Just wondering if anyone uses toulene. Bought at paint stores, supposed to be a cheaper forme of octane booster that raises the octane more.

Seems a little risky for me, so I was wondering who out there has used it, and if anyone uses it daily? Let me know what you think of it. Thanks.

We sample Toulene where I work (as an inspector). It IS a form of octane booster, and is used in gasoline. My boss told me stories of putting it in go-carts and such and it making an insane power increasment....the motors also wouldn't last long since they ran the stuff almost strait. But, if you use it moderatly, it works well.

Without taking advantage of advancing the timing the only increase in performance is to oxygenate the fuel.

Methyl-tertiary-butyl-ether (MTBE), ?Nitromethane?, or N2O work great at that.

Other ways to slow your fuel burn down are; Xylene (More umf than Toluene), and Methanol, Ethanol, Isopropyl Alcohols.

Ron

BTW: You'll need a gallon of Toluene to rise your octane a few percent.

It's still a better cost than that stuff on the self that only rises it .2 or what ever.

Ron

Methanol huh? I can get the stuff by the gallon

100% pure too! From what I understand and have read, you can run up to 85% menthanol in a stock engine with some chip tuning and timing adjustments.

Check this....Methanol burns 40% or more cleaner than gasoline at a cost of maybe 3% of a power loss. Makes me wonder why we're still running gasoline instead of methanol in our cars.

I've yet to dump a bottle of it in my tank....but I'm REAL curious as to how much better it'll run

Anyone intrested in this should read This (click here)

i've built and raced a few methanol engines. you can't dump 85% in a stock engine and go racing, even with chip tuning. methanol dosen't like to ignite much below 60*f. you'll never lean out an engine on methanol. you need a lot more fuel capacity, bigger pump, lines, etc, like 40% more. at the very least you'd need viton seals, timing, jetting, and spark plug changes.

Again, you have to ask yourself it you need it. I mean are you going to run more advance? or more compression? or both?

Now race only YEA, but for the streets???

For a daily driver the gains don't really make it worth the storage issues or what ever. Are you going to keep Zylene in the trunk if you decide to run more advance or higher compression?
You have to understand without any mods, higher octane by itself isn't going to give you any gains what so ever.

Ron

Gasoline = $1.50 a gallon
Toluene = $15 a gallon

It takes a whole lot of toluene to significantly affect the "octane" rating of the fuel, like at least a 25-30% mixture.

Hmmmm.........

Doesn't look very practical as an octane booster.


I use it once in a while, as fuel system cleaner; I'll pour a gallon in there when the tank is almost empty, and drive it around for a few miles, maybe let it sit overnight, then fill it up with gas.

hrmm that link says 3 bucks a gallon..

my opinon on it:

you shouldnt NEED any octane booster in a street car. now if you're living on the ragged edge of premium, and go somewhere where its not available, then yea, id keep a can or two in the rear storage compartment for when needed.... example would be last time i drove to vegas... on top of the mountians, theres places that dont sell 91-93... highest is like 89... and if i fill up and go down the back, by the time im at the base, im going to be pinging.. so add a lil booster and you're set.


for a race motor... you use race fuel. not to mention, most classes frown upon or outlaw mixing your own stuff..

In 1999 Ford produced 16,000 Tauras's that were dual fuel vehicels that supported the little badge with a leaf on it and said FFV. The ran Methanol 85 from pumping stations in Cali. And the only differences between the fuels to the car was a sensor in the tank that switched programs in the computer for either fuel.

And from what I've read, Methanol 85 is an 85% mixture of methanol with some other fuel (gasoline I'm assuming).
Maybe, I read wrong, but I'm pretty certain thats what it was. Also I read on many other sites that you could run a sugnificent amout of methanol in a stock engine and see no difference accept in emmisions.

But I'm not saying anyone is wrong, just sharing what I've read.

We have a Turbo Trans Am and the guys on Turbobuick.com use xylene and marvels mystery oil mix. We have done this and seen how it can take knock out of a motor quick. I don't know the mixing ratios but it works.



Brian

It is $3 bucks a gallon...

Where do you get it for $3 a gallon, I saw it said Xylene was something under $10, but Ive never seen it that cheap...

Last time I was at the hardware store it was something around $14 a gallon.

There might be other places to buy it for less, but it's pretty hard to ship (near impossible in fact), so you have to get it more or less locally.

they need Hazmat license to ship or waht?

Yup