Acetone as a Fuel Additive - Results

[RocketMan]

I just wanted to let ppl know that I tried adding acetone to my gas and have been doing it for the last 3 fill-ups. I got the idea when somebody else posted the find in a thread here. There was the typical abundance of negativity and doubt and though I had no clue what would happen I thought the principle of its operation was sound enough to justify trying it. So I did.

It does work....in my car at least. The gains are not dramatic but I do believe they will save you money in mileage. I've never been able to get more than 50 km per 1/8 of a tank (that's how i have always been used to measuring it). Now I'm getting close to 60 km for the same fuel consumption. This results in my total mileage being in the vicinity of the high 500s up to 600 km per tank. Before I rarely broke 550.

Just thought you might want to know. My mix ratio is 100 mL per tank btw.

[GA_GT1]

It may save you gas money but it has yet to been seen what the long term effects may be on your fuel system. Im not disregaurding this but there havnt been actaul tests run on how it affects horse power, fuel system wear, the long term options, emissions ect. But thanks for the find, would like to see some more in depth testing.

[RocketMan]

The good news is that if it is consistent in other cars as well then the gains are worth it. The tin of acetone i bought was 1L and cost 10 bucks. that's roughly 1 dollar per fill-up minus spillage (u should have seen me with my labware at the gas station) and if you get an extra 50 k out of the tank then that saves you something like 5 bucks or a net of 4 bucks. Not bad...

[350F]

You can't check your gas mileage by your gauge....

1. Fill your tank up.
2. Reset Trip.
3. Drive till close to empty.
4. ???
5. Fill up and divide miles on trip by the # of gallons it took to fill up.

You should find your average MPG over 3-5 tanks. Then add acetone for 3-5 more tanks and find your average again. Thats the only real way to see if it has helped at all.

[RocketMan]

I have done that. I just keep track of how the tank is emptying by watching the guage.

[Nighthawk243]

I calculate my MPG by dividing how many miles are on the TRIP by the number of gallons it takes me to completely fill it up at the gas station.

[350F]

Originally posted by RocketMan
I have done that. I just keep track of how the tank is emptying by watching the guage.

So what are the exact #s?

[RocketMan]

my last fill was 26.6 mpg but my driving habits are not consistent from fill to fill so that's why I didn't bother saying anything in my first post. Point is I can tell in a semi-quantitative sense that the numbers are improving from what they were. Might not satisfy the skeptics but that's alright. I'm just adding to the body of people who've tried it out and reporting my findings. I wish i had a "control" and a series of consistent numbers to compare but I don't. Sorry.

[Nighthawk243]

Take a bunch of records. Go and calculate a number of tests on fuel milage... Say go thirty fill ups without the acetone, and another thirty fill ups with the acetone.

Of course, at each fillup, record the trip reading (Reset after each fuel up) and how many gallons it took to make it click off as full (Don't include any topoff... its inaccurate). Also, make sure you use the same fuel station each time, and try to be consistent on which pump you also use, that helps ensure consistency of fuel and also the pump shut off.

Once you have the data, make all the calculations on the MPG from each fillup from both groups (Group 1 being non-acetone, group 2 being acetone), and put them in a chart for us. I can do some statistical functions on the data to see if there is a statistically significant difference on the gas milage using acetone, and not using acetone.


(Please do aim for 30+ for each group, it makes it a bit easier to do the calculations on... since its alot simpler to go and do the large sample significance tests than the small sample ones ).:lol:



(Also, don't do anything to the car that would alter the fuel mileage. Replacing O2 sensors, spark plugs, or adding performance items such as CAI's would alter the results).

[RocketMan]

As encouraged as I am by your initiative, I'm not in dispute of your methods, nor am I unfamiliar with how to conduct a controlled experiment in this case. The problem is that I'm not working at the moment and though I use the highway often, its not something regular that I do 5 days a week like i used to do when i wasn't using acetone. My mileage calcs back then were pretty steady at around 25 MPG. When I resume work I'll be sure to keep a close eye on my gas bills and maybe even keep a running list of all the parameters on each fill. I'm curious myself what the exact gains are. Until then this thread is intended as a casual musing and perhaps a bit of encouragement to those who might want to try it for themselves. I can say one thing for sure. My car hasn't dissolved yet ;)