| Author | Message | ||
     Mfell2112 |
Anybody ever try it? How about in your car? This stuff is supposed to increase your MPG by up to 35%. Would love to throw some in the Buell. What kind of effect would the Acetone have on our plastic tanks? Any truth to what this web page is saying? http://www.lubedev.com/smartgas/additive.htm Regards Mike | ||
| Cataract2 |
Plastic tanks? | ||
| Jayb |
yeah, the tube frame buells have plastic tanks. I'd be afraid to put it in my S1. -Jay | ||
| Diablobrian |
This makes the rounds every so often. There are some advocates, but the results when tested impartially are rather ambiguous. Kind of like the various oil threads. (Message edited by diablobrian on February 19, 2006) | ||
| Jimincalif |
Tube-frame Buells use plastic gas tanks. We don't know what acetone would do to them. | ||
| Blake |
Probably a heck of a lot cheaper to simply purchase some oxygenated racing fuel.  | ||
| Jimincalif |
Ehh..not really. He's saying 3oz of acetone to 10gal of gas. So for most of us that's about an ounce per fillup. That's dirt cheap. | ||
| Buellbozo |
Tuber tanks are not plastic. They are nylon. I sure ain't no chemist, but introducing a chemical to a system that wasnt designed for it opens the door to all sorts of probs with seals, gaskets,etc. It only takes one problem to wipe out the "savings" if any on fuel cost. Just my .02, usual disclaimer applies.  | ||
| Chiefiron |
I thought the same as you Bb, but i read deep into the web page, linked up top, and this guy did conduct some tests. seems to me a pretty good idea, but not convinced enough to try it on my bike. Maybe try it out on my Suburban here in iraq wont hurt it more than the dust or other "harsh" conditions we face here. Tim | ||
| Slaughter |
The only use for Acetone is helping remove water from the fuel system. Might help if you're in an area where there is lots of condensation or where you might leave the fuel tank partially filled, getting small amounts of water condensing in the tank interior. I don't think it would be a problem for the liner of the XB or the plastic of a tuber. I don't think there's any advantage in mileage or power and don't know its effect on octane rating. It does come up as a topic pretty often so I'd bet there's tons of info on the 'Net you can find by googling. | ||
| Jimincalif |
Well the guy is being specific that it's SMALL amounts that work. Just enough to break up surface tension, not enough to "dilute" the actual power of the fuel. It's...intriguing. | ||
| Buellbozo |
Roger that, Chief. Can't imagine it being able to cause more harm than rpgs and ieds. I guess its kind of philosophical to me. I live pretty close to the bottom of the economic food chain-because of the choices and decisions I've made- and by anybody's standards cannot justify owning a high dollar sport motorcycle. But I do, thank God. Sometimes, God answers my prayers with "If you insist..." For me, 93 octane is just part of the price of admission, and Wendy's 99 cent menu is too. So I'll stretch the oil changes on my 17 yr. old toyota, but trying to save money on my BUELL ain't gonna happen-If I give it the best,It'll give me its best. Now there are always choices to make. I love Banke shift and brake pedals, but I've got Al's $35 bushings instead for example. So I might try it in the Toyota-so I can buy more good stuff for my BUELL. Just ramblin'... Thanks for what you're doing. Box o'Bike books headed your way. Peace. | ||
| Jlnance |
Figuring out the truth of this guys claim would make a good science fair project if anyone has a kid who needs to do one. Of course you would want to try it on you lawn mower, not your Buell.  | ||
| Djkaplan |
Lacing gasoline with acetone is an old trick that's been around for decades. I remember old hotrodders doing this to get their hi-compression V-8 engines to run on lower octane premium in the mid-70's. I don't remember there being a mileage benefit to the claims back then, but it would keep detonation at bay. | ||
| Bill00 |
Yeah it works in some cases. A guy at work has a Toyota Corolla that he drives about 80 miles a day. He went from 33mpg to 40mpg using 3oz of acetone to 10 gallons of gas. He stopped using it for a couple tanks and mileage dropped back to 33, started using it again and it went up to 40. He did this several times with the same results. I tried it in my Chevy Silverado that I drive 20 miles a day, all city driving, and had no real affect on gas mileage. I wonder if it was evaporating out of my gas before it could be burnt.  I did read some where that if you add to much it raises the octane and you'll get worse gas mileage. (Message edited by bill00 on February 20, 2006) | ||
| Blake |
I don't believe it. | ||
| Diablobrian |
Lots of anecdotal evidence, but it lacks impartial scientific testing. You know, that real proof stuff  (Message edited by diablobrian on February 20, 2006) | ||
| Mfell2112 |
Hey Guys, I happened to stumble upon some Berryman's B-12 gas additive at the auto parts store. Guess what one of the main ingredients is? Yep it is Acetone. I dropped some in my pickup truck. We shall see if there is any improvment in MPG. If anything it should clean up my injectors. Regards Mike | ||
| Lowflyer |
If all you had to do was add a few ounces of acetone to a tank of gas to get 35% better mileage. I wonder why nobody in California has thought of legislating it into the gas along with all the other shit. | ||
| Mfell2112 |
My guess is oil companies and corn growers don't want to add this to gas due to the fact it would hurt their profits. Helping a car get better MPG with a very cheap additive is an oil companies worst nightmare. Regards Mike | ||
| Blake |
It is a fairy tale. There is no free lunch. If it sounds too good to be true, it almost always is' when it defies science, it always is. The worst nightmare of petroleum companies is that someone will figure out how to burn water for fuel. Where do you figure acetone comes from? | ||
