[SteveS]

Has anybody experimented with putting Acetone in gasoline, a la:

http://www.lubedev.com/smartgas/faq.htm
http://www.chemicalforums.com/index.php ... eadid=2517

and other sites?

There seems to be a lot of chatter about it on the 'net...

 

[mikepaul]

I've got another question: if stuff like this has been done for years and WORKS, why do I only stumble across the ideas instead of seeing them in action all over the place?...

 

[dgstan]

This sounds really interesting to me. I found this site that specifically mentions the Prius (although not which model - Classic or HSD).

http://peswiki.com/energy/Directory:Acetone_as_a_Fuel_Additive#Toyota

My question is this: Let's say you used this for a year and finally it ate through a seal somewhere or damaged your gas tank bladder. Would the dealer be able to tell what happened? I doubt they would test the fuel mixture. They'd probably just fix it and chalk it up to some bad gas.

Purely hypothetical, since I don't have the cajones to try this for real...


DGStan

 

[KTPhil]

With the cost of acetone several times that of gasoline (even at today's prices), does it make sense to increase your cost per gallon of fuel, say, 10% in order to gain 10% mpg?

And what about emissions?

 

[SteveS]

I dunno... I don't think so, but then again, I think the ethanol thing is complete BS.

I certainly don't have the cajones to try this in my current car, and especially not in my new one. Maybe if I had a junker around, I'd try it...

 

[dgstan]

With the cost of acetone several times that of gasoline (even at today's prices), does it make sense to increase your cost per gallon of fuel, say, 10% in order to gain 10% mpg?

And what about emissions?

Well, seeing how you add 3 oz. of Acetone to every 10 gallons of gas, I'm not sure cost is an issue.

It supposedly improves emissions in regular vehicles, who knows on the Prius.

 

[richard schumacher]

Tinkerers have been adding all manner of stuff to their gas tanks for decades. If something as obvious as acetone did anything useful it would have long since been made part of a commercial formulation.

 

[Paul H]

Acetone in gas no way!

Acetone to run a ICE is a old con man trick, add 1gal acetone to five gals of water and you can run a car on water. Only acetone will burn up a engine, strips the piston rings of the thin film of oil and they wear out fast.

Acetone is what they use for finger nail polish remover.

I used it to clean engine and car parts during overhaul.

Last point, use it and anything happens and Toyota will say it is not approved so repairs are not covered.

 

[SteveS]

Tinkerers have been adding all manner of stuff to their gas tanks for decades. If something as obvious as acetone did anything useful it would have long since been made part of a commercial formulation.

I really can't get over the fact that people really believe this.

Oil companies aren't in the business of reducing their profits by improving our gasoline consumption.

Believe me, if there was anything that they could do to worsen our consumption without becoming a target of government penalties, they would.

Same reason that the quality of vehicles has plumetted since the Model T days. Automakers slowly figured out that making quality vehicles limited their income from replacement vehicles.

Companies aren't in the business of voluntarily cutting their profits.

 

[SteveS]

Re: Acetone in gas no way!

Acetone to run a ICE is a old con man trick, add 1gal acetone to five gals of water and you can run a car on water. Only acetone will burn up a engine, strips the piston rings of the thin film of oil and they wear out fast.

Acetone is what they use for finger nail polish remover.

I used it to clean engine and car parts during overhaul.

Last point, use it and anything happens and Toyota will say it is not approved so repairs are not covered.

Yeah... I figured as much. Wanted to see what the feeling was on here.

And as far as using it in my car(s) goes, I definitely wouldn't, unless (as i said before) I had a junker around.

 

[treichard]

Oh my God, I can't believe I actually clicked through to http://www.lubedev.com and stayed a few minutes. Where do I get that privacy software that's supposed to erase all traces of websites you've visited in the past?? I need it before somebody finds out!!

So some kid with a sub-$100 scantool has dilligently researched the matter and found that mileage increases up to 35% when a few cents worth of acetone is added. Oh, and using straight 40wt. oil helps too. And the reason we haven't heard all this before? It's the vast right-wing conspiracy. Should've known.

Then, we learn in this thread that the quality of the Model T was better than today's cars, and quality has been going downhill since. Can anybody possibly really believe any such thing? When I started owning cars, one with 65,000 miles on it was really shot. Now they routinely go 200,000 with no major repairs.

Oh well. :roll:

________________________________
treichard
2005 Tideland Pearl Pkg. 6

 

[Hep]

Oh my God, I can't believe I actually clicked through to http://www.lubedev.com and stayed a few minutes. Where do I get that privacy software that's supposed to erase all traces of websites you've visited in the past?? I need it before somebody finds out!!

So some kid with a sub-$100 scantool has dilligently researched the matter and found that mileage increases up to 35% when a few cents worth of acetone is added. Oh, and using straight 40wt. oil helps too. And the reason we haven't heard all this before? It's the vast right-wing conspiracy. Should've known.

Then, we learn in this thread that the quality of the Model T was better than today's cars, and quality has been going downhill since. Can anybody possibly really believe any such thing? When I started owning cars, one with 65,000 miles on it was really shot. Now they routinely go 200,000 with no major repairs.

