[hygieneboy]

http://www.elektro.com/~audi/audi/toluene.html

Anybody ever heard of this stuff? I got a can at a mom and pop paint and hardware store for $5 and put it in a full tank of gas. So far my needle is pegged on full after 50 miles of hard driving and my car has never felt stronger.

 

[noR]

Good way to blow your ride up.

If you're gonna mix it in, learn the ratios and do it scientifically. Otherwise you're just playing with dynomite.

I know several people in CA that use the stuff to raise their octane level since 93 oct is unavailable.

 

[vwdriver]

I've used Xylene in my GN to increase octane, kind of an insurance policy against detonation when running high boost. It does help to clean injectors, but researching the right gas to Xylene ratio is a must.

 

[hannaco]

It's pretty neat stuff. Has well over a 100 octane rating. Just mixes with the gas. How much you use depends on how much you want to raise the octane rating of your fuel.

 

[boblamb58]

Xylene is some NASTY stuff. And so is toluene. I should know, I have worked with those specific chemicals for the past 6 years. They are not to be taken lightly.

From an MSDS on Xylene, toluene is after.:

3. HAZARDS IDENTIFICATION


Primary Routes of Exposure


Inhalation
Ingestion
Dermal Absorption
Skin Contact
Eye Contact


Inhalation


Inhalation of vapor or mist can cause the following:
- irritation of nose, throat, and lungs - headache - nausea - dizziness - drowsiness - staggering - light headedness - labored breathing
Inhalation of high vapor or mist concentrations can cause the following:
- abdominal pain - pulmonary edema (fluid in lung and air spaces) - unconsciousness - coma - death


Eye Contact


Material can cause the following:
- severe irritation - conjunctivitis


Skin Contact


Material can cause the following:
- slight to moderate skin irritation - defatting - drying - dermatitis - cracking - reddening
Material can be absorbed through intact skin with the appearance of initial symptoms of inhalation exposure.


Ingestion


Material is possibly harmful if swallowed.
Material can cause the following:
- central nervous system depression - drowsiness - tiredness - dizziness - gastrointestinal irritation - nausea - vomiting - diarrhea - pneumonitis (lung inflammation) - pneumonitis (lung inflammation) - pulmonary edema (fluid in lung tissue and air spaces) - lung injury


Delayed Effects


Prolonged or repeated overexposure to xylene can cause the following:
- reversible liver impairment - reversible kidney impairment


Medical Conditions Aggravated by Overexposure


Pre-existing
- kidney disorders - liver disorders - skin disorders - respiratory disorders

 

[Too Cold NB1.8T]

Toluene

I did some research on toluene a little while back and there was talk of different grades such as commercial grade and science grade etc.

It was said that the commercial grade toluene found in paint/hardware stores is not the stuff recommended for this purpose, it was said that the science grade juice is what should be use because it is refined and free of the junk found in the commercial grade version.

Biggest problem with either grade is they maybe difficult to find locally in large enough containers, the problem with the science grade toluene is that it's harder to obtian and costs $80 per gallon or something outrageous like that.

Toluene is VERY toxic so if you plan on using it, I would suggest picking up an MSDS on it and taking great care when working with it.

 

[Fowvay]

DO NOT take this stuff lightly... please please I beg you to be carefull with this crap.

 

[paultakeda]

In general most toluene products at consumer stores do nothing, or at best raise octane 2 to 3 points (93 -> 93.3).

If you really want to raise your octane, mix a tank up with race gas. Mixing a tank of half 93 and half 103 will get you exactly what you expect, 97 octane. 1/3 103 and 2/3 93 bumps you up to 95.

 

[v-dubed]

they use it in octain booster... but i just run 116 octain anyways so i dont really care..... but i dont trust octain booster or toluine.... it dosent do jac crap.... i pulled a log and tried to advance timing bye 10% and it knocked like a punk....

 

[Too Cold NB1.8T]

http://www.elektro.com/~audi/audi/toluene.html

 

[v-dubed]

c16 is still better

 

[hygieneboy]

Here's another interesting read

http://sportscarforums.com/showthread.php?t=3257

 

[loseph]

A good friend of mine and i put a gallon of that in a full tank of gas in his turbo MR2 spyder. And he said he felt a differnce but i sure didnt all i noitced is the car back fired a few times and it never did that before so i would stay away from it, because i dont think it dose anything. He used paint grade though, because hes a painter and got it for free.

 

[kjclow]

I agree, stay away from it

I remember many years ago, I worked with a little old man that put moth balls into the gas tank every winter. He said it was a trick he learned when he had his fist car, a model T. I told you he was old! Of course that was back when moth balls were made from toluene, now they contain more wax then anything else and would play great havoc on our engines.

Besides the flamibility and health issues, toluene and xylene were primary components in most paint strippers. Most do not contain them anymore because they are HAZARDOUS and they are ozone depletors. So, if you want to change the color of your fender around the gas cap, just spill a little and forget to clean it up. There could also be a potential problem with lines and gaskets being dissolved. Adding a fine mist of extremely flamable vapor into your engine compartment is not a pretty thought.:firedevil :detonate:

 

[Scarab_Beetle]

don't bother, its that simple. I think it was SCC that did a test a while back and you had to use such a large amount of toluene to get measureable results that race gas was a cheaper alternative anyway. if you live in cali, and performance is that important to you... move out of cali . If you don't live in cali, and you're too cheap to buy premium, buy a different car...