I’ve previously cast my thoughts on the acetone improves mileage concept. I still think it’s a myth, but like the good little scientist I am, I’m always up for being proven wrong. It turns out that the main propagator of the idea, Lou LaPointe (who also goes by C. L. LaPointe, and Louis LaPointe), updated his files sometime in 2006.
1.) Have you read the finer details of his testing?
2.) Did you notice he says that it’s not just acetone that works as a mileage enhancing additive? Let’s look more at xylene, and some of the others.
3.) There’s a researcher at Clemson University who has confirmed positive results?
4.) If it’s a surface tension problem, let’s study that.
To some extent this is incomplete and ongoing research. This is the presentation of what I’ve found thus far.
1.) The finer details of LaPointe’s testing:
Since my previous posts, LaPointe has now at least told us what kind of cars he has used for his acetone tests. They include 2 Caravans and 1995 Neon. You would think, based on his curve, that simply by adding acetone he achieved these results. Well that’s not entirely clear. As you weed through all his work, it certainly sounds like his cars also use non-standard filters, non-standard spark plugs, non-standard timing, non-standard motor oil, non-standard thermostats, non-standard tire sizes, and quite possibly a “fogger” and/or some type of “fog warmer” and/or his Fogerator (you can read the “confidential” “for patent purposes only” write up).
It’s a shame, that with all the research he says he’s done, he spends so little time presenting the data, instead of telling us that he has the data and contradicting himself repeatedly about how we’re being screwed by everyone.
Even if he did hold all the other factors constant, it would be great to see what his baseline data is, as well as the variations in data. (It’s also a shame he doesn’t present his data which support all the add-ons.)
Even if it all does work as a system, you have to remember that your car doesn’t have all these extra add ons. That means its hard to say that if acetone really does work for him, that it will still work for you.
As a side note, he says he tests by filling up and then driving a 200+ mile round trip on the interstate. He also complains about the expense of it all. My suggestion to him is to save his time and just go to a freaking laboratory… maybe even pay a real scientist or engineer.
2.) What about the other additives that work that the oil companies want to keep from you?
[The oil industry] most likely fear that good mileage will cost them billions. They are fighting a losing battle however. They will have to stop acetone AND xylene AND iso-octane and a dozen other chemicals that can supply the methyl ion CH3 into gasoline.
This confuses me, in that I’m not sure if xylene and iso-octane are good because they have that methyl group, or if it’s because they reduce surface tension like acetone allegedly does. Or is it both? Both I guess.
Acetone, xylene, neohexane and other methyl carrying hydrocarbons are among the slowest burning chemicals known to man. Here is how they operate. These survive the heat of combustion for a very long time although they vaporize readily. Still they burn slowly. By their fierce vibrations, they break apart the massive fuel fragments that surround them. Thus they encourage great vaporization, the key to mileage.
Fierce vibrations? Nice.
Acetone is not the only additive to boost your mileage. Xylene (xylol) and trimethylbenzene do the same thing.
But let me tell you this. The oil companies are so intent on keeping you from learning the “Truth” (Lou likes to capitalize “truth” to make it more true), and from keeping these chemicals away from you that they put them in your gas. And they tell you about it. Publicly. Check for yourself. Freely available material safety data sheets (MSDS) for gasoline from Citgo, Chevron/Texaco, BP, and Hess are easily found with a Google search. Look at them and you’ll definitely see xylene and trimethylbenzene listed as components.
3.) So who at Clemson is researching this stuff?
A doctorate student at Clemson University in South Carolina is checking the mileage boost from the four types of xylene. Xylol (the fourth type) is the mix of the first three. So far they have verified that acetone yields 3 or 4 better MPG and that o-xylene yields another 3-4 MPG. Other additives we have been testing are methyl acetate and neohexane for yet better mileage.
Me, and half the readers of this blog are Clemson graduates. That makes this point even more interesting.
This first brings up some questions. Who is the student? Is the student funded by the university and/or using university equipment? Is there the possibility that this doctorate student has no scientific training and is getting a PhD in Advanced Beer Chugging?
I’d really like to know who this researcher is. At this point, emails have been sent to the Clemson mechanical engineering department faculty and to the LubeDev address given in hopes of learning. Curiously, a Google search of the Clemson web finds 2 — yes just 2 — results when searching for “acetone gasoline.” One is a organic chemistry tutorial, the other is about beef cattle identification.
4.) Lets look at the surface tension argument:
From what I can tell, lower surface tension in an engine is not a bad thing. Reduced surface tension leads to smaller drop sizes and easier entry into what is called the atomization regime.[1]
So how much is acetone (or xylene) going to reduce the surface tension of gasoline?
