Destroy

Hey Guys,

I was browsing a local racing forum and came across this post. I was wondering If any of you have heard anything about this or ever tried it. Here are the formulas.

Formula #1 - Toluene
R+M/2.........114
Cost...........$2.50/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.


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Formula #2 - Xylene
R+M/2.........117
Cost...........$2.75/gal
Mixtures with 92 Octane Premium
10%...........94.5 Octane
20%...........97.0 Octane
30%...........99.5 Octane
Notes: Similar to Toluene. 12-16 ounces will only raise octane 2-3 *points*, i.e. from 92 to 92.3. Usually mixed with Toluene and advertised as *race formula*.

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Formula #3 - Methyl-tertiary-butyl-ether (MTBE)
R+M/2.........118
Cost...........$3.50/gal
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 toluene or xylene, but oxygenate effect makes the gasoline burn better and produce more energy.

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Formula #4 - Methanol or Ethanol
R+M/2.........101
Cost...........$0.60 - $1.75/gal
Mixtures with 92 Octane Premium
10%...........94.3 Octane (Methanol)
10%...........94.7 Octane (Ethanol)
20%...........Not Recommended
Notes: Methanol is wood alcohol. Ethanol is grain alcohol and found in Gasohol in 10% ratios. Both alcohols are mildly corrosive and will eat gas tank linings, rubber and aluminum if used in excessive ratios. Main ingredient in "Gas Dryers", combine with water.

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Formula #5 - Isopropyl Alcohol and Tertiary Butyl Alcohol
R+M/2.........101
Cost...........$0.60-$1.50/gal
Mixtures with 92 Octane Premium
10%...........94.5 Octane
20%...........Not Recommended
30%...........Not Recommended
Notes: Similar to Methanol/Ethanol. Isopropyl Alcohol is simply rubbing alcohol.

rxseven

stay away from alchohols. Toluene is great but costs quite a bit more than $2.50/gallon if you don't buy it in 55 gallon drums. F1 racecars used to use 80% toluene a while back when turbocharging was legal and they wer running 50-60psi boost.

Destroy

My Dad is a Painting Contractor and he gets all that stuff at cost. So if it is same and won't blow my motor I just might try it. I love running race gas, but my wallet doesn't.

xstacy7

Holy Munga...can you imagine 50-60psi? I mean ****...i almost gizz my pants when it goes to 10psi. Dang holy goodness. Talk about having a permanent smile to your ears when you get done driving that racecar sheeat

87GTR

iTrader: (61)

Pherrus. need to hook up with you would like to buy some Xylene to mix the gas.

Destroy

I've got some in my garage. Need to price more though.

EpitrochoidMan

Be carefule with xylene you buy at hardware stores, most of the time they have some thats meant for painters and containers laquers and other nasty things we don't want in our gas tanks. Be sure to get the straight stuff.

rxseven

Toluene is somewhat better than xylene cause it does not evaporate as quick. yeah the f1 racecars were making 1000+ Hp with less than 3 litre displacement using toluene. It won't hurt your motor but your exhaust will smell funny.

formerpistonluvr

What kinda mods to fuel system need to be made to run toluene mix? What kinda mods for straight toluene?

rxseven

I run toluene instead of the usual octane boosters with no ill effects. Disclaimer: I don't know the long term effects so use at your own risk.

importboi22

i thought toluene is a strong solvent... wouldnt this effect your rubber fuel lines after a long while?

importboi22

also where can you get all these chemical at? and do you need a license or anything?

kyle@insight

A buddy of mine made this in a pinch one day, figured I'd throw his recipe in:

2 Gallons of Xylene (Westenhoffer Hardware on Preston, $10.95 each): $21.90
16 oz of Mineral Spirits: Already in my garage
8 oz of Marvel's Mystery Oil (1/2 a 16oz bottle): $1
8 Gallons of pump premium (Amoco @1.68/gal): $13.44

Grand Total: $36.34 for 10 gallons, or $3.63/gallon

What do you get?
Well, Xylene (20% of the mixture) is 117 octane, the gas (80%) is 93, so (117*0.20) + (93*0.80) = 97.8 octane.

