Adding acetone to gas for improved mileage?

[Torque1st]

Let's see, it is warmer now. Everyone gets better mileage when it warms up if their vehicles are properly tuned.... You need to control your variables.

[christcorp]

Let's see. I HAVE controlled that variable. If you read what I did, you would see that I stopped using acetone for 3 tank full and the mileage went back down. I used it again for 3 more tanks and the mileage went back up. Read into it whatever you want, but those are facts. I don't have to rationalize what I did. If you don't want to believe that it's possible, then that's your choice. It doesn't matter to me. What does matter is that:

1, There is nothing in that small amount of acetone that can hurt your vehicle
2. Adding acetone cost's only $0.40 a tank
3. I gained approximately 10% in gas mileage

If you still think that there is some variable not considered between using it; mileage goes up. Stop using it; mileage goes down. Using it again; mileage goes back up. All in a 2 week period with even the weather constant, then you are going to believe whatever you want no matter what the results are.

I am not telling you that you have to use acetone in your vehicle. I'm not even saying that you should forget what I or anyone else says about it and try it yourself with an open mind. I am just reporting what the results were for me. Now, if others want to use this information as a means to make a decision for themselves, pro or con, then I have accomplished what I set out to do. Which is to not let blanket statements be said with the intent of trying to convince everyone that it is gospel and that the information is 100% fact.

There are only 3 facts:
1. That little amount of acetone used won't hurt anything in your car
2. For some people, acetone HAS IMPROVED their gas mileage
3. For some people, acetone HAS NOT IMPROVED their gas mileage

You can dispute these facts by saying that it's 100% impossible. That's cool! I'm just here to say that in my tests it made a difference. A difference that I was able to undo and then duplicate. The rest is now for the readers to determine. Later... Mike....

[Torque1st]

Did you record weather conditions, relative wind speeds, etc?

Just use good gas and forget messing with the backyard "additives".

[christcorp]

Torque1st; you have made it clear through all your posts, that if Jesus himself came down and said that "IT IS POSSIBLE" that you won't believe it. That's fine. Even if we go to the extremes and show that a particular vehicle "HAS NEVER GOTTEN 11mpg IN IT"S LIFE, but does reach that on average with a few ounces of acetone, that still means nothing to you.

You are totally convinced that the car manufacturers, the oil companies, and the government care for us so much that if there was a cheaper and more efficient way to do something, especially as inexpensive as acetone, that they would already be doing this for us. This is the same government who is trying to convince us that ethanol is so great. It reduces gas mileage, and it costs tax dollars to subsidies Archer Daniels Midland and others because it would cost too much for the consumer to buy it otherwise. It is even possibly more harmful to the environment. But hey, this is our government and they love us.

The point is, I know you think you are playing devil's advocate. That's cool. You are pretending to be a scientist and are trying to account for every variable. And if we were trying to determine every possible "Why" and "How" factor in our hypothesis, then that would be important. But accounting for every variable ISN'T REQUIRED when using the "Pregnancy Test". "YOU ARE, OR YOU AREN'T; THERE IS NO KIND OF OR SORT OF BEING PREGNANT". In this case, it improved MPG and can be duplicated, or it doesn't improve mpg. In this particular case, the answer is "YES".

You've already said and proven that you aren't going to buy this. That's cool. You prefer to have a guy in a white coat, with a blue ribbon committee, do a 3 year study, to give you an opinion. That's cool. But why do you drive to work a certain route? Why do you use certain tools to do a job over using other tools? Why do you even do your job a certain way? Is it because you have determined more "Efficient ways of driving through town at a certain time of day, or that a certain tool happens to fit your hand better, or that you've been doing your job long enough that you know what's the most efficient? I don't know, maybe you drive a certain route because some city wide study says it's the most efficient, or that a particular tool is the best ergonomically, or that you are doing your job exactly the way your boss taught you. Maybe you do need a scientific study done on every variable in the world.

Fortunately for man-kind, and our evolution, we haven't needed to wait for blue ribbon committees, think tanks, governments, and scientists to tell us what is good, what is bad, and what is better. Throughout history, we've been able to discover more efficient ways of doing things. The wheel does move easier than a flat surface. It IS POSSIBLE to have a greater thrust to weight ration and we can fly. The world is indeed round, even though the governments, churches, and scientists said we were going to die and go to hell.