Typically, when you talk about adding a small amount of liquid to another for reduced surface tension you are talking about a surfactant. A typical surfactant is a long chain molecule with a different acting functional group on each end. One end would rather hang out in the air (this is the low energy end) while the other (high energy end) prefers to be in the liquid. These molecules migrate to the boundaries and the effect is that the surface becomes low energy, and low surface tension. In other words, surfactants act on the surface. They don’t exist inside the drop vibrating it apart.
Acetone, while polar, doesn’t really fit into the surfactant description as I know it. I’m also not at all familiar with any kind of theory where a small fraction of molecules in a liquid just run around vibrating and bumping into other molecules to break up the droplet. It may be possible. But I’m not at all aware of it. LaPointe’s description of why acetone decreases surface tension appears to be complete pseudo-science.
(Maybe he’s saying that the additives quickly leave the liquid matrix and, as independent molecules fly around bumping into fuel drops, thereby breaking them up? If so, that’s not a surface tension phenomenon.)
From what I can tell, adding a non-surfactant to other fluids of different surface tensions simply provides a fluid of with an intermediary surface tension. In the case of water and acetone, the surface tension drops very quickly with small amounts of acetone.[2] However, the surface tension of water is nearly 3 times greater than acetone, and the surface tension never goes below that of pure acetone. Furthermore, even that effect is relatively small when the amount of acetone is around 0.2%.
In a more relevant case, a binary Benzene-Acetone mixture, the surface tension is an almost exactly linear function of the mole fraction. (That means that at 100% acetone, 0% benzene the surface tension is about 23.5 dynes/cm. At 50-50 the surface tension is about 26 dynes/cm. And at 0-100, the surface tension is about 28.2 dynes/cm.)[3]
The components of gasoline, which included benzene, as best I can tell, have individual surface tensions ranging from about 18.4 for n-hexane to 32.8 for naphthalene. Something in the middle is to be expected. Finding data on “gasoline” is difficult, but an acceptable value seems to be between 25 and 27.5.
The surface tension of acetone is 22.7 @ 25C. If you can go from 27.5 to 22.7, the 17% reduction in surface tension would lead to an increase of the Ohnesorge number by only 11%. Furthermore, I seriously doubt that acetone would cause a full change with very little concentrations. What’s more, equal droplet disintegration can be achieved by increasing the jet velocity of the fuel by less than 4%.
Also notable, the surface tensions of o-xylene and m-xylene are 30.1 and 28.9, respectively. 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene is 29.2, and 1,3,5-Trimethylbenzene is 27.55. They are worse than average gasoline.
Here’s another great quote from LaPointe:
Alcohol is very high in surface tension–higher than ordinary gasoline which is already high in surface tension.
Apparently these things are very relative to him. Gasoline is not much higher than acetone. And what’s more, the surface tension of ethanol is less than acetone!
Given this data, I don’t see how acetone is going to drastically reduce surface tension. Moreover, I don’t see how adding xylene is going to help at all, at least not with respect to surface tension.
I admit that all these data are at or near standard temperature and pressure, which is not nearly what is happening in an engine. But I figured I should at least put this information out there for you to consider on your own.
[1] See work by Ohnesorge. He “derived the dimensionless Ohnesorge number, which includes all releveant fluid properties” including surface tension. Plotting the Ohnesorge number against the Reynolds number on log-log axes yields the Ohnesorge diagram of jet break up regimes. (Mixture Formation in Internal Combustion Engines - Baumgarten)
[2]Howard, K.S., McAllister, R.A., “Surface Tension of Acetone-water Solutions Up to Their Normal Boiling Points,” A.I.Ch.E. Journal (1957) 3, 325-329.
[3]Escoedo, J., Mansoori, G.A., “Surface Tension Prediction for Liquid Mixtures” A.I.Ch.E. Journal (1998) 44, 2324-2332.
M Turner Says:
Yes our company had a few dealings with Lou Lapoint what a strange character. he made alot of claims about his fogger device what a scam You can not heat up gasoline off of the radiator hose to any significant degree. i have had sucess with our fuel additives we have developed and arer currently testing and privatly testing also.feel free to contact me i would love to fill you in on our almost mistaken business dealing we had with Lou lapoint very strange guy like i said.