Turbo 3

iTrader: (3)

You will not be able to purchase large quantities (55-gallon drums or more) without signing off with the vendor shipping it to you for DEA purposes. You will need to sign off on a federal waiver being liable for the distribution of the product and are supposed to be "qualified" under DOT reg's as well to sign off on the receiving papers for such quantities.

I.E., these are alternative solvents used in the production of Meth so if you go and buy a bunch of cans of acetone, xylene, or toluene, be prepared to be visited by the cops

Buying small quantities, such as in 1 gal cans, are consumer quantities and exempt.

IRPerformance

iTrader: (41)

Interesting. After blowing my last motor due to bad gas, I'm, thinking of either mixing a little race gas, avgas, or some home made octane booster with every tank from now on.

machinehead

No wonder the guy at the paint store always gives me funny looks when I buy this crap!!!!

WackyRotary

How come. If you are refering to Ethanol(same as for drinking except denatured) reacts less then gasoline when its in contact with rubber. UNLESS your fuel lines are pre-60's and are of the old natural rubber era.

Anyway, a lot of people ignore E85 here in MN. (85% ethanol, 15%gasoline). Its octane rating is 105 and it smells very clean when it burns+its less toxic to you if you leave it idling with no emission equipment then with gas fuel. Also, last time I checked, E85 is $1.23/gallon, premium gas is $1.70

The downside, E85 is 81,000btu's/gallon,
gasoline is ~114,000btu's/gallon.

And you need to run about 9:1 a/f ratio with E85. But it also makes more power at the same boost level as gas and you won't be getting any carbon build up in the engine anymore. Probably better for the engine oil too.

rxseven

Alchohols are not to good for o2 sensors and cats in large doses.

WackyRotary

What are you talking about ackohol/ethanol or wood ackohol/methanol. Methanol is more corosive to metal and rubber and probably harms cats and 02 sensors slightly more quickly(M85)methanol 85% 15%gas.

(E85)ethanol 85%, gas 15% is not much more corrosive then gasoline and won't harm the O2 sensor much more then it would with gasoline. I wouldn't tune E85 with a cat on the car untill you have the fuel mixture dyno tuned and is correct just like with gasoline or any other fuel. If you need to pass emissions or concerned with emissions, maybe you should stick with gasoline. But E85 or M85 can make more power and has more octane so higher boost, 20% more power thanks to the added oxygen in the fuel, and finally less chance of detonation is a major plus.

E85 info

Flex fuel vehicles are widely aviable and any RX-7 owner can adapt to run it with a Haltech or a aftermarket carb with much richer jetting/larger accerator pump nozzles/accerator pump bypass to get the ~9:1 mixture for E85. I'm not sure what M85's optimal a/f is though, but its less then 9:1.

rxseven

i was more concerned with high sulphur content in US gasoline which reacts with any OH compound to produce corrosive compounds. Methanol is most reactive of the OH group so the corrosion occurs fastest. Ethanol is a little more stable but could still theoretically react with impurities in gasoline.

rxrotary2_7

http://www.vtr.org/maintain/gasoline-octane.html


i run C16 now... its just easier to get a drum of it and have it sitting around. you can also sell some to friends for a few dollars more and end up paying about the same as using a xylene mix.

Cheers!

running high concentrates of alchol isn't good since alchol will clean off the vanish in your gas tank and gas lines.

This will lead to FUBAR Fuel filter, and possible injectors
and fuelpump.

LMBLF8

I remember reading somewhere that paint thinner is the same as Toluene. Is this true, if I go out and get some paint thinner (the ones with the miniral sprits in it), it will work the same as Toluene?

Destroy

Umm, no. Pain thinner probably isn't the same as tuluene, I think it is alchohol based. Toluene and Xylene have much more suitable burning characteristics for car that run on pump gas.

BTW, I don't think you signature will last long.

rxrotary2_7

no it wont last very long. he was warned. if its not changed, it will be changed for him.