Acetone added to increase MPG? (1 Viewer)

[bridges]

Heard about this yesterday and did a little online digging - no real raves from carb vehicles.

Has anyone tried this?

http://www.pureenergysystems.com/news/2005/03/17/6900069_Acetone/

I know nothing about fuel mixtures and just wondering if this is an acetone salesman's pitch of the decade?

 

[lunyou]

i think they did this on Myth Busters the other day and basically said that acetone didn't change the MPG though it could have been another chemical.

lunyou

 

[ColoradoCarlisle]

I tried it in my Dodge 2500 PU Gas V8 and didnt notice any increse that I could contribute to the acetone

 

[krzyabncanuck]

They did do it on Myth Busters and it was Busted.

 

[bridges]

Gotcha - thanks guys! Sound like a too good to be true and they generally are...

 

[Fuzzy Logic]

I ran a test with acetone over the course of a year in a carburated vehicle. In order to make sure I averaged out any driving variation, I ran the test for 9000 miles (3000 with, 3000 without, 3000 with). I used 2oz per 10 gallons. When all was said and done, the data showed a .5 mpg (3%) decrease when acetone was used. I was disappointed, because I really wanted this to work.

As for the claims of the engine running better / better performance, I ran another blind test. I would fill the tank, then asked my wife to secretly track whether she added acetone or not. I would then track how I felt the truck was performing. The data showed out of 10 tanks, she only added acetone to 2 tankfuls. One acetone tank I had noted a little better performance, and the other was actually noted as not so good. So that data was inconclusive.

None of the gas purchased had ethanol added. 90% of the gas purchased was from the same station. I would always run the tank to empty or near empty (I have 2 tanks), so the ratio was always constant. I could have changed the ratio of acetone during the test, but I thought it would be better to stick with one formulation in order to get accurate data. I may try it again with a different ratio, but some of the reading I've done indicates that the ratio may be dependant on the molecular size of the gasoline used. Try to figure that one out.

I like the concept and I think it has potential merit and some people are having positive results. Unfortunately my data showed a negative result. I do question some of the results people claim on the list, because it appears some did one or two tankfuls and claimed great success. The psychological effect of knowing you are trying an improvement can really skew the results!

 

[Spud]

Dont get acetone in your eye and limit your exposure to the fumes and skin contact. I work with it daily to clean glass.

Actually, small amounts of acetone are in your body naturally...did you know that?

 

[bigbertha]

acetone

I started a thread about this not too long ago. I'm on my 3rd tank. I too have alternated tanks to see what the difference is. The only increase I am seeing thus far is in power and not just a smidge. A decent amount of kick that makes the truck more fun to drive. That actually makes sense. As for MPG time will tell, or it won't.

And as for acetone in our bodies, that's not surprising at all considering how polluted out planet is. Naturally occuring? Maybe not. Sounds like petro industry propaganda.

 

[Spud]

I started a thread about this not too long ago. I'm on my 3rd tank. I too have alternated tanks to see what the difference is. The only increase I am seeing thus far is in power and not just a smidge. A decent amount of kick that makes the truck more fun to drive. That actually makes sense. As for MPG time will tell, or it won't.

And as for acetone in our bodies, that's not surprising at all considering how polluted out planet is. Naturally occuring? Maybe not. Sounds like petro industry propaganda.

Acetone (also known as propanone, dimethyl ketone, 2-propanone, propan-2-one and β-ketopropane) is a colorless, mobile, flammable liquid. It is the simplest example of the ketones. Acetone is miscible with water, ethanol, ether, etc., and itself serves as an important solvent. The most familiar household use of acetone is as the active ingredient in nail polish remover. Acetone is also used to make plastic, fibers, drugs, and other chemicals. In addition to being manufactured as a chemical, acetone is also found naturally in the environment, including in small amounts in the human body.

 

[grant5127]

No one mentioned how useful acetone is around the meth lab....looks as if Spud's avatar has been standing to close to the cook stove...overexposure........

 

[Spud]

No one mentioned how useful acetone is around the meth lab....looks as if Spud's avatar has been standing to close to the cook stove...overexposure........

And Methanol too...I use those two chemicals all day.