t. perne Says:
You obviously haven’t TRIED ACETONE OR HIS PRODUCTS because if you had you wouldn’t be trashing his advice or his inventions. I have tested his fogger, inducer, and the aditives and they do work. I own a 2000 3.2 tl Acura and have installed his devices and went fron 23 mpg on the hwy to 38-40 mpg hwy @ 79 mph. My tests have come from the amount of gas per fillup and with a SCAN GAUGE. The scan gauge gives instant readings of mph, mpg, along with about 15 other features. You have trashed Lou with no testing of any of these products if you had you wouldn’t trash his ideas! And to the person who wrote that Lou is wierd you aren’t very good at character anayalis eighter. You know it seems all you want to do is discredit anything that works where is your motivations. I’ve tried these devices and aditives and they do work. Too bad your to bullheaded to improving your milage and the impact on the evironment, but what else is new with Americans who only want to cut other peoples cares and inventions. All I can say is I’m getting ALOT BETTER MILEAGE WITH LESS EMISIONS IN THE ENVIRONMENT. My proof that his advice works is by trying what he has developed and making my OWN TESTS. I’ll continue with improving gas mileage and the environment while you’ll continue paying more for gas and ruining our environment. What is it that the AMERICAN AUTO INDUSTRY SAID YEARS AGO more fuel economy isn’t possible while the Japanese came out with their automobiles getting much better mileage. You and the people that you RESPONDED for this article are just like the AMERICAN AUTO INDUSTRY DUMP BLIND AND YES IGNORANT. With people like you in the United States it’s no wonder auto industry is where they are today lost and confused. Good luck to you and your friends who always love to complain but have no answers.
nobrainer Says:
Obvious ad hominem argument aside, I’d like to point out a few things:
- Imported cars in America aren’t all that much more efficient than American counterparts.
- I have seen no Japanese, nor any other manufacturer, recommend using acetone nor foggers.
- Moreover, I am aware of no foreign government that adds acetone to their fuels. Such action would be particularly useful in places like Iran and Venezuela where gasoline prices are heavily subsidized and efficiency gains would be a great benefit to their governmental regimes.
- Finally, I absolutely do not have to have tested something to believe in its efficacy or lack thereof.
nobrainer Says:
An additional point:
If LaPointe’s stuff works, sell it. And I mean sell it.
If LaPointe is interested in unseating so many behemoth corporate entities, he needs to at least begin to think like a businessman. The American public is more than willing to drop some coin on something that will improve mileage. Unfortunately for LaPointe, the vast majority of people have never heard of him or his devices. And of the people who have heard of them, the vast majority don’t or won’t believe him because he offers no credibility. If he doesn’t want to make money, that’s fine, but he absolutely needs to clean up his message, get a decent website, certify his product, and hire someone to advertise for him.
If, IF, his products work as claimed, any initial investment will be easily made back.
And if he is unwilling to go mainstream to advance his ideas, then he’s not really fixing anything is he?
Rob Says:
I’ve increased my mileage by about 4+ miles.
I, first, used all the ‘mileage tips’ like air pressure in tires, lighten the load of your car, drive at a constant speed, no heavy starts, keep the car tuned up, etc… I’ve been a mileage person for years. Then, I kept my mileage for about 1 year, then, tuned my car and followed the ‘mileage tips’ plus added the additives that LaPointe suggested. LaPointe information worked for me.
I feel if you don’t want something to work bad enough, you’ll make it not work. I have a few negative friends like that. No matter what you say it’s no good. I just don’t to listen to the ‘nay’ sayers.
Rob Says:
With all your knowledge about what doesn’t make better mileage, please write information on what, DOES infact, give us better mileage and is CARB legal. II’ll try it!
Wha Says:
I first want to congratulate t. perne for winning my monthly award for Wha grammar in his argument. If I notice miss-use of words, then you are in trouble my friend.
As for LaPointe, I only know about his stuff through a friends site (this one) and some scattered readings. I want to know more about your emissions testing as well. Was your Acura’s tailpipe hooked up to some sensors checking by products as you ran through your multiple tanks of gas at a constant 79 MPH , on a non-closed course? Did you think that though the average car maximizes efficiency somewhere in the 55-65 MPH range that you car, may have a sweet spot a bit faster? The TL is typically known as more of a performance car As Nobrainer put it, if it works, then find a way to sell it. People sell pure crap on a daily basis and make lots of money. Can you imagine how much dough can be made if LaPointe’s stuff is legit. Fill said mouth with lobster every night if he is right but the word has to be spread with the backing necessary.
Oh, and as for all the tips that the common folk hear about, how much extra do you spend carrying these out. The last time I checked a true tune-up, which the common folk can’t perform on their own, will cost more on a yearly basis than the savings realized in gas expenditures over the same time, even on a P.V. basis. If you are doing your own, how much did you fork out for the equipment and how long did it take. Pride factor aside, have you accomplished anything monetarily with all things considered?
I want the world to be a better place environmentally than it is now. I would also like to save some cash. These two things are working on being mutually exclusive. Why would any consumer throw funds at something on the market that is unproven. Your funds are much better given to an organization of choice making the world a better place (in whatever sense that is). If it’s funding some dude’s retirement account because of their unproven/unaccepted theories, be my guest. I’ll hang out and be a late adopter when things are mainstream enough to make a lasting impact.