I guess the bottom line is; on this particular vehicle, it never got 11mpg before. It now does. I don't really care if their is some secret Black Force variable causing it. The fact is, the word NEVER could describe the gas mileage ever reaching 11mpg. Now, I can't say NEVER any longer. Believe what you want. For everyone else, don't let anyone put finite words into your vocabulary and into your life. Don't let them convince you that something can NEVER happen or will ALWAYS happen or that you CAN'T EVER do something. Most everyone on this forum is an adult, therefore you know how to think for yourselves. If you are a young adult or teen, then even better. You are at the age to realize that life isn't ALL SCIENCE. Even doctors don't know how some people can will themselves back to life when they should be dead or how they will themselves to die when they otherwise are healthy. Yet they do. Life is a balance of the Spirit, The Mind, and The body. It's science, theology, poetry, fear, love, mechanics, etc.... Don't let anyone convince you that there are limits in your life or in anything.

The only thing I claim in my test is that for me the MPG did in fact improve. Albeit slightly. Therefore the claim by others that they too increased mileage using acetone IS POSSIBLE. This is what is important. It is equally possible that on your car it won't make a difference. It's also possible that on your car the difference could be a dramatic improvement. I have PROVEN that it is "POSSIBLE".

I suggest each person decide for themself. I do recommend that anyone's opinion that state's that you DEFINITELY will get better mileage, that you throw that opinion out the window. As well as anyone's opinion that says it's IMPOSSIBLE and that you DEFINITELY are going to have a problem. People who use definitive words are not open minded to the possibilities. People say that drugs will DEFINITELY hurt you, yet doctors sometimes use the same exact drugs to heal people. There are no "ABSOLUTES" in this world. There are exceptions to all rules. That's not to say that you should play against the odds. It just means that you can't accurately say words like "ALWAYS" and "NEVER". If you have kids, then you know what I mean. "You ALWAYS Pick on me". "You NEVER let me go with my friends". Later... Mike....

[Ryan50hrl]

Originally Posted by Torque1st

Did you record weather conditions, relative wind speeds, etc?

Just use good gas and forget messing with the backyard "additives".

I'm guessing your not going to be using it in your truck???


I'm not convinced that if ford, gm, or dodge had a way to save us gas they would....we've made HUGE strides in technology in the last 30 years, yet we've hardly made any strides in fuel mileage...seems fishy to me

[Torque1st]

Hmm the long winded ravings are amazing...

The poor guy just has no idea how to do actual testing that is meaningful. He was aware of what was in his tank which blows out the first testing commandment, -blind testing. This inherent error is what the scam companies like the Tornado etc rely on for "testimonials". He really needs to go back to school for statistics and testing methods. Real testing is tough but it has to be to have meaning. Anything he comes up with is absolutely meaningless because of his methodology. I have tried to show him where his errors are but I can't argue with ignorance and the belief that the gas and car companies are out to get him somehow...

From an engineering perspective the car companies are desperate to find economy measures. Plain physics limits fuel economy. We keep wanting heavier vehicles with more options which use power. Power that is provided by fuel so mileage suffers. Technology has added much but consumer desires have taken away.

Why he thinks I trust the government to do something right is beyond me. Ethanol is poly-ticks and "no man is safe when congress is in session". -I forget who said that... I guess he just wants to cast me as the boogeyman since I don't embrace his faulty testing methods. I can't embrace them, I have had too many years off practice using actual scientific methods.

[christcorp]

Unfortunately, I know exactly where my errors are. They were with allowing you to ruffle my feathers. Look, we get it!!! You want the test to be in a 100% controlled environment. You want the testers and the test participants to me blind of each other. You want multiple identical vehicles, with a controlled setup, the test setup, and a placebo setup. We get it. Yes, I am very much aware of what you are suggesting.

The problem is; you would prefer to do absolutely nothing if you can't have a laboratory environment in which to work in. Sorry, but that's about as foolish as the poster in the other thread saying that "ethanol doesn't HAVE to produce lower MPG. All you have to do is increase the compression of your engine". How stupid. Spend $3000-$5000 on rebuilding an engine so you can gain 3-4mpg. So, Torque, have you started the benefit fund so we can have our controlled environment? Please don't say that these tests have already been done with negative results. The ONLY results that have been conclusive as far as acetone is concerned, is that for some people they claim it helps, and for some people it doesn't.

