Hi All,

Has anyone tried Toluene or Xylene as a "home brew" ocatane booster? I believe Toluene might be purchased at hardware or paint stores as an "aromatic solvent"

Toluene 115 Octane (RON+MON)/2
Xylene 117 Octane (RON+MON)/2

It has been discussed on other forums and would seem to be a potential source of inexpensive octane booster.

Here's and example:

 

We used Toluene in a group A lancia Intergralie EVO 2 with the water injection and yes it does increase the RON rating but also with the water injection made the combustion point stable (so I was told). The stuff stinks and is highly explosive, we also used methanol so the car really was like a quick moving bomb.

Darren.

 

Cellulose thinners , available in any car paint shop , is made with mostly xylene .

 

Interesting post this...

I've just got back from Monte and had a look at the fuelling set up at Digne service halt.

Drums of Toluene laying around, all supplied by a company from Romford, Essex.

I wonder what the dose is?

I seem to remember that this stuff is highly explosive.

 

Was only time before someone caught a gimpse..... The solvents you are talking about would not be neat Toluene, that has a flash point above 79degrees I believe. It would be part of the mixture to make the compund, the chemical abstracts service no. for this is 108-88-33. Call em up and buy some.. or get the molecular structure for it

Toulene for those that do not know was an exotic fuel used in F1 1994 until this was changed shortly after from what I am aware. The year that Senna and Ratzenburger died and the year where Ferrari V12 was using Toulene (which is the constituents of tri-nitro toluene or TNT! :eek and producing around 800bhp from the stongest engine.

It is actually used to produce a synthetic for compounds likes trinitrotoluene as mentioned above. It can also be found in inks and dies, but for gods sake do not inhale it.

There was once a chap who came over from Aus, a Bathurst driver who entered the touring cars when they had RS500S', and the scrutineers stripped his car to the bone cause he anihilated the whole field, his name was Dick Johnson. However he managed this (coupled with the fact that he had some serious talent and a great car...these Aussies make some cracking tuned engines you know!)because someone was making the fuel for the day at silverstone i.e with atmospheric pressure on the day taken into consideration....perhaps Toluone was used?

So whos up for making some serious rocket fuel?

I am, but I bet it would require some serious cooling....like nitros oxide in conjunction if mixed wrong?

 

My company manufactures plastic displays and we use it to glue pvc and polystyrene together, it seems to melt them together so I wonder what effect it would have long term on any plastic parts it comes into contact with. It is extremely cheap and also causes cancer, but so do petrol fumes.

Cheers
Alan

[This message has been edited by Scruff (edited 25 January 2001).]

 

Toluene has a flash point of 4'C and is harmful by inhalation. Now you know why glue sniffers die.
Xylene has a flash point of around 25'C(depends on which isomer) and is also harmful.
Methanol has a flash point of 11'C and is Toxic Look at meths drinkers.
Yes they can improve the octane rating, thats if you don't blow yourselves and your engines up first messing about with it.
If you want to try something different I would suggest buying some racing fuel and having your car setup properly to take advantage of it, but only if can afford it. You think SUL is expensive.
Take care boys
Adge

 

I was'nt being serious!

LOL

 

What about avgas? I used to run my junior grass track bike on the stuff back in the early 80`s,but being only 10 or 11 i dont know the tech side.All i remember is that the bike was quicker.

 

A bit off subject but what about running a diesel off haeting oil (kerosene)??
Only 21p per litre!
Would it damage the engine?
Is it illegal?

 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>Originally posted by waynelivesey:
<B>A bit off subject but what about running a diesel off heating oil (kerosene)??
Only 21p per litre!
Would it damage the engine?
Is it illegal?[/quote]
CAN`T TYPE!

 

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>Originally posted by RonaldoH:
<B>Toluene for those that do not know was an exotic fuel used in F1 1994 until this was changed shortly after from what I am aware. The year that Senna and Ratzenburger died and the year where Ferrari V12 was using Toulene (which is the constituents of tri-nitro toluene or TNT! and producing around 800bhp from the stongest engine.

It is actually used to produce a synthetic for compounds likes trinitrotoluene as mentioned above. It can also be found in inks and dies, but for gods sake do not inhale it.
[/quote]

Also the reason why nobody who worked for the fuel companies supplying F1 cars went to the Grand Prixs during that era!! The stuff is seriously carcinogenic!

 

Start with SUL, add a fair quantity of TEL and MMT, then top up with methylbenzene and go play, just don't stand too close to the exhaust, OK? :-)

Alternatively, just fill up with Hydrazine, if you don't mind nitric acid coming out of your exhaust!

Cheers,

Pat.

 

Can't advise on the effects of putting these into your engine, but neither are that dangerous chemically. Toluene is highly flammable and could be explosive if there was a build up of vapour (ie handle liike petrol.) It is not carcinogenic, merely harmful which as a risk phrase is not too bad as long as you are not drinking/swimming in the stuff. Xylene is pretty similar but a bit less flammable. Trinitrotoluene (TNT) is obviously an explosive but unrelated. You could get some nasties coming out of the exhaust but that is the case with any fuel.

Methanol is toxic (as opposed to harmful) and should be treated with a bit more care, but is ironically probably handled more freely by most people. - Methanol notoriously burns with a colourless flame as well so dangerous in that respect.