Len Stevens Says:
I have begun to use acetone in one carbureted vehicle as well as one fuel injected vehicle. I’m using 3 onces in 10 imperial gallons. Although I haven’t begun to tabulate mileage improvements, I note that both vehicles run smoother and have a different feel at the gas peddle. Less foot in the gas for same speed result. I’ve tuned many vehicle carburators over the years and have programed my own fuel injection map on another high performance vehicle I use during the summers. Due to my experience I can detect subtle changes in engine performance by sound, feel and smell. The acetone in my opion and experimentation is doing something useful. When the winter fully disappears I will begin testing the mileage results. I expect improvement. Just not certain as to how substantial at this time.
nobrainer Says:
As a friendly tip of scientific method, I suggest putting someone else in charge of the acetone. Tell them to not include it from time to time. See if you can correctly tell when it is and isn’t there.
Brian S Says:
I agree. Double Blind testing is needed. Find out how much the Placebo Effect comes into play. Also I would speculate that it is totally impossible for anyone to control all the variables and therefore attribute results to a change in only one variable. Having said that the only way to come close is long-term testing, i.e. testing that spans one of the biggest vairables - environmental conditions - with all the seasonal changes and all the varieties of road conditions. That takes years to do.
But, if the end result is better mileage WITHOUT any serious side effects, i.e. a ruined engine, then I don’t care if I attribute better mileage to the sacrific of a chicken. Something happened to give me beter mileage.
Adrian Crisci Says:
I have a 2004 Infiniti G35 coupe with nearly 300 HP and a 3.5 V6 engine.
I have collected fuel-up receipts for the last 3 years and one day a few months back I tabulated the true milage over 20.000+ miles of 99% city driving.
By “eye-balling” it my car give me about 18 MPG. Not bad considering it is a very powerfull engine and I’m a lead foot.
After the tabulation my car actually made about 19.4 MPG (even better) running always on premium gasoline.
To put it in perpective my other car, a 1997 Honda CRV 4WD gives me about 21 MPG all around and has nearly 1/3 the horsepower of the Infiniti G35.
So engines are getting better, all the time.
Hopefully this week I will test for the first time the Acetone deal.
I will start at the 2 oz/ 10 Gal. recommended ratio. and see what happens with my milage. It should be easy to see just on the first tank of gas if there is any improvement at all.
Although I’m an engineer and work in data acquisition, NIST calibration and all the high tech toys you can imagine, a simple test of filling up a tank with 16 gallons and add the proper amount of acetone, drive (as usual) should be fairly easy to do without any tools. Just zero out the digital milage counter and see when I need to fuel up again.
I don’t think about cookie conspiracy theories, but last month on Scientific American Magazine (April 2007 - Volume 296, Number 4) they reported on hydrogen fueling and storage on page 81… and they also mentioned we burn 383 million gallons a day on US Vehicles alone.
If acetone was to save 20 to 30% of gas with as little as 2 oz/10 gallons,
it would be simple to figure out that you would save 76.6 millions of gallons a day. At a conservative $3.25 a gallon that would be $248.95 million a day saved, or $90,866.75 millions a year.
I don’t think the Gas companies would like to loose $ 91 billion dollars a year… Right? Neither oil rich middle eastern countries.
The test is simple enough… I’ll report on it in the following weeks.
nobrainer Says:
If the oil companies and oil producing countries of the world are conspiracy members, I have to give them credit for being the best secret keepers of the world.
If I conclude that all the major media outlets of the country and world, including Scientific American, will not report truthfully on the acetone idea, then I must also conclude that any and all reporting they do on energy is prone to gross error and exaggeration.
bill Says:
No conspiracy clearly. But OPEC generally works like a cartel to control oil prices while oil companies by definition are out to make maximum profit out of its sales. Call marketing now and churn out some statistics!
I agree with LaPointe’s contention that the best way is to try it out YOURSELF. My car didn’t blow up after adding a few oz. of acetone and 220 miles later. Mileage SEEMS to be noticably better, so I’m willing to risk it. If it turns out I ruining my car, I guess it’ll be my mechanic that profits from my savings on gas… Well, at least I didn’t have to go to the gas station as often.
Adrian Crisci Says:
Well as promised, I finally started my own test on the G35.
I fueled up yesterday at COSTCO in La Habra, Ca. with premiun 91 octane ($3.499/gal) with 17.4 gallons for an all-time-high (for me anyway) of $61 per full tank. OUCH!
I got home and loaded 3.5 oz of Klean-Strip acetone.
This morning going to work, after the engine warmed up over the 1st half mile or so, I could immediatly notice the engine running much smoother.
Granted, the car has only 21,000 miles and the engine is smooth to begin with…
But I’m talking about EXTRA smooth. The type of smooth that you feel when idling on a traffic light… The tiny vibrations that you can feel on the steering wheel and shifter knob and as you get rolling, the transitional vibrations that any engine has from idling to rev-up to speed.
