[eatonde]

I was just wundering for curiousity's sake. I have access to this stuff thats 70% Ethanol solution, and i'm not sure what the other 30% is, i'd say water. Its basically rubbing alcohol, in a "BIG" jug (jugs). Can i use this stuff to make any kind of home brew octane booster?? The junk the sell at auto zone just aint strong enough for me when its $7-10 for 16oz bottle that might raise your octane .1-.2 pts. just a thought, any feedback would be great. bad or good, don't matter to me. later guys
Danny

[Holder350]

Adding alcahol to the tank really doesn't do ALOT for the octane rateing....but it does help a bit.

It would work better as a water remover than a octane booster.

[richard stewart 3rd]

Hi,
Click the link
http://www.openminds.net/avalanche/octaneboost.htm

for ethanol it says no more then 10*

[xxllmm4]

Water and gas don't mix and I think 30% would be too much. I think the best thing you could do with it would be use it for a water/alcohol injection system.

[redsdad]

First, rubbing alcohol is isopropyl alcohol. (CH3)2CHOH . Ethanol, CH3CH2OH, is different. Which do you have?
70% ethanol is approx. the same as 140 proof booze.
The octane rating of ethanol is approx. 116.

[eatonde]

the jug says 70% ethanol solution, its brand name is sterahol, for pharmacuitical sterilization. if it has a octane rating of 116, how could it not boost pump gas?

[SSedan64]

Originally Posted by eatonde

the jug says 70% ethanol solution, its brand name is sterahol, for pharmacuitical sterilization. if it has a octane rating of 116, how could it not boost pump gas?

But what is the other 30%? Water?

[eatonde]

ethyl alcohol CAS#64-17-5= 63.4%
methyl alcohol #67-56-1=3.2%
isopropyl alcohol #67-63-0=3.4%
USP water= 30%

[richard stewart 3rd]

Alcohol in a 10* mix does raise the octane rating in 92 to a
rating of 94.5
also the R+M/2 octane rating for Ethanol is 101

[F-BIRD'88]

What you have there would be a very good "boost fluid" for a water/alcohol injection system. You can bring it up to a optimin 50/50mix by adding some more distilled water to it.
Water injection is a very effective "octane booster".

www.snowperformance.net
Do a google search on water injection. very effective on turbo, supercharged, high compression ratio N/A, and/or nitrous injected motors that run on pump gas.

[redsdad]

You have two things to consider.

First, it will raise your octane rating.

Second, alcohols have lower heat content and stoichiometric air fuel ratio. You have to run them richer which means your fuel mileage will decrease. Add to that the 30 percent H2O, which for all practical purposes has no heat content, and your mileage is going in the toilet.

Buy some of this http://www.autobarn.net/ch10406.html or mix in some racing gasoline.

[richard stewart 3rd]

Hi,
Before I would spend over seven dollars for 16oz of 104,
I would get a couple of gallons of Toluene for around
the same price (Toluene main ingredient in octane boosters)
Rich

[eatonde]

yea i've been looking for the toluene at the local hardware store, but he doesn't carry it. He does carry the zylene though, could i use the same home brew formula with the zylene (100oz toluene, 25oz mineral spirits, 3oz tranny fluid)? I just tried firing my motor last night for the first time, and had a little trouble, but thats a different thread. Any way so if i mixed 5 gallons of 92-93 octane pump gas with .5 gallons (10% ratio) of this STERAHOL, it will work ok to get me around 95-96 octane? or should i just stick with the zylene and and stay away from anything with water in it.

[SSedan64]

Originally Posted by eatonde

yea i've been looking for the toluene at the local hardware store, but he doesn't carry it. He does carry the zylene though, could i use the same home brew formula with the zylene (100oz toluene, 25oz mineral spirits, 3oz tranny fluid)? I just tried firing my motor last night for the first time, and had a little trouble, but thats a different thread. Any way so if i mixed 5 gallons of 92-93 octane pump gas with .5 gallons (10% ratio) of this STERAHOL, it will work ok to get me around 95-96 octane? or should i just stick with the zylene and and stay away from anything with water in it.

Don't use the Sterahol, 30%water. You may find the toluene at a paint supply store or industrial/chemical supply house.

[richard stewart 3rd]

eatonde,
Look for toluene in a paint store, like MAB, some home depos carry it, & if the paint store doesn't carry it, ask them for there chemical suppliers phone no.

Found this on the web, is it true?

If anybody is worried about toluene, give Xylene a try .Not much difference, but I have extensive personal experience with the latter.

I've personally used it (Xylene, that is) in half a dozen performance vehicles with both standard fuel tanks and plastic NHRA approved fuel cells. No soot, no fuel system problems, and one hell of a lot of fun once I got the tuning for my engine sorted out.

The majority of the time I ran 25% Xylene, 75% 92 octane unleaded gasoline. But on occasion would run up to 33% xylene, never more because it was no longer cost effective when compared to race gas available at the drag strip.

I know gents who have used toluene, but it isn't readily available near me.

FYI, one of the fist things I did when I bought my new-to-me RIB was throw 4 gallons of xylene in the 20 gallon tank. I've found over the years that Xylene cleans out fuel systems WITHOUT braking up varnish/deposits into particles that clog carburator jets and fuel injector spray patterns. They simply dissolve.

In case it's not apparent by now, I'm a believer. lol!

Chuck
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