You are the eternal pessimist. We get that. Sorry that I can't come down to that level. I will always be an optimist. I will always give the benefit of the doubt. I have admitted numerous times that I don't believe that acetone is going to help every car that it is put in. I have also said however that adding acetone to your gas won't hurt a damn thing, so why not try it for yourself.

See, it doesn't matter what tests anyone does. It doesn't matter what variables they have considered. It doesn't matter if the test shows that a change occurred that has never happened in the past. It doesn't matter if "How accurate the amount of change was" isn't as important as recognizing there was a change. None of this matters. You will still find fault in it. You are not trying to be open minded or accurate. You are trying to disprove something to others. I am willing to concede that for some people it may not do anything, and for some it might. You are too closed minded to admit to that level. Your level of testing, if economically possible, might show a 0.8945473 mpg raise. Maybe it shows a 0.000002343 mpg raise. Who the hell cares. My test showed a raise in mpg. That's all I was testing for. Whether there was a raise or not. In 12 tanks and 30 days, it appears that the average was approximately 1mpg. Or for me, about 10% on this vehicle.

You seem so hell bent on disproving this for all of mankind, why don't you do your own test. Use regular gasoline without ethanol, add 3-4 oz of acetone to your wife's car each fillup. Don't tell her about it. Calculate the mpg for the next 4-6 fillups. Don't forget to consider wind speed and barometric pressure. Of course, you could just take someone else's word that it can't work. Seems like the easy way out. When I think of all the great scientists, explorers, athletes, leaders, etc... who would have never succeeded and contributed to our world if they had listened to all those people telling them that something wasn't possible. For some people, Jesus works. For some, Joseph Smith works. For others it's Muhammad. I suppose you are going to positively and without reservation, tell us the one true religion. If any of them exist. Or that one style of music is somehow better than another for all people. I didn't think so.

People make choices every day. They weigh the pros and cons of situations many times a day without even paying much attention to it. Yet, for some ungodly reason, they are able to make these choices, decisions, hypothesis' and theories, all without the help of scientists and a laboratory. I wonder why that is. I prefer to provide information; good, bad, or indifferent, and let people make up their own minds on whether or not it is of any use to them.
Later... Mike....

[Torque1st]

What is it with you and philosophy and religion? Why the long rambling rants? I tried to have you consider testing methods and variables and all you have done is come back and try to demonize me for not believing in your testing method. Testing on any single vehicle such as my wife's would not be significant either. Your test method will always show an increase due to not being a blind test. That is a well established fact. You have no idea what your variables are.

I can care less about using acetone. I know enuf from years of working with people that KNOW that if an ounce of acetone, MEK, mothballs, or anything else helped mileage and was not harmful it would already be in the gas. You may call yourself an optimist but that is strange coming from someone with dark persecution and conspiracy beliefs, that sees dark forces and motivations moving in others. I don't think not wanting to waste my time with foolish tests that show nothing is by any means foolish. As for not wanting to test things, I have done my share of testing. You wouldn't have that nice computer to type on among other things if it hadn't been for some of my testing and research.

-Get a life, waste it on anything you like! But don't try to tell anyone your test "information" is valid. Your "information" is just more internet BS...

[Ryan50hrl]

Originally Posted by Torque1st

What is it with you and philosophy and religion? Why the long rambling rants? I tried to have you consider testing methods and variables and all you have done is come back and try to demonize me for not believing in your testing method. Testing on any single vehicle such as my wife's would not be significant either. Your test method will always show an increase due to not being a blind test. That is a well established fact. You have no idea what your variables are.

I can care less about using acetone. I know enuf from years of working with people that KNOW that if an ounce of acetone, MEK, mothballs, or anything else helped mileage and was not harmful it would already be in the gas. You may call yourself an optimist but that is strange coming from someone with dark persecution and conspiracy beliefs, that sees dark forces and motivations moving in others. I don't think not wanting to waste my time with foolish tests that show nothing is by any means foolish. As for not wanting to test things, I have done my share of testing. You wouldn't have that nice computer to type on among other things if it hadn't been for some of my testing and research.