At times, the engine felt smooth as glass, although it was idling at the same speed as usual.
So not to psych myself out (I am being very scheptical about this), when I got to work, I got out of the car without turning it off.
To my amazement, the engine idle sound was barely noticeable. With the outside noise, it actually felt the engine was off.
Going to the exhausts pipes on the back (literally two cannon with a heavy note) was very interesting. There was almost no noise idling. What’s more interesting, as I have read on the web before, there was no smell whatsoever from the exhaust.
I literally put my nose within 6 inches of it and cupped my hand to smell the exhaust.
The typical slightly acid and dry exhaust gases (the NOx and CO2) that you can smell on any good running engine was GONE!. And I mean GONE, GONE!.
What’s more my hand was nearly dripping in water condensed from the hot gases.
It almost smelled like boiling water, you know… that clean smell of boiling water ?
Coinsidentally, I told my dad about all this acetone thing. Last weekend (05/06) he went from LA to Tijuana, Mex. for the weekend.
His old Volvo 760 (V6 turbo) normally gives him 17.5 Miles/gal. (sort of bad)… but with 2 oz/10 Gal he managed 23.5 Miles/gal.
He’s a convert now.
Maybe acetone DOES work… how? I don’t know. Octane boost?, Surface tension (don’t think so), vapor pressure? (maybe). But there’s something going on.
I’ll wait for my own results… I’ll report back in two weeks when I re-fuel and total the milage of my G35.
Doug Stewart Says:
I haven’t been following this issue closely enough, but couldn’t it be that the acetone is acting as a detergent, eating away at carbon deposits, etc., on the injectors, in the fuel lines, etc.?
Plus, if it is so efficient right out of the box, why has no one taken to testing it on vehicles that would be free of such carbon buildup (i.e. new/very low mileage cars)?
nobrainer Says:
Yup, that’s the other hypothesis.
As you noted, it seems no one who has had positive results has done the test with a new car.
This may also explain why the engineers at Kettering didn’t find any improvement. (Their laboratory engine was probably very clean to start with).
It may also explain why Mythbusters, which ran only a small amount of gasoline, didn’t see any positive results.
Although, if true, it will emphasize that readily available fuel system cleaners probably don’t do too much. I’ll usually add a bottle at least every 10,000 miles.
Adrian Crisci Says:
Well, I consider my G35 to be a very low milage car (21,350) albeit is not new… it’s a 2004.
But for any purposes, running on premium gas all the time (which normally has more detergents, additives and higher octane) would keep the engine much cleaner than cheap gas… so it could be considered an almost “new” car…
Based on my report this morning, acetone IS doing something…based on engine smoothness and total lack of exhaust smell.
We shall see in about two weeks what my milage results are…
I believe nobody knows exactly what it does because we do not know the behaviour of this fuel mix does at high temperature and pressure found in the combustion chamber. That’s where known physics break down and new knowledge is found.
Thomas Bird Says:
O.K. I’ll step up to the plate. 2006 Chevy Work Truck 2500 HD gas engine, 3,000 miles after purchasing in August ‘06. I fill to the neck of the tank each time and do the division. From the beginning I am getting 12 mpg combined town and highway driving. Last tank was pure highway. I got 13 mpg. Added a 2.5 oz acetone and 1 oz. xylene per 10 gallons. This tankful was all town driving. Still at 12 mpg. However, like the others posted above who tried it– I notice the definite improvement in smoothness– quieter engine, less rumble smoother acceleration. LaPointe comments on his page about “Detroit Fever.” The conspiracy theory that an engine’s “chip” enriches the gas to air ratio if it detects mileage improvements beyond a a Detroit acceptable limit, thus defeating the improvement. He offers add on equipment that bypasses the problem allowing you to manually set the mix ratio. His comment regarding Japanese cars is that they do not conspire as such.
I’m going to bite and try it out. Interestingly, the man has sold these items to many people out there. Can any of his opponents find them blogging their disdain for being duped into purchasing them? I can’t.
Dave Lindsay Says:
Have two vehicles under acetone test.1st is 2002VW jetta diesel.Always delivered 56.5 to57.5 mpg on a commute to city type of driving.Ihave always used injector/carb cleaner in both units.2nd vehicle is 2000 Yamaha 1100 v-star.This bike always delivered 56 to 57 mpg. I will report back in 2 weeks about mileage improvement,if any. But what I did notice right away was a lot more smoothness and power with the bike,a v-twin. The VW ’seemed’ a lot smoother and ’seemed’a lot more powerfull. My prediction is this: If there is any improvement % wise,the bike will show the most improvement!
Jon Says:
OK I’m gona bring this thread back for 2 reasons.
