The other night when the board was down I was looking around the net and cam eacross an interesting thread on the corvette board.Toluene as Octane Booster I think WATRD has tried this is that true Rob?

 

I read a thread about this somewhere.

I think toluene is a methylated benzene IIRC. Benzene is not good for anyone or anything on a number of levels.

Should be cheap as dirt, easy to get a hold of and pretty regular on things since it is just carbons and hydrogens.

 

I remember either Gadget or Tragerr were involved in a big discussion over this at 4x4Wire a while back. I don't remember a single bit of the technical mumbo jumbo that was said. All I know is that the post ended with the conclusion that it was a bad idea.

 

I gave it a try. I didn't get any pinging, but gas milage went to hell. I mean, i was getting about 4 MPG I'm not 100% that it had anything to do with the toluene, but i'm not going to do it again. Plus there is no benifit unless you engine requires anything over what you can get at the pumps.

 

You don't want to run it consistently. Not only is it hard on the valves and other internals, but it's corrosive on rubber fuel lines, gaskets, etc.

Toluene is already an ingredient in gasoline. If you absolutely HAVE to increase your octane rating, find a station that sells racing fuel. Add 1-2 gallons of that to a 13 gallon fill-up and you should be set. I used to do that on my old Chevy. It ran like a champ, but cost an arm and a leg.

 

Just a side note: if it is really Toluene then here is what it does to humans:

50 parts per million (basicly what an average human can withstand before showing side effects; that is not terribly large)

Causes Central nervous system irritation/damage

Both of these guidelines are set by OSHA and other government agencies to prevent problems in the workplace. This doesn't really look like stuff you want to drink... not that you would.

 

Let me know if you are interested in experimenting with this stuff, Jim. I have a friend who can get it at a very low cost.

 

supra guys love that stuff.


here's a thread.
http://www.houston-imports.com/forum...hlight=Toluene

 

Yep, it's true. Here's a link to a previous thread here;

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/show...hlight=Toluene

It works REALLY well and since it is already a component of gasoline, there are NO ill effects from using it. Check out that thread for some links to other tech articles that you might find interesting.

 

I've been using it for over 4 years on about every 7th fill or so; maybe one gallon in the 4Runner per usage. We have very poor gas quality in Canada and this simple treatment shows quite a change in my trucks performance. I also use it in two of my GM's (both V8's) and two large bore street bikes. The Supercharged GM & Toyota and my street bikes all show improvement after the treatment and all have never shown signs of mechanical failure.
Don't really feel any improvement on my non-charged GM but give it some anyway just to clean things out once and a while. When my 99 4Runner was new I ran a couple of tanks of NAV-GAS to debug the fuel delivery issues and that's the closest feel I can offer on the tank with the Toulene in it.

After 4 years of usage I'm convinced it's safe enough for me.


Tom

 

Sidfactor, hook me up!

 

This stuff is fine to use... we've used it in my high-school chemistry class a few times. The 50 ppm thing may be harmful if you drink it, but it won't hurt you otherwise. It's like gaoline... who would drink that? Pour it on your skin, it just dries it out. Off topic, but phosgene gas (COCl2) at 50 ppm is lethal. Just remembering random facts...

Zach

 

I am trying a tank full of 92.5 Octane.

I used 14 gallons gas (91) with a gallon of Toluene (114).

I also found out on sat. that the local performance shop carries 118 octane gas, I'll try that next.

 

remember that 114 and 118 race gas is usually LEADED. your truck will not like it.

it will mess up your cat and your o2 sensors. and make your truck die.

 

I have ran about 1/2 of tank of of the 92.5 (Toluene) mixed fuel.

Results: WOW, it's running smoother and more power than ever. I also re-installed my Intake Silenser at the same time, but left the deckplate open. The pinging is mostly gone, I did detect a slight ping today under WOT from a start. What I am most impressed with is the throttle response.

Although, it uses quite a bit more fuel. I don't keep track of mileage but there is a noticeable difference.

My next tank full will be with 118 Octane Race Gas (unleaded) I will post an update next week.