-Get a life, waste it on anything you like! But don't try to tell anyone your test "information" is valid. Your "information" is just more internet BS...

Ya know... i haven't seen him bring religion into this at all...you keep doing that. As for his test being not being valid or blind...it may not be...but he got better gas mileage...so what if it were that he drove slower or the acetone helped....it got better....As for the car companies desperatly trying to increase mileage....thats just not true...wheres a hybrid f-150....hybrids are available elsewhere....displacement on demand is available elsewhere...but ford has dropped the ball if you ask me on this one. Chevy pickups have gotten better gas mileage for quite some time now, and while they might not be as good of a truck for their construction, or frame strength, or off road ability, or anything else...they weigh roughly the same and get better gas mileage....Ford could increase gas mileage....they have chosen not to......So....anyhow.......why don't you lay off the guy and let him be happy that his truck got better mileage......and if its just because of him driving slower and more cautiously.....he should stop paying attention to the detail in a couple thousand miles....and his economy will have returned to regular....and you'll be happy it failed....he'll be happy he saved some gas in the mean time...... and the rest of us will be happy everyone stopped bickering constantly and acted like adults.....

[christcorp]

I admit that I am not a Mechanical Engineer. I am an Electronic Engineer with degrees in Electronics and Computer Science. I test and design mostly telecommunication technologies. One thing I have come to realize however, is that even with all the bench testing, controlled environments, lab experiments, etc... it is much different in the real world. A "Sanitary" environment may look good on paper, but until the technology is put out on the street for actual use, it doesn't mean anything. The are so many times when something "Should Work" but it doesn't in the "Real World". Or how on paper, certain aircraft shouldn't be able to get off the ground, yet they have been flying for more than 30 years. And more often than not, the results in the "Real World" will be quite different than in the lab.

The same can be said for education. I know plenty of people who have graduated with PHD's in their respective fields. They have a lot of book smarts, but in the end, working in a real business environment is much different than what they were taught in school. You can spend 8 years learning Spanish in a University environment. You are still going to have a hard time speaking the language in the "Real World" like in Mexico, Spain, Ecuador, etc... Proper testing and controlling variables is great. Most of the time however, the real test is to just try it in the real world. The point is; my test was done in the real world. Albeit my little microcosm.

As I mentioned BEFORE doing my experiment; whether it improved the gas mileage or it didn't, the results were only for my particular vehicle that I tested it on. I believe that it's possible that it can do the same, or less, or more, or no change at all in different vehicles. My test proved that there is a "Possibility". That's all it proved. That's all it was suppose to try and determine. "Is there a possibility". I believe that has been proven. Whether or not you agree doesn't matter. Now however, some people can see another position and decide for themselves whether to try it or not. That is what matters. Not what you or I decide. You believe my test means absolutely nothing and has no merit. That's fine. I believe it does. I don't believe I need a 100% controlled environment to determine change. I say, let people decide for themselves whether to try it or not. The manufacturers that you trust so much have added acetone to so many additives up to this point, that it should show that there isn't any harm for individuals to try it for themselves. Later... Mike...

[Torque1st]

Welcome to the REAL real world! Guys this type of testing ABSOLUTELY DOES NOT WORK period! No ifs ands or buts about it. In the real world this type of testing is known to be bogus. Only fools and suckers looking to be taken fall for it.

It is the same type of anecdotal evidence and testing that scam artists use.

-Real world, laboratory, science fiction, does not mean anything. If you WANT to find a gain you WILL!

Do you really want to know the BEST FUEL SAVER you can buy for your truck? It does not go in the tank, it does not wrap around the fuel line, it does not go on the spark plugs, it does not go inside the air inlet! -It is a simple vacuum gage mounted where you, the driver, can see it. You can see how much load you are placing on the engine at any time that way.

If it helps you to get better mileage to put a block of wood under the pedal or drop a pebble in the tank each time you fill, or spit in it, wrap magnets around the fuel line to "energize" the fuel, or knock on wood then good for you, go for it! -But your mileage gains are imaginary based on an "awareness" of having done something to improve mileage. You WANT to drive more conservatively, you WILL drive more conservatively. It happens absolutely every time. It is just human nature. This has been proved countless times, -read about placebo testing. Go back to school, read about it, study the phenomena. Then try to design a good test.