1. All these people are claiming that their engine runs smoother. I’ve worked on cars for years and if you want it to be smoother you tune it up and replace the motor mounts. I don’t believe that spiked fuel is going to make a difference in “engine smoothness”.
2. Where is the documentation for all of the recent “I’m testing as well” people.
Didn’t you notice a difference? Did you give up?
I’ll try the 2oz in my ‘96 Camry - 182K - 2.2L 5sfe. I installed a homemade grounding wire kit that made my trans shift *much* better and I gained 1 mpg. I average 28.5 - 32 mpg after 1.5 years of steady calculations. Up from the 24 mpg I started with. This is being calculated with my GPS, as the speedo is 2 mph slow at 65mph.
I used “Seafoam”, a good cleaner, directly in my intake manifold on the last oil change. My valve seals are leaking a little and its clogging the cat and building carbon.
My dad is straining used cooking oil through a 5 micron filter and mixing it with gas. 85% gas to 15% oil in his 1993 chevy lumina.
Yep. Thats crazy. And it seems to run fine.
And he’s been doing it for about 2K now. No problems.
If only I could get him to keep track of the mileage.
ONE NOTE: The lumina has a “coil pack” ignition system that spits out around 30,000 to 40,000 volts. Thats a hotter spark than a vehicle with a distributor and may be the single greatest reason that it continues to run. The lumina also has an ECU that controls the timing more heavily than many other OBD I vehicles. this may also be a factor.
More modern cars might balk at this because of increased emissions sensors and ECU programing.
Norm Bourret Says:
It amazes me how many people will write and freely give unsolicted counsel to others when they don’t know what they are talking about. The subject doesn’t seem to matter, synthetic oil, acetone, gas mileage etc.
I have been adding pure acetone to all of my vehicles and small engines for almost two years now at the rate of 3 ounces per 10 gallons. The one I drive the most is my 2003 Corolla automatic. I’ve put 30,000 acetone miles on it. With acetone I get 13% better fuel economy - period. I’m not a moron - I know how to check fuel economy. I’ve been doing it on every vehicle I’ve owned for 35 years. I don’t get 35% better, I get 13%. I konw about plugs and timing and tire pressures and speed and oil viscosities etc. I own a Scanguage but I don’t use it for checking my mileage. I fill at the same pump at the same station with my car in the same position and I fill to the neck. I run the tank down to at least a quarter before refilling to minimize the effect of any filling errors. I have eight 7 ounce glass jars that I keep the acetone in. I keep one my vehicle with a funnel. I’ve tried more acetone and I’ve tried less. Three ounces per 10 gallons appears to be the sweet spot. I don’t know why, but I get better mileage. You can debate all day long about the flaws in the hypothesis of why, but the FACT is I get better mileage with acetone. I buy StaKleen pure acetone at Walmart for about $12.50 a gallon. I asked for and read the MSDS sheet to be sure it was 100% pure. My vehicles run great with or without acetone in the fuel. But I do notice the smoothness that many others allude to. The atomization/surface tension theory makes sense to me, which is why I am now preheating my intake air and I intend to do my fuel next. I don’t have definitive results on the warmer intake air yet, but it’s looking good. Please don’t preach to me about “cold air intake”. I live in Maine and get all the cold air intake I want. I want high economy and complete combustion, not all the power I can get. There is a reason that our cars get better mileage in warm weather than cold, and it has to do with more than winter fuel mixtures.
Since I have had such good results with my Corolla, I also use acetone in my ATVs, 1997 Chevy Silverado, lawn mower, generator and my Husqvarna chainsaw. In other words, I use acetone in all my internal combustion engines and they all run great. I get 18 to 20 unfreighted highway mpg with the truck with a 5.0L. I don’t know if that’s good or bad but it’s what I get. I don’t have alot of 4wd truck experience.
Being a thinking person, and somewhat knowledgable about oil boilers (I maintain and tune my own), it occurred to me that perhaps the same improved atomization due to lower surface tension might be beneficial within the combustion chamber of my 1989 Peerless cast iron wet-base boiler. I surmised that the surface tension of #2 fuel oil would be even higher than gasoline. So after wrting to Louis Lapointe for his opinion on the matter, I added acetone to my three oil tanks at the rate of two ounces per 10 gallons, or 54 ounces per tank. I live in a 2600 square foot house in Central Maine and typically burn 630 gallons of oil per year for both heat and hot water. Yes, I built it myself and it is well insulated. Last year I burned 500 gallons of oil to heat my house. Admittedly we had a relatively mild winter, but not that mild.
I use less fossil fuel than I used to, both for heating and transportation. As a result I save money and I leave a smaller footprint on the environment. I realize there are many variables when checking fuel economy of any type, and many people do like to fool themselves. I’m 5′11-1/2″ tall, and I can’t tell you how many shorter men I’ve met in my life who are 6′. Try it yourself before condemning it. You might learn something new and become a better steward at the same time.
