Paint thinners in Petrol for better performance / MPG?
Discussion
Inspired by the '2 stroke oil in Diesel' thread, it reminded me of something a mate started doing a few years ago...
We were racing Superbikes in British Nationals at the time. I used Elf race fuel in mine, and the bike was tuned and dyno'd to use it to the full, with high-comp pistons etc. He had a more stock motor, so used the equivalent of Shell V Power at the time, then it was called Optimax.
He swore that after doing loads of research one year, that adding paint thinners to the fuel made a huge difference, and he started doing it at every meeting. We didn't see any overall improvement to lap times, but he was convinced it made the bike more tractable and easier to ride, especially off slower corners.
Annoyingly, he / we never got round to actually dyno-ing the bike in a direct comparison, and shortly after he and I parted company and I haven't seen him since (long story).
Looking round Google, there is the usual blinding array of information about it, with keen supporters and vehement deniers in equal numbers, plus a few conspiracy theorists with stories of petroleum company cover-ups and all kinds of exciting stuff. I'm none the wiser.
So - anyone else done / do this, and do you have any information that illustrates if it does actually work or not, and why?
We were racing Superbikes in British Nationals at the time. I used Elf race fuel in mine, and the bike was tuned and dyno'd to use it to the full, with high-comp pistons etc. He had a more stock motor, so used the equivalent of Shell V Power at the time, then it was called Optimax.
He swore that after doing loads of research one year, that adding paint thinners to the fuel made a huge difference, and he started doing it at every meeting. We didn't see any overall improvement to lap times, but he was convinced it made the bike more tractable and easier to ride, especially off slower corners.
Annoyingly, he / we never got round to actually dyno-ing the bike in a direct comparison, and shortly after he and I parted company and I haven't seen him since (long story).
Looking round Google, there is the usual blinding array of information about it, with keen supporters and vehement deniers in equal numbers, plus a few conspiracy theorists with stories of petroleum company cover-ups and all kinds of exciting stuff. I'm none the wiser.
So - anyone else done / do this, and do you have any information that illustrates if it does actually work or not, and why?
it can work but only if your engine management can adapt to higher octanes
Also you will get the most out of it if your engine normally runs on the edge of detonation (controlled by the ecu)
Saab turbo's run well on thinners without any reported problems (the trionic ecu controls detonation and boost and adapts to higher octanes )
Also you will get the most out of it if your engine normally runs on the edge of detonation (controlled by the ecu)
Saab turbo's run well on thinners without any reported problems (the trionic ecu controls detonation and boost and adapts to higher octanes )
Ray Luxury-Yacht said:
Inspired by the '2 stroke oil in Diesel' thread, it reminded me of something a mate started doing a few years ago...
Got a link? Strangely, the PH search function is down and the google thing in its place gives the usual gibberish results. Hope it isnt down too long...emicen said:
Ray Luxury-Yacht said:
Inspired by the '2 stroke oil in Diesel' thread, it reminded me of something a mate started doing a few years ago...
Got a link? Strangely, the PH search function is down and the google thing in its place gives the usual gibberish results. Hope it isnt down too long...Dodsy said:
I know 1 tvr driver who used to put a small amount of acetone in every fill up, it boosts the octane rating. No idea if it worked but his cerb smelled like a jet fighter and spat flames from both pipes!
Was flipping quick too but then most cerbs are.
I did a track day once with a guy with an RX-7 who had two massive bottles that he emptied into the fuel tank, one of which was labelled "toluene". Spat blue flames all day long. Maybe the other bottle was xylene.Was flipping quick too but then most cerbs are.
carl_w said:
I did a track day once with a guy with an RX-7 who had two massive bottles that he emptied into the fuel tank, one of which was labelled "toluene". Spat blue flames all day long. Maybe the other bottle was xylene.
I don't give a toss if it makes it faster - if it makes flames come out then I'm in!
s3fella said:
I think it makes the petrol thinner, so it's less heavy and allows higher cornering speeds.
Particularly with the back seats down.
That's just ridiculous! You're forgetting that with the back seats up, you get more weight over the rear wheels and hence get better acceleration off the line, completely negating the advantages of the 'redacted centre of gravity' set up.Particularly with the back seats down.
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