Whatever works for you is fine, just be aware that it was not the acetone, it was the driver that got the increase... -Get a vacuum gage, it is cheaper, longer lasting, provides immediate correctional feedback (instead of after working some math at the pump).

A far as fuel mileage differences among brands, -that is a wash depending on soo many factors you really can't compare. The automakers are desperate for mileage tho. They will spend mega $$$ just for 0.001MPG on those CAFE tests or EPA estimates (which in themselves are improving but still bogus). Just as they will spend the same bucks to get another HP or add another widget button to entice some fool to buy one vehicle over another. Of course those mega bucks get charged somewhere, either to the consumer or the investors. They would have no qualms at all in requiring a fuel additive if it worked. You see the changing oil specs all the time. They have control over the fuel specs also.


Have fun!

BTW Ryan- Read his posts again. He has pulled in religion several times. his latest quote:
"-that if Jesus himself came down and said that "IT IS POSSIBLE" that you won't believe it".
He tries to take the moral high ground or speaks of the "real world", or Optimist -vs- Pessimist. He says I would do nothing as opposed to his "testing for humanity" out of the goodness of his heart. What a load of crap! Just because I know his test method does not work does not mean I haven't done a lot of testing in the lab AND in his so called "real world" , well maybe not in "his" world, I am not sure where that is at or that I would want to go there.

Please, I have other things to do than try to educate people that just plain don't want to be educated or see conspiracies behind everything.

[christcorp]

Sorry for your misunderstanding. My reference to "Jesus" coming down in person is a figure of speech. Sorry you don't understand phrases that are metaphorically presented. I still contend that my test, on my vehicle, shows that it is possible to increase fuel efficiency with the use of acetone. There is no moral high ground here. I'm sorry that you don't allow for possibilities.

I know that there are some finite and absolutes in the world. Then again, it is "Possible" for some of these absolutes to even be altered. Gravity is an example of something considered absolute, yet it has been altered. Possibly some day even to the extent of using it as part of a power source. I doubt when Henry Ford was first pushing out automobiles that he ever thought that water could be used as a fuel. Yet here we are separating the hydrogen to create a fuel source. I'll keep on looking for the possibilities in life and you can keep believing in total absolutes. It takes all sorts of people to make the world go around. Later... Mike....

[Torque1st]

Who me, -believe in only absolutes???

I repeat, this type of testing does not work. You will always get better mileage when you think you are driving with acetone in your tank. You would do the same with a placebo. You have proven nothing with acetone. You could do the same thing with a cow magnet or a Tornado! It is too bad you fall for these phony "scientific testing" schemes. It is even worse that you participate in and promote them. You seem to be a born sucker and according to P.T. Barnum "there is a sucker born every minute". It does indeed take all kinds to make the world go around, somebody has to be a victim for the scam artists, -today that is you bro! Tomorrow, who knows, we may see a huckster on late night TV talking about your miracle gas additive. -And you know somebody will buy it based on your extensive testing!

Water is not a "fuel". It is a molecule or if you prefer a storage system for energy just like any chemical compound. You separate the constituents with energy and then later recombine them, -WOW you get energy back!! What a concept! Do you not understand simple chemistry either? Stay away from physics and gravity also.

[christcorp]

Believe in absolutes? yes you. All of your posts are littered with words such as ALWAYS, NEVER, etc... when referring to other's opinions. And water CAN be a fuel source. Whether it's broken down into it's compounds and used separately or it is changed into steam, etc... But then again, your answers are absolute. I have no problem talking about physics and chemistry, but then that isn't what this is about. We're talking about possibilities. While water could be turned into steam to make a vehicle move, at the end of the 19th century no one considered it a "possibility" to break water down to it's elements and use the Hydrogen by itself. The world is full of possibilities. Some people just don't want to allow for possibilities. Some prefer to believe that everything only has 1 way to exist. That is fine. You can keep believing that way. I just look back at many of the inventions of the past 100 years and think what would have happened if people didn't believe in possibilities that they could extrapolate on. And how many of these inventions and theories would you have shot down if you were there in person because the person didn't follow your one and only way to test.

