Acetone in fuel: Truth or BS?

**brick** · 09-08-2005, 02:49 PM

I found this article today:
http://www.lubedev.com/smartgas/additive.htm

Cliff notes: "Acetone is the god of all fuel additives, does everything those hokey fuel saver devices are supposed to do but don't, improves all aspects of engine performance at practically no cost, bow down to our god Acetone."

I'm torn as to whether I should laugh hysterically or take it as possible but with a grain of salt. I actually used acetone quite a bit when I was working at the PSU turbulent combustion lab and I can tell you that it burns incredibly well. I never mixed it with gasoline (we actually never burned gasoline) but I mixed a whole lot of other fuels and I have learned that changes in fuel mixture can make a big difference. As one wild example, we injected hydrogen while burning a hydrocarbon (forget which) and NOx emissions practically dissappeared. Nobody expected that. But gasoline with 0.1% acetone? Has anybody here tried it?

**synmoo** · 09-08-2005, 03:35 PM

Some turbocharged cars run a little bit of this in high boost applications to combat ping/detonation under boost.

A friend of mine tried it. He was retarding about 6 degrees on two cyls under load at full boost. Next tank with the mix it was down to 4.5.

whether or not this is significant or not... ehhh. I would be concerned about long term effects on the motor. Particularly seals and rubber hoses.

**brick** · 09-09-2005, 08:55 AM

Well, I looked further into it and there seems to be quite a bit of information on the web. I've been ignoring anything that refers to or sounds like the original site that I linked so that I can focus on things that at least appear to be independent testing. Basically, I think that the claim might actually be credible based on what I have read. The risk of engine damage at very low concentrations seems to be pretty minimal as long as no pure acetone comes in contact with rubber parts. (Better make sure that the filler neck is all-metal.) Furthermore, I think that there is an explanation for why some people have great results and others have poor or negative results: alcohol in gasoline. It seems that alcohol reacts with acetone at high temperature, resulting in a new compound that just takes up space instead of contributing to combustion. That's a problem for some people but not all, depending on where you live.

Anyway, I guess I'm going to be the sucker and try it for a tank or two. I've already maxed-out the mileage potential of my Accord through maintenance, tire pressure, and learning to drive for absolute peak economy. I also have records of my mileage and driving habits dating back 2,000+ miles to when I bought the car. Since peak mileage under ideal conditions was 36.8 I would expect a minimum of 40mpg highway to be intrigued, 44mpg to be impressed, and 49.5 for maximum 35% increased economy claim to be met. I'll report back on Monday with results from my weekend road trip. Better get my scan tool ready just in case.

**brick** · 09-11-2005, 04:32 PM

Well, I gave it a shot at a concentration of 0.19oz/gal and I can tell you that it did precisely nothing. I got 36.23mpg over 97% highway driving which is pretty much identical to what I've seen in the past. Though I'm not all that surprised, I might be inclined to try it once or twice more at a slightly higher concentration. I would also like to try it again on a route that I've already driven with this car which was not the case this weekend.

**RacerX** · 09-12-2005, 02:43 PM

Actually i've read that Toluene works better. that is one of the main ingredients in most octane boosters and it's supposed to be less harmful than acetone. the only problem is it is usually more expensive to add that than it is to buy 93 at the pump.

just be careful if you have rubber fuel lines anywhere.

definately keep us informed of your progress.

**brick** · 09-12-2005, 03:20 PM

Interesting info on toluene. Sounds more difficult/expensive to procure but maybe worth looking into. For now I'll just stick with very small amounts of acetone from time to time, and I'll post back to this thread with any results.

**holein1** · 09-12-2005, 05:37 PM

brick
Have you ever tried FP60, for a gallon it's a little over $30.00 but you only use 1oz per 5 gallons of gas/diesel so it goes a long ways. I have used every additive out there and this is by far the best stuff I have tried yet!! I get aprox. 3 miles more per gallon. + there are many other added benefits. I also use lc20 in my oil and always get fantastic UOA results!!

http://lubecontrol.com

Click on the link below and do a search for fp60 & lc20 most people love the stuff including me!

http://theoildrop.server101.com/cgi/ultimatebb.cgi

Click on pic to enlarge

**holein1** · 09-12-2005, 06:31 PM

Originally Posted by brick

I found this article today:
http://www.lubedev.com/smartgas/additive.htm

Cliff notes: "Acetone is the god of all fuel additives, does everything those hokey fuel saver devices are supposed to do but don't, improves all aspects of engine performance at practically no cost, bow down to our god Acetone."

I'm torn as to whether I should laugh hysterically or take it as possible but with a grain of salt. I actually used acetone quite a bit when I was working at the PSU turbulent combustion lab and I can tell you that it burns incredibly well. I never mixed it with gasoline (we actually never burned gasoline) but I mixed a whole lot of other fuels and I have learned that changes in fuel mixture can make a big difference. As one wild example, we injected hydrogen while burning a hydrocarbon (forget which) and NOx emissions practically dissappeared. Nobody expected that. But gasoline with 0.1% acetone? Has anybody here tried it?

Take a look at this link. http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/showthread.php?t=143848 using acetone could possibly cause long term damage.

**holein1** · 09-12-2005, 06:57 PM

You might want to give this a try too, it's great stuff!! www.auto-rx.com

**brick** · 09-12-2005, 07:03 PM

No doubt, and I've taken that into consideration. I'm not so much looking for something to use in the long-term, I'm really just curious to see if it works at all. (It turns out that I have a secret obsession with Myth Busters.) I don't think it will do any harm over a few weeks of use, though. Honestly I didn't see a measurable improvement last weekend and I doubt that I will see a difference next time even at the higher "recommended" concentration. I might look into the FP60 stuff that you posted, though. At least with that product the only thing I stand to lose is a little money.