Best Regards,
Norm
Hayden Westley Says:
I read your article on Lou Lapoint, etc. Have you found anything that really will increase gas mileage and would you share this information with me? I’d be most grateful. Hayden Waco, Tx.
Hayden Westley Says:
sir: I read your article on LaPoint, etc. Would you be kind enuf to share with me how I also could get better gas mileage? I have a 2005 Grand Caravan (6 cyl.) and get about 20 miles per gallon, give or take 1-3 miles. Any help you’d offer would be greatly appreciated. Hayden Waco, Tx.
Jon Says:
Just an update - I have noticed NO difference in the fuel consumption in the Camry. In fact the last 2 tanks with acetone were 27.5 and 28.2 mpg.
My Kawasaki FB460V 12hp engine on my commercial mower now stutters a bit more than before.
BTW: The veggie oil finally began to leak from the combustion chamber into the crankcase on the Lumina. Dad discontinued use.
I am declaring acetone bunk.
You want *reliable* *minor* improvement? Install a grounding kit on your ‘96 or newer engine. This is dyno proven, not some percentage or faith based gibberish.
eh. its america. we’re free to beLIEve any lie we want.
This one seemed harmless enough so I gave it a whirl. Try it yourself and you’ll see why all these people say “I’m putting it in my car and I’ll report” and never report results. There aren’t any and they gave up.
will powell Says:
Being new to this aceton arguement, I am intrigued. I recently used aceton for a different purpose: to pass inspection.
Having a low catylist code in my computer and oxygen sensors up stream and down stream both displaying radicaly changing voltage, I didn’t have hope of passing inspection. Aceton was added as per my Uncle’s suggestion. A full tank of gas was added, and a heavier dose of acetone. (about 6 oz./12 gallons, 02 DOHC Focus 96,000 miles) New EGR system, including actuator and sensor.
What is related to this thread I feel is my mileage. I am currently at 3/4 tank now, 100 miles later. This puts me at 20 more miles than standard with the same driving pattern.
Perry Says:
Healthy discourse pro and con regarding mr La Pointe’s assertions.
I also haven’t seen increase in mpg during first 3 tanks of gas. Have seen increased smoothness in the engine (2002 Accent DOHC). If we are only looking for the “quick fix,” then I submit we’ll never see it, because most of us do other things for a living. Seems we get annoyed if things don’t turn out like we expect immediately. But if we stop being unbelieving until we actually give this thing a fair test, even if it takes a couple of months, we’ll be better off for the effort. After all, even Edison, Einstein and those other smart people of the past had their detractors and unbelievers. And truthfully, many of the things they discovered, or ‘brought to light,’ were not that much different from what was already common. People just didn’t like to see the changes in their “normal” world brought about.
I’m trying the acetone mix and mixer (fog inducer) now, and will be trying the fuel warmer as soon as the budget will allow. After all, even though I work every day, I still enjoy a good hobby.
Fred L Michaelis Says:
I am an experimenter by nature. acetone was not my first experiment. It was one of my better experiments… Just recently I noticed that the price of acetone has gone up. I am on my 4th can of acetone. On my last fillup I double my amount that I was using.. Before I used 3 or 4 ounces in a 10 to 12 gallion infusion of gas. This time I put in about 8 ounces to 10 gallions of gas. You wouldn’t believe the difference. It is like putting a new engine in my 1988 toyota van. I don’t think the oil companies will be able to hire enough dis information specialest to curb peoples curosity. I don’t think my van is experencing a palcebo effect… Nor am I.. Face it, the scientist say a bumbel bee can not fly.. No one told the bee. I build a device that extracted hydrogen from water. It burned up my truck’s engine, but it worked… So far, so good with the acetone… I would love to keep experimenting with the hydrogen but can’t afford to lose anymore vehicles. I am sticking to Acetone until I get investors for my hydrogen experiments. It’s safer.
Richard Tast Says:
Now THAT is a good con-man’s/BSer’s response to a direct question. I agree with the questioner. I don’t know who the hell LaPointe is, but I’ve used acetone in my 1990 Chevrolet PU, 305 CID engine, 190,000 miles on it; driven at a steady 65 mph and see an improvement of mpg, from 21.5 to 24.5. I don’t give a damn about trafacants, fractarants, or whatever else the guru calls them, and all the other technical data, if I can drive further on the same amount of gasoline it works regardless of whether I’ve got nine chemistry & chemical engineer degrees or not.
