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Automotive News & Views Gas Saving Gizmos & Gadgets
332 messages, Last post on Jul 20, 2009 at 12:19 PM
You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires
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Replying to: gagrice (Aug 09, 2008 8:47 am) 
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Replying to: steve_ (Aug 09, 2008 8:38 am)
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...the only difference is the purity level, and you can find 95% pure (or more) just as easily at AutoZone as you can at a beauty supply shop (it's just waaay cheaper at AutoZone). That said, I have a few comments about the Acetone scam: 1) Acetone has been scientifically tested as a gasoline additive since at least the 1930s, and never once has it ever done anything but reduce fuel economy in any published study. 2) Mythbusters, Snopes, et-al. have tested this stuff repeatedly, and so far at least, the best and most optimistic test shows a zero increase in fuel economy (all of the rest showed a decrease). 3) Tests by individuals are statistically irrelevant and usually fraught with errors. The fact is that it is very difficult to control your driving and the environment to any acceptable degree, and there is absolutely no way you can "test" acetone and then say, "See, it works." 4) With point #3 in mind, there were a bunch of Acetone advocates populating this board back in 2005, and they were claiming "at least 35% fuel economy gains" from using ~3oz per 10 gallons of gasoline. I didn't believe a word of it, however, to quiet their protests of, "How are you going to know if you don't try it?", I tried it. At the time I had a very consistent 55 mile commute (each way) that was Cruise Control for all but 3 miles, and my fuel economy in the old car that I was driving was a pretty consistent 22.5 mpg. I ran ten consecutive tanks with the acetone additive, and not even one of the tanks made it as high as 22.0 mpg (two tanks made it to 21.2, and the low tank was 19.7). So much for "at least a 35% gain". Long story short, it is quite certain that folks who get better mileage do so because they are conscious of how they're driving and keep a smoother throttle. Had they done the same thing with regular pump gas, they would most likely have gotten as good as or better mileage. The good news was that after I posted my results, the Acetone advocates left us alone here and went somewhere to make their pie in the sky claims. Best Regards, Shipo |
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Replying to: richiev (Aug 09, 2008 9:28 am) I haven't read up this, but I would think you're looking for 100% pure acetone from Home Depot, Lowe's, a hardware or paint supply store. I'm dubious, but I AM curious how it goes. |
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FWIW, if anybody really wants to give Acetone a try, I have a bit over three-quarters of a gallon of 100% Acetone that I'll give away for free to the first person who wants it. I live about 30 miles north of Boston, PM me if you're interested. Best Regards, Shipo |
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Replying to: gagrice (Aug 09, 2008 8:30 am) How, praytell, would the carmaker know a person used acetone in their tank to the point where they would have enough evidence to void a warranty?
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Replying to: larsb (Aug 11, 2008 9:08 am) If the seals go or if there is tank and fuel system corrosion, then it's pretty easy to tell if some form of an additive has been used.
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Replying to: shipo (Aug 11, 2008 9:22 am) But how would they know the OWNER had done anything wrong themselves to cause the problem? Why not just blame it on bad gas, etc? Deny Deny Deny. Unless they have a video of you adding acetone to your tank, I'm thinking any law school grad could argue your case for you in small claims court.
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Replying to: larsb (Aug 11, 2008 9:59 am) Said another way, the kind of damage I'm talking about is the result of prolonged exposure to a solvent that the fuel system wasn't designed to accomodate. That said, in an effort to silence the very vocal acetone advocates populating this board a couple of years ago, I tried it in an old beater for ten consecutive tanks. I've since driven that car nearly 60,000 miles since I last put acetone in the tank, and so far at least, I've yet to have any fuel system issues. I'm not so confident that would be the case if I had continued using it. Best Regards, Shipo
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