I work in an environmental lab and we use labratory grade Acetone by the liters every day. I have used about 60ml (~ 2 ounces) of Acetone in my last two fillups (I don't drive a Scion) and it has increased my overall tank mileage by about 30 miles.

I say it definately works.

 

Just curious but are our tanks made out of. The tank that holds the gasoline in our cars. Are they coated with anything. The only concern I have is that the acetone would eat away at the interior of our tanks.

 

Since I'm being quoted here, I guess I should contribute. At 2 oz per tankful there wasn't much difference compared to 1 oz. I have not tried 1.5 oz.

There are few, if any, issues with material compatibility on modern engines. The typical gasoline blend these days has toluene and xylene (aromatic hydrocarbons) in significant quantities. If you think acetone removes paint, just get some xylene and watch out. The only thing I've seen better than xylene for damaging paint is methyl ethyl ketone (MEK). It's already in the gas you buy. So all the doomsayers about how an ounce and a half of acetone will eat your fuel system can go back to sleep now.

I've been lazy lately (not an all bad thing) about putting acetone in my fuel. Mileage has returned to the normal 27.6 - 27.8 mpg. So, not only did I see an improvement, but I also saw a return to the original numbers as the acetone was fully consumed.

You can get pure acetone at any place that sells paint. Home Depot, Lowe's, ACE Hardware, you name it, if they sell paint, they very likely have cans of acetone. A gallon should run about $13, a quart is about $6. Obviously if you want to save money, buy larger quantities. If I were ScionDad, I'd be buying a drum of acetone for my entire fleet.

It's not snake oil, it does provide a measurable difference. That said, don't be stupid. Do all the other stuff too - make sure your tires are properly inflated and you engine is in good tune. The tC doesn't seem to be as positively affected as other engines are, but still, it's nearly 10%, and in this case, if you drive a lot and can't expense your mileage, it's pretty well worth it.

 

thanks for the enlightenment. Are you going to go FI on your car lo_bux? How does acetone affect your gas for FI. Or is it not a concern.

 

A very fuel-economy minded fellow on this thread has been using acetone since the end of April, to good results. I'd give it a whirl, but I know my tanks of poor mileage are entirely right foot resposnsible.

 

yup thats why i hate domestic cars.... european and japanese all the way!

 

Still haven't got 30 mpg, but my lead foot is mostly responsible for that. I guess I shouldn't complain about 29+ mpg with 245's and average speed typically over 80 mph.

Here's the bad news. The Supra injector o-rings finally came out of the pure acetone after about 6 weeks. They swelled up quite a bit. They are unuseable. I'll take some pics in a bit, but in high concentrations acetone will cause fuel system o-rings to soften and expand. Alot. Not exactly what I wanted to find out.

 

I wouldnt worry too much about that. The amount of acetone that is dissolved into the gas is such a small percentage.

 

Didn't you ready the article. It says swelling can occur when 100% is used, which is not what they are recommending to use . . . people need to read.

 

How about acetone as improving engine power?

If we could score up to 10% more fuel economy, then doesn't at least 5% more power sound at least SOMEWHAT reasonable? and 5% should equal more than 7-8 whp.



If someone has some free dyno time, I'd love to see this.

I realize that for stock engines, the problem isn't the fuel, its the air delivery... but even boltons is enough to cause a lean condition sub-4k rpm, so at that point, acetone might actually help with power.

All in theory... and probably 75% wishful thinking.

 

Umm, yeah, I read that. I also know that there are fuel system o-rings that are not alcohol compatible. What's your point?

Here's what I know about additives, if it does it at 100%, it does it at 1%, just not as fast. That's why I did a test with 100% for about 6 weeks. I didn't say it will toast your tC o-rings, I said it toasted a set of used Supra o-rings at 100% in six weeks. The same would be true of certain domestic o-rings from the 80's subjected to alcohols. Every seal has compatible and incompatible hydrocarbons (except Teflon). It's a data point, not a condemnation of acetone. I'd've been a lot happier to report no change, but that's not the case.

 

What are the odds on this creating detonation due to the increase in octane/volatility? Have you guys checked your plugs for signs of excessive wear due to detonation at all?

 

Higher octane actually reduces the chance of detonation which is why it is required for high compression / FI applications. There is such a small concentration of acetone in the fuel as to not effect the octane rating in any dramatic way. Its simply used to aid in fuel atomization to allow for a more comlete burn.

 

wow $7k a month is quite a lot but compare that to the amount of gas the Midway Islands use, 500 Gallons per day, used by 2 CAT generators to provide electricity for the Island.