race cars run on 100% meth.

I thought methanol was supposed to be cheaper per liter then gasoline?

thewird

you have a pm

Go to the paint section at your local can-tire. Get a jug of methyl hydrate, see what it says on the label for purity. Methyl hydrate is another name for methanol.

http://www.proracingfuels.com/Product_Alcohol.html

http://www.ashland.com/

Call up your local car dealer, and buy windshield washer fluid, it's concentrated, because they just add water, they get it in 54gal drums.

What about the costs though? I was hoping to find a source that was less then $1 /liter

I'm gonna try calling this place up tomorrow which was posted on this forum by Cheers! and supposedly is 55 gallon drum for $141plus tax and barrel fee...

http://www.ashland.com
Ashland Canada Corp.
2620 Royal Windsor Drive
Mississauga, Ontario L5J 4E7
CANADA
(905) 823-1800

thewird

Go to a TSC store (tractor supply company) they sell it in gallon jugs marked methyl-hydrate (as stated its just another name for methanol) 99.9% purity, IIRC its about 2-3 dollars.

Another..
http://vpracingfuels.com

We get those huge drums of concentrated windshield washer fluid here at work from Ashland. I'm not sure on the cost of a drum though.

Depending on how quickly you use/how you store the methanol, I might stay away from the drum.

Like brake fluid, methanol is hydroscopic, meaning it absorbs water. 2 year old "99.44%" pure may not be anymore.

vpracingfuels.com got back to me and the price isn't bad if I get a 54 gallon drum.

54 Gal (204 liter) Drum of M1 - $300 (tax included) + $25 refundable drum deposit
$1.47 /liter
5 Gal (19 liter) Pail of M1 - $60 (tax inlcuded)
$3.16 /liter

And then there's the special M5 grade...
54 Gal (204 liter) Drum of M5 - $450 (tax included) + $25 refundable drum deposit
$2.21 /liter

I'm still searching but anyone interested in splitting a drum? I need to ask them if we buy the same quantities as the drum but in pails if it will make the price similar to a drum. It's kinda hard to move a 350 pound drum without a forklift.

thewird

Not really, I move drums like that here at work. It's not like your going to move it around all day, you move it once to where you want it and your done.

Glad this popped up again: I was at the Canadian Tire in St. Catharines (near Pen Centre). In their automotive section, they had a gallon jug of 99.9% Methyl Hydrate (which is methanol), for ~$7.XX.

Which, if no one else can find, I'd be happy to pick up and resell for $10/gallon.

There has to be somewhere you can get it for less then gas...

thewird

Not in my experience. Its usually more.........even the discount you get on that drum still puts it near $1.50

Sounds like a perfect opportunity to DIY:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-Whisky-Still/

LOL, i have one of those in my garage. My dad uses it to make his own whiskey/vodka. Should hold about 5 gallons. The thing is methanol is made from another method. Anyone know how effect vodka would be as a method of injection? lol.

thewird

http://www.geocities.com/rad87gn/tech/alcohol.html

It's not far off in theory. 200 proof is 100% alcohol, 180 proof is 90, etc...

What type of alcohol is drinking alcohol?

thewird

I use like 16L a years (summer) driving 4-5 days a week and 3-4 tracks days, so the price is not that big of a deal man.... I mix it 50/50 with water....

Unless your going to run on methanol its not worth ur time or gas money trying to find anything cheaper

Ethanol----DO NOT DRINK METHANOL it kills quick

I was planning to run 100% methanol in the meth tank and replace 20-25% of my fuel with it after between 15 and 25-30 PSi.

Considering I use a full tank of gas plus 1-3 20L fuel tanks on a full day track day, I'm making a lot more power now (expecting close to 500 rwhp with meth), and that methanol is only half as powerful as gasoline. Then I'm expecting to need 20-40 liters per full track day. That is why I'm trying to find it cheap.

ROFLCOPTER

So its ethanol. Ethanol isn't as good at absorbing heat as Methanol is. Although its still a ton better then gasoline.

thewird

Yeah, I'm going with Canadian Tire's methyl hydrate, it's the cheapest I could find around town here, but I'm mixing 75/25 meth/water. I don't really think it matters how much moisture methanol absorbs if I'm mixing it with straight water! haha If you can find a good source, I might take 10 gallons