Oh well. :roll:

________________________________
treichard
2005 Tideland Pearl Pkg. 6

Now you've done it. The men in the black helicopters are on the way right now. You'd better hide.

 

[SteveS]

Oh my God, I can't believe I actually clicked through to http://www.lubedev.com and stayed a few minutes. Where do I get that privacy software that's supposed to erase all traces of websites you've visited in the past?? I need it before somebody finds out!!

MS Antispyware has a pretty good track eraser.

So some kid with a sub-$100 scantool has dilligently researched the matter and found that mileage increases up to 35% when a few cents worth of acetone is added. Oh, and using straight 40wt. oil helps too. And the reason we haven't heard all this before? It's the vast right-wing conspiracy. Should've known.

I didn't say I believed him, which was exactly why I started the thread to see what the feeling in the community was. Relax. If I had believed him, I would have gone and poured nail polish remover in my gas tank. We have lots of smart-o people in the community (engineers and whatnot) who I wanted to hear from

Then, we learn in this thread that the quality of the Model T was better than today's cars, and quality has been going downhill since. Can anybody possibly really believe any such thing? When I started owning cars, one with 65,000 miles on it was really shot. Now they routinely go 200,000 with no major repairs.

You're kidding, right?

Based on my experiences, this is not so true with foreign cars, but more with domestic.

My girlfriend has a Buick that shreds transmissions. I have a Ford Escape with 91k miles on it (all highway) that I've babied and taken care of, and it has a valve tap.

Domestic cars are garbage and have all kind of problems. Perhaps I overstated the point a bit, but the point is still - at least in my opinion - valid.

 

[SteveS]

Oh my God, I can't believe I actually clicked through to http://www.lubedev.com and stayed a few minutes. Where do I get that privacy software that's supposed to erase all traces of websites you've visited in the past?? I need it before somebody finds out!!

So some kid with a sub-$100 scantool has dilligently researched the matter and found that mileage increases up to 35% when a few cents worth of acetone is added. Oh, and using straight 40wt. oil helps too. And the reason we haven't heard all this before? It's the vast right-wing conspiracy. Should've known.

Then, we learn in this thread that the quality of the Model T was better than today's cars, and quality has been going downhill since. Can anybody possibly really believe any such thing? When I started owning cars, one with 65,000 miles on it was really shot. Now they routinely go 200,000 with no major repairs.

Oh well. :roll:

________________________________
treichard
2005 Tideland Pearl Pkg. 6

Now you've done it. The men in the black helicopters are on the way right now. You'd better hide.

;p

 

[richard schumacher]

Same reason that the quality of vehicles has plumetted since the Model T days. Automakers slowly figured out that making quality vehicles limited their income from replacement vehicles.

Companies aren't in the business of voluntarily cutting their profits.

Are you serious about that Model T quality comment?

Note that selling more product and making more profit are not the same thing. A gasoline company that could deliver 10% better mileage would likely charge 15% more by selling it on the added driving range and convenience. (They can charge 10% more for premium when most people who buy it get no benefit from it whatsoever.)

 

[SteveS]

Same reason that the quality of vehicles has plumetted since the Model T days. Automakers slowly figured out that making quality vehicles limited their income from replacement vehicles.

Companies aren't in the business of voluntarily cutting their profits.

Are you serious about that Model T quality comment?

Note that selling more product and making more profit are not the same thing. A gasoline company that could deliver 10% better mileage would likely charge 15% more by selling it on the added driving range and convenience. (They can charge 10% more for premium when most people who buy it get no benefit from it whatsoever.)

Yeah, I was exaggerating just a bit..... However, the "automakers slowly figured out that making quality vehicles limited their income from replacement vehicles." is true to a point, methinks.

Chrysler and Dodge are rolling disasters... GM autos are of such poor quality and are so un-innovative that it has to give it's cars away to make sales.... Toyota is kicking GM's ass. Ford isn't much better than GM.

These automakers used to churn out quality vehicles that would last forever if maintained properly.

So yes, maybe I exaggerated a little, but I still think this is a pretty valid opinion.

Does anybody have any facts to prove me wrong? Show me any reports where domestic automakers are beating foreign ones in longevity, quality, and efficiency.

Concerning the comment about efficiency... summer mix provides a substantial improvement in efficiency over winter mix, but I don't generally see much price variation on it - other than traveling periods and whatnot.

As for Premium gas, I blame the consumer for being uneducated. If your car is labeled as needing premium gas, then buy it. If it's rated 87, it's rated that way for a reason.


I wasn't trying to start a flamewar here, guys

 

[KTPhil]

"I wasn't trying to start a flamewar here, guys "

There you go and spoil our fun!
;-)

 

[richard schumacher]

Fair enough! Probably none of us are going to run out and pour nail polish remover into our beloved Prii :_>

Remember that guy who called Click and Clack, asking about ATF as a fuel additive? He recounted standing at the gas pump all in a swoon, about to pour it in, when he came to and thought, "Waitaminit: if this is such a great idea, why am I the only one doing it?".

 

[KTPhil]

I used ATF to blow the carbon out of the combustion chambers of an old Pontiac, by pouring it in the carb barrels, and probably polluted more in that five minutes than my Prius will in its entire lifetime.

Didn't do the job anyway, by the way.