Toluene in a road car?

[djones]

If I add Toluene to my petrol tank will it make my car any faster?

A few of the 'normal car' forums seem to think it will.

All I can make out is it increases the RON rating of the fuel which is fine but as soon as you go over say 100 RON the engine management of a road car won't advance the timing (Is that what it does until it detects knock??) anymore as it would never expect to be fuel that high in RON.

Maybe it does more than increase the RON of the fuel???

Any input on this would be very interesting!

[DaveKillens]

I suggest you ask serious professionals who are versed in fuel chemistry and it's values.
http://www.eng-tips.com/
Not that there are probably some people in this forum not qualified, but this is who I would ask.

[riff_raff]

"If I add Toluene to my petrol tank will it make my car any faster?"

No. Your car's engine is likely designed to run optimally on 87 octane pump gas. Adding an anti-detonant like tolulene to your fuel won't help, unless you increase your engine's compression ratio to take advantage of it. But you haven't done that, have you?

In fact adding a solvent like tolulene or acetone, to your fuel system will likely cause damage, since your fuel system's seals aren't designed to be compatible with those chemicals.

[rob82]

Depends what type of car you have and the type of PCM it utilizes. 01 onwards WRX's have active ignition timing all the way to 6000rpm which means that they can actively introduce more timing.

So increasing the octane rating will increase power - to a certain degree. There is a table of maximum ignition timing to learn in so once this is reached that is the maximum timing it will learn.

Not sure but I think the newer toyota system are using much the same system. ie knock sensor feedback ignition system.

[Guest]

I use to work with shell oils and fuels for 4 years. And Toluene is a octaine addative to bost standard 96oct unleaded to 102oct preanium. so in away it is a peformance additive but you are looking at $45 aus for a 20ltre can.

[Guest]

"whats this crap got to do with f1"

I thought it was once used in F1?

[Guest]

not since 1992 and its banned