Theresa Salazar Says:
Well, I ‘ve been adding La Pointe’s 100 % acetone to my one and only vehicle for about 3 weeks now and YOU LOSE. It has improved the performance of my,2001, vehicle as well as, I’ve gone from 16 MPG to 25 MPG and I am very happy. I would not have tried this unless I spoke to my FATHER, aviation mechanic , as well as automobile. Theresa
Gary Says:
I recently took a round trip to Michigan which is about 1300 miles. I used 4 oz of Acetone per 10 gallons religiously each time I filled up in my 2003 Ford Windstar Van. Using the built in mileage gauge I noticed an increase of probably 2 MPG. Not really a huge savings. However, the peppiness of the engine was noticed right away and in my opinion is definately worth the price of the acetone. I read on another website that if you use a blend of 4 oz Acetone to 4 oz of Xylene that you get a bit better mileage so I will be trying that formula in the near future. Also, by the way I have read many people’s comments about the fear of plastic components in the fuel pump and their worry about damaging those parts, I have been storing my acetone in PLASTIC squeeze bottles between fill ups so it will be a little more convenient. Also I have seen posts on getting acetone on your auto paint will cause it to come off. On late model (1988 and up) vehicles that have factory OEM paint or a cured out good quality re-paint there will be minimum effect of acetone on the paint or clear coat. Typically if you get acetone on the finish it will remove the wax and will need to be re-waxed but your paint won’t turn into liquid and begin running off your vehicle.
nobrainer Says:
You should have read on this website and this page that many gas stations already put xylene in gas.
Also noted on this website, it is useless to examine how acetone acts on a type of plastic or a type of rubber if those specific types of polymer are not found in your fuel system.
oldschoolfool Says:
Guys, keep things in prospective. If you see a mere 2 mpg improvement - what is your baseline milage on raw gasoline? If it’s 20mpg on raw gas, you’ve got a 10% improvement in mileage. Not a miracle but.. with gas today at an average of $3.70+/gal., a ten percent savings would equate to a price drop of .37 a gal. or $3.33/gallon. If the price dropped that much people would be dancing in the streets. If you buy a 15 gallon fill-up of raw gas you’re looking at $55.50. A 10% savings would represent a net savings of $5.50 per fill-up. Not bad considering 4.5oz. of acetone costs at tops, about 80 cents. Take it where you can get it!
nobrainer Says:
Thank you for explaining to us that mileage increases lead lower gasoline costs per mile.
Thank you also for using incorrect math in your explanation.
Ray Brown Says:
I have been using acetone in a 2007 Ford Taurus, and my mileage went from 30 mpg to 38 mpg at 55 mph. I am also using 0-W-20 oil and my tires are at 38psi. I get 32 mpg driving 18 miles to work, 13 highway and 5 in town.
I have not reset the ECU. I am going to do that today. I will fill up and add 3 ounces of acetone and will report it next week.
I drive 50mph in the country two lane roads and 55mph on the interstate.
I have been a mechanic for 40 years. I have never seen this kind of increase of mileage by adding something as simple as acetone.
My car runs great with 3 ounces to 10 gallons.
I am going to switch to amsoil O-W-20, amsoil oil and airfilter before winter. I would like to see 40 mpg on the highway.
I was using my weed eater yesterday to cut some tall weeds and I put 3 drops of acetone in the gas, it is a 2 cycle engine. It run better than when it was new. The weed eater is 6 years old and a lot of hours on the engine.
Ray
Rick Albertson Says:
“I’m sorry your not getting my whole message but they neglected to put (email address)instead of just address so my letter was deleted and a page came up saying the address wasn’t right so all you get is the bottom line. Yes,you really can get 40-80 mpg. acetone and zylene together will give you an extra 3-5 mpg extra by breaking down the large hydrocarbons that your engine cannt burn.Adding a (home made) hydrogen bottle brought my highway mieage up to (50.91)mpg. In town it added 8 mpg from 17.2 to 25.6 I drive a 1993 4×4 subaru with 184,000 miles. I love it and fill up once a month instead of weekly. there are a lot of junk out there but my (water4gas)was A GREAT INVESTMENT! Any cars 96 and up need to add a EFIE (electronic fuel injection enhancer)to make tese things work! 48.00-100.00 dollars,buy the cheapest.95 back just wrap your 02sensor real good including the wires that come out the end and it will save you money and works great.If you don’t believe me come and see or drive it for yourself!! I’m sick of people that say it’s not real!!
Rick 622 west main st. bloomsburg,Pa. 17815
I really hope you are getting some kind of class credit for this otherwise I want your schedule for the free time!
Well if you give up 4/5 of your salary, I’m sure you’ll find 400% more free time.
Here’s another thing I just caught on one of the pages.
#1 - check
#3 - check
#4 - check
#5 - the “fogerator” is going to be patented (allegedly), but I can find no patent nor published application.
#6 - check
#7 - pretty much
#8 - claims reduced friction due to decreased oil fouling.