Again, from post 1, I have never said that acetone "WILL" improve a person's gas mileage. I have also never said that acetone "WON'T" improve on gas mileage. I said that it was possible. My claim that it is possible is because when I use(d) acetone, my mileage did increase. Albeit slightly. Now, maybe it was a placebo effect. Maybe it reacted differently at high altitudes. Maybe it did what others claim it can do. The reason my gas mileage increased is not what is important. What is important is that it did increase. That allows for possibilities. I very rarely believe in absolutes. I didn't say that it will or won't work. I didn't say the results would be the same for everyone. I simply stated that the possibility exists. If there is a possibility, then it should be considered.

And this has nothing to do with con artists, charlatans, snake oil, etc... That would require duping someone out of their money or other valuables. Suggesting that a person try it for themselves does not of this. Acetone is something a person can buy locally at walmart, which they probably have already or could use for other purposes. The cost of trying it is about $0.40 for an entire tank of gasoline. For an entire month of experiments and 12 tanks of gas, it barely cost $4. None of which went to any person suggesting the use of. You say I am a sucker. I don't know how. No one duped me out of any money. I did my own research to ensure I wasn't going to harm my engine. I thought for myself instead of allowing someone else to tell me that something would or wouldn't work. See, you don't know anything about me. You claim to know a lot about a lot of things, but the truth is; you really don't. None of us knows as much as we would like to believe. Some however don't want to come to that realization. Continue to believe in what you want and I will believe in what I want. Hopefully the others reading this thread, that has gotten to the point of really wasting a lot of reader's time, will use all this information to decide for themselves. Later... Mike...

P.S. I won't respond any more to this thread unless someone asks me a specific question. Turbo, you can have the last word if you like. We do agree on one thing, we have better things to do than to debate philosophy. Later... Mike...

[Ryan50hrl]

Originally Posted by Torque1st

If it helps you to get better mileage to put a block of wood under the pedal or drop a pebble in the tank each time you fill, or spit in it, wrap magnets around the fuel line to "energize" the fuel, or knock on wood then good for you, go for it! -But your mileage gains are imaginary based on an "awareness" of having done something to improve mileage. You WANT to drive more conservatively, you WILL drive more conservatively. It happens absolutely every time. It is just human nature. This has been proved countless times, -read about placebo testing. Go back to school, read about it, study the phenomena. Then try to design a good test.

Whatever works for you is fine, just be aware that it was not the acetone, it was the driver that got the increase... -Get a vacuum gage, it is cheaper, longer lasting, provides immediate correctional feedback (instead of after working some math at the pump).

A far as fuel mileage differences among brands, -that is a wash depending on soo many factors you really can't compare. The automakers are desperate for mileage tho. They will spend mega $$$ just for 0.001MPG on those CAFE tests or EPA estimates (which in themselves are improving but still bogus). Just as they will spend the same bucks to get another HP or add another widget button to entice some fool to buy one vehicle over another. Of course those mega bucks get charged somewhere, either to the consumer or the investors. They would have no qualms at all in requiring a fuel additive if it worked. You see the changing oil specs all the time. They have control over the fuel specs also.


Have fun!


Please, I have other things to do than try to educate people that just plain don't want to be educated or see conspiracies behind everything.

Fuel additives can work to increase mileage....I GUARENTEE that if you have dirty injectors and a bonified fuel system cleaner (an additive) is used you'll see an increase in mileage....hell maybe thats why acetone worked...but you don't know...you did absolutly no testing....and your not the one driving the vehicle. Second...if automakers really were that desperate to increase mileage....why doesn't ford go and figure out how chevy's get better mileage and find a way to duplicate it.....they've gotta have someone smart enough that should be able to figure that out.....wheres our hybrid...wheres our displacement on demand....if they were that desperate there would be those options....so again...if your so naive to belive they really are looking out for your best interest each and every time....feel free to believe it...i'm going to keep pushing for a better fuel economy option.... and third of all....where did you get your phd in chemical engineering or in chemistry that makes you an expert on how acetone reacts with gas in your engine.....just for the record?