| Johnnylunchbox |
I think we need to place a call to the Mythbusters. Anybody got any contacts that could make this happen? | ||
| Lowflyer |
Never underestimate the power of 'big corn.'  | ||
| Blake |
http://www.reference.com/browse/columbia/acetone http://www.reference.com/browse/columbia/isopropa In short... Acetone is made from isopropanol. Isopropanol is made from propylene. Propylene is a byproduct of petroleum refining. | ||
| Mfell2112 |
To Blake, I have no idea where Acetone comes from. I wouldn't write it off as a fairy tail til someone puts it to the test. I look at it this way if there are additives that actually reduce gas mileage why wouldn't there be an additive that would increase it as well? Whatever crap they put in this reformulated gas here in Southeastern Wisconsin in the dead of winter I bet I lose 2 mpg when in comparision to the summer gas. If I go out to Lake Geneva and get the good gas my MPG improves by say 10 or 15%. Would Acetone give me another 10% improvement? If so it would be worth using it. As long as it doesnt harm anything why not just use it anyway. Whats it like $10.00 a gallon? Two ounces for every ten gallons or so. Regards Mike | ||
| Blake |
Mike, Besides not providing any significant benefit, another problem is that acetone is extremely volatile, meaning it evaporates very quickly at room temperature. The EPA for good reason won't allow highly volatile constituents in any significant measure in conventional (non-racing) fuel. Why? It evaporates and puts hydrocarbons into the air. There is no free lunch. Period. To achieve improved fuel efficiency would mean that less fuel is required to achieve the same exact engine power output. A few ounces of acetone ain't going to do that. Nothing is going to do that short of much more potent fuel, fuel offering more energy per ounce. The acetone myth is pure fantasy that is soundly disproved by the laws of thermodynamics, chemistry and physics. Unless 10% or more of gasoline is being ejected unburned out the exhaust, the theory holds no water. Winter fuel efficiency can suffer for a number of reasons. Colder Winter air is more dense than warm Summer air and thus produces increased aerodynamic drag; more drag requires proportionally more fuel to generate more power to propel a vehicle through the air at the same speeds. Engine/oil temperature on average is significantly lower resulting in higher average oil viscosity. Higher oil viscosity produces higher internal parasitic losses. My understanding - I could be wrong - is that Winter gasoline is actually the better grade as far as high performance tuning is concerned. The reason is that it is allowed to contains higher concentrations of the more volatile racing type hydrocarbon molecules, on account of during colder Winter months, the EPA recognizes that evaporation into the atmosphere of the more volatile components is not as likely vesus during the hot Summer months. And finally, if the acetone fairy tale were true, one of the players in the HIGHLY competitive automotive consumer fuels industry would absolutely take advantage of it. Automobile manufacturers would clamor for it. They face penalties for failing to meet a minimum fleet fuel efficiency and receive inducements to achieve better fleet fuel efficiencies. It would have been scientifically proven and well-known long ago. Countries like Japan or France who are 100% oil/gasoline import dependent would have implemented acetone laced fuel long ago if it provided the benefits that you imagine it might. It doesn't. There is no free lunch. "If I go out to Lake Geneva and get the good gas my MPG improves by say 10 or 15%." It's easy to throw out personal perceptions like that. Proving it against the rigors of the scientific method is an entirely different matter. You may be accurate in your observation. If so, there is almost assuredly other reasons than the fuel composition. For instance, the engine temperature and vehicle usage. There is no free lunch. Period. Please trust me on this.  | ||
| Lowflyer |
If you want something that really works, tape two magnets to either side of your fuel line. The magnetic field will align the molecules of the fuel as it flows through the line. This will create a laminar fuel flow into the injectors thereby increasing the burn rate, generating more horsepower, and reducing hydrocarbon emissions. Or, buy Dr. Ima Dumas's patented Magnatron Fuel Flow Laminarizer for the low low introductory price of just $19.95. Call 1-800-IMA-DUMAS. Operators are standing by. | ||
| Jessicasdad |
well I for one want to say that I have used it in two of our vehicles, 1996 Chevy Suburban with a 4oz to 10 gal ratio and our 2001 Toyota Tacoma Pre-Runner with a 3 to 10 ratio. In the Suburban we have noted a consistent 3 mpg gain in the Toyota have noted a 5 mpg gain. And have also noticed a smoother idle and "more power". these are just my results, neighbors have tried it as well since they caught me outside with the container of acetone .. and both people have noted positive results. | ||
| Buellbozo |
Anybody gotta Fish carburetor they can spare?... | ||
| Bill00 |
Blake, where are you getting that no free lunch thing? Some people can get acetone for free.  On a serious note just because the EPA doesn't allow it and oil companies aren't using it, doesn't mean it won't work. I would never knowingly put gasoline containing ethanol in my tank. Ethanol attracts water which is bad for gasoline and engines. When I started prepping turbine rotors for shipping I was told to never clean the bearings with alcohol, use naphtha or acetone. Rust on a bearing is a bad thing. If I had to drive 80 miles a day I'd be putting it in a diesel VW. The way I drive my truck and bike it's not worth the trouble. |
