Toluene

[Dannