Acetone will increase gas mileage?!?!?

[burntkat]

Re: Acetone will increase MPG?!?!

Um... Just make sure that it says it's 100% acetone on the label. One thing I ran across in researching all this is that nail polishes apparently contain varnishes that bond to the acetone when applied (and I always sucked at chemistry, so my apologies to any of our chemists if this description blows). The concentration likely isn't strong enough to do any damage in just one (or one-half) tankful, but over time it'd be easy to see how it could gum up injectors, etc. Just a thought.

odd, the research I did showed that anything that contains acetone as a main ingredient wouldn't likely cause a problem.

Besides-- on the original posted link, there's a picture of acetone nail polish remover to be used for this. Same brand 'n everything.

but yeah, I made sure it didn't say "non-acetone" or "protein enriched" or anything of the sort. RTFL, folks-- it'll tell ya what ya need to know.

<I'm sure as hell not a chemist either-- but I can follow simple instructions, generally speaking >

 

[xj92]

Re: Acetone will increase MPG?!?!

How about carrying around one of those STP gas treatment bottles or something similar with 4 oz. of Acetone mixed with gas, so when it goes in the filler tube it doesn't mess it up and so you don't have to carry a long funnel with you. The long neck on one of those bottles would also make sure you don't accidentally spill any on the paint.

 

[burntkat]

Re: Acetone will increase MPG?!?!

it's hard to remember what everyone has; do you have lift/big tires/bumpers/etc on this XJ? even with 35s I get abotu 15 on my 200k Renix 4.0...

sorry man- meant to add that . I oughta put it in a sig.

here's the beast:
-90 XJ, 4.0, AW4, 231J
-stock axles, at 3.55 ratio. Disco front
-open diffs
-4" lift <soon going to 6", experiment be damned>
-33X12.5X15. Pressure is probably low. I'm not changing it till this tank's burned through- too big a variable
80 pounds of rock sliders, gutted carpet, probably 150 pounds of bumper and winch. No spare, lots of crap in the cargo area <hey, it's a project vehicle!>

That 12MPG figure was my PRIOR experience. There's no way to calc a good mileage figure with onlly 35 miles on the tank, especially since they were driven at 25-30 M/H <REAL foggy out tonight>

At this stage, all I'm going to change is install my longarms, leafs, and coils- mainly to get the damned things outta my garage. :repair:

 

[burntkat]

Re: Acetone will increase MPG?!?!

How about carrying around one of those STP gas treatment bottles or something similar with 4 oz. of Acetone mixed with gas, so when it goes in the filler tube it doesn't mess it up and so you don't have to carry a long funnel with you. The long neck on one of those bottles would also make sure you don't accidentally spill any on the paint.

give 'er a shot. I carry funnels in my fluid kit in all my vehicles along with a roll of shop paper towels. Fill what ya gotta fill, wipe the mouth of the funnel with the napkin you used to check your fluid, then stuff a paper towel in one end and a vacuum cap over the little end. Do what works for ya...

err-- one thought- I'd probably not use the STP bottle to store it in the car, not knowing if it's acetone or gas safe <acetone is pretty vicious against plastics- only reason it works with what we're doing here is that you're diluting the hell out of it. The ratio comes out to something like 1:600 or so.

Also- as the gent who's article we're all looking at suggests- start with an ounce per 10 gallons and go from there. It's possible to put too much in and have the opposite effect we're looking for, MPG-wise. However, Iunderstand putting too much in does WONDERS for passing an emissions test. I can't comment- we don't do that here.

 

[BrettM]

Re: Acetone will increase MPG?!?!

would putting the acetone in, then 15 gallons of gas to wash it down be enough precaution to damaging the rubber filler tube?

 

[Big Red]

Re: Acetone will increase MPG?!?!

Thanks for all the feedback on the acetone guys. I've was waiting to see how the results were before doing it myself, plus I will not be home till tomorrow night.

 

[burntkat]

Re: Acetone will increase MPG?!?!

Um... Just make sure that it says it's 100% acetone on the label. One thing I ran across in researching all this is that nail polishes apparently contain varnishes that bond to the acetone when applied (and I always sucked at chemistry, so my apologies to any of our chemists if this description blows). The concentration likely isn't strong enough to do any damage in just one (or one-half) tankful, but over time it'd be easy to see how it could gum up injectors, etc. Just a thought.

CASM- I reread what you typed, and it seems you're referring to nail *polishes*, right?

I'm not using them, or used nail polish remover. This stuff is straight out of the Cutex bottle and the main ingredient is acetone.

 

[burntkat]

Re: Acetone will increase MPG?!?!

would putting the acetone in, then 15 gallons of gas to wash it down be enough precaution to damaging the rubber filler tube?

More than likely. But acetone and rubber don't play well together-- so I'm just gonna go this route till I can find more info on it. I'd feel really stupid going to fill my tank and finding I'd just given the pump owner an EPA Impact Statement to report... :lecture:

Like I say- I carry a funnel anyway-- no big deal. Acetone evaporates quickly anyway- so I'll do as above, then sit the funnel on my rack till I'm done pumping fuel, and it ought to be evaporated so I don't have to smell it in the car.

 

[casm]

Re: Acetone will increase MPG?!?!

CASM- I reread what you typed, and it seems you're referring to nail *polishes*, right?

Sorry - I re-read what I wrote, and totally lost the plot between my eyes and fingers. I meant to refer to nail polish removers, not actual nail polish. Got the two confused and wrote a really dumb reply because my brain no friend me good right now

Either way, if you've got someone saying they're safe, it'll be interesting to see how it pans out in comparison to pure acetone. The one thing I dislike about going the pure route is measuring out the dosage for each tankful. It'd be a lot more convenient to have a 4oz. glass (or non-dissolving plastic) bottle full of the stuff that could just live under the back seat until it was needed, then be refilled as required.

FWIW, when I did the initial dose I used one of the buck-seventy-nine Kragen funnels without doing any damage to it. One of the nice things about acetone is that it evaporates fairly rapidly, so I just left it sitting with the nozzle end skyward while I filled up. By the time the tank was full, all the acetone had evaporated out and it was ready to go back under the seat again.

 

[tiger]

Re: Acetone will increase MPG?!?!

Thanks for all the real world experiences with the acetone. With gas being so expensive, it's nice to see we can do some things to make the gas go further. What's the most acetone per 10 gallons that anyone has used, 4 ounces? I read in the article 2-3 ounces per 10 gallons.

 

[burntkat]

Re: Acetone will increase MPG?!?!

let me know how that plastic bottle thing works out for you.

I noticed the metal can <I bought a quart of toluene and acetone yesterday to do this with, and then forgot to take the damn things with me when I went to fill up, so got the 2 oz bottle of polish remover> let the odors of toulene and acetone leach out while they were sitting in my truck even less than an hour- this in 70 degree weather. I know it would be worse in higher temps.

My plan is- once I get my roofrack built, I'd planned to have a small plastic box for my lube kit outside the vehicle. I'll stash a couple bottles of acetone/whatever <I understand from my research there are other beneficial things to add to this XXXXtail> up there and use as needed, like you mentioned. I just don't want VOC esthers floating around the cabin and causing unpleasantness for me and mine.

Good to see this getting some openminded input here. There's a diesel forum I ran across where this was brought up, and every doubting Thomas for miles around piped up. I almost joined and linked them over here...

 

[burntkat]

Re: Acetone will increase MPG?!?!

Thanks for all the real world experiences with the acetone. With gas being so expensive, it's nice to see we can do some things to make the gas go further. What's the most acetone per 10 gallons that anyone has used, 4 ounces? I read in the article 2-3 ounces per 10 gallons.

re-read the article.

He suggests that as a ballpark, but says you should experiment. Start low, take data, and add a little more till you lose mileage- then back off to the last increase.

I've got 2oz in 20 gallons right now. After 38-ish miles, I'm already seeing a MUCH smoother idle. It's not SOTP, it's real-- but mine is probably an extreme case, being so far out of tune <pig rich and all that>

Go to the OP's site-- scroll to the bottom-- I believe there's a link there about a guy with an Acura who LOST 1% MPG. RTFA. Read it again. You'll see that conjecture is that he added too much, to what was already a highly efficient, small displacement engine. Nore data will be gathered. On this line of reasoning, we stand to gain more-- being that we have old-tech, large displacement, less efficient engines.

Hey, I'm not the expert-- just REAL excited. If I can get this puppy up to 20MPG around town, I'll be ecstatic!

 

[ryurabbit]

Re: Acetone will increase MPG?!?!

80 Miles on the 96 Dodge Ram and the needle hasnt moved off of full yet. I am very excited. The needle used to move at about 40-50 miles and drop really quick from there. The idle is a little smoother but I think the cam in the dodges is a little more agressive. The SOTP is definatly up and as I have had this vehicle for 6 years I can tell it IS definately helping. It takes less pedal travel to get the behemoth moving now.

 

[burntkat]

Re: Acetone will increase MPG?!?!

would putting the acetone in, then 15 gallons of gas to wash it down be enough precaution to damaging the rubber filler tube?

been thinking about this one. As long as it's done immediately after, and you don't stick the gas nozzle in so far that you've passed where the acetone hit-- I don't see why it would be a problem.

Hell, in all honesty- the acetone residue on the hose is going to evaporate so fast that it probably won't even be an issue.

I bought 3 more bottles of Cutex nail polish remover <acetone-based> today. Mainly for the bottles, which I know are acetone safe. Trying to fill the 2 oz bottle was a real bear since the opening was so small. These are 6 oz bottles and they will fit any funnel I have. I removed the labels and put them in the driver's map pocket. Already had a friend ask what they were. "Rocket fuel-- can't tell ya, it's a SECRET" all conspiratorial with a big grin on my face. I'm planning on doing as much research on this as I am able, with my Jeep, then when I get hard data that *I* generated, I'll share the info with other folks I know locally.

If you're going to get serious and scientific about this, you might want to pick up a graduated beaker with a spout as well, folks. I bought one locally for $5 at a children's scientific toy store <can't remember the name of it- something like a Brookstone for younger folks>. It'll make quantity control, and handling the acetone, a lot safer, easier, and more accurate.

 

[renegade_z71]

Re: Acetone will increase MPG?!?!

did you by chance get a mad scientist lab coat?

 

[burntkat]

Re: Acetone will increase MPG?!?!

did you by chance get a mad scientist lab coat?

nah-

I've had that for years.

it's a little tattered, though-- better add it to my list..... :lecture:

 

[crazy4mopar]

Re: Acetone will increase MPG?!?!

Ok here is todays report!!
I drove my 98 GMC Z 71 1500, 5.7L motor, 4x4 and stock tires.
I drove 103 miles at 70 MPH with no traffic. I averaged 19.43 MPG, thats almost 5 MPG more than no acetone!!!!

On the return trip I drove a combination of stop & go city traffic, 40-50 MPH back road traffic and 75-80 MPH on the freeway. I averaged 18.05 MPG, thats about 4 1/2 MPG more than without acetone!!!!

I say it's working :exclamati :exclamati

 

[TUFFXJ]

Re: Acetone will increase MPG?!?!

Well between my XJ and my girls ZJ we have been seeing 3-4 MPG better with 2 oz per 10 Gal

IT WORKS!!! it is like dropping $.35 off a Gal of Gas and costs approx .2 per Gal to treat, so a its like knocking off $.33 a gal on fuel!!

 

[yellowxj]

Re: Acetone will increase MPG?!?!

Wonder what it would do for my big block chevy pulling 7k empty trailer? I get 6 mpg now...hmm...for me even a 1mpg improvement would be tremendous...I'll try it tuesday.

 

[jjvande]

Re: Acetone will increase MPG?!?!

been following this thread...


I want to try it this way....

Fill up at the pump....drive a loop about 50 mi back to the pump w/o the acetone. fill up again and note the MPG.

Add the acetone and drive the SAME loop . Use the same pump to fill up again. Note the MPG and compare. Also, doing this in the same part of the day...pick a loop with little traffic.

This should eliminate some of the variables and be a better indicator.


my 02