I saw this posted on a website talking about xylene:
"" Home (fuel) chemistry can be fun.
Aromatic compounds like..
benzene
toluene = methyl benzene
xylene = di methyl benzene
..are good octane boosters.
The problem you get into using much xylene is that it doesn't evaporate
very quickly. Benzene boils at 80 C, toluene at 110 C and xylene at 140 C.
Even though xylene gives the best octane boost of this group of
compounds....it doesn't evaporate quickly enough to use more than about
10% in the fuel blend. Use a lot more than this and you will have to
fatten the fuel curve to account for the unvaporized fuel you are
burning in the headers.
A benzene toluene mix with some additives to improve ignition is what
was used in turbo F1 cars running 50-60 pounds of boost.
Benzene, toluene and xylene are about as toxic as lighter fluid.
Actually, these are some of the main components of old fashioned Zippo fuel.
However, THESE CHEMICALS ARE CARCINOGENIC...
They will cause lukemia with repeated small doses.
Most commercial gasoline contains about 2% benzene. Gasoline is exempt
from chemical regulation. If gas was not exempt from chemical you would
have to wear a suit and respirator when you gas your bike. Nobody can
say the oil companies don't have clout.
Octane doesn't scale in the linear fashion suggested by Todd's post.
Adding aromatics to pump gas will boost octane but how much requires
either a Waukesha test engine or a megabux math model only found in oil
company computers.
However, don't let this post discourage the experimentally inclined.
Just don't spill this stuff on yourself.
Pour it in and go...
...engines aren't that expensive [[lol]]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joe
Albaugh, Neil wrote:
>Ed;
>
>Some years back we used a low percentage of xylene (or toluene-- I can't
>remember which it was) & gasoline in a ski boat powered with a BBC. Some
>rejetting & timing changes were needed, though. Nothing blew up.
>
>Some pretty radical fuel mixtures were concocted by racers before the days
>of standardized fuel regulations. In the old days, those exotic fuel
>mixtures were refered to as "bug juice."
>
>Regards, Neil Tucson, AZ
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Ed Van Scoy [mailto:ed@vetteracing.com]
>Sent: Monday, September 30, 2002 11:01 AM
>To: land-speed@autox.team.net
>Subject: Octane Booster
>
>
>I am on another "car" list, and the following formula was put
>forth as an effective octane booster. Sounds like an
>engine-killer to me, but we have people on this list that know
>about this stuff... Any comments?
>
>Get some Xylene from a paint store.
>
>Mixtures with 92 Octane Premium
>10%...........94.5 Octane
>20%...........97.0 Octane
>30%...........99.5 Octane
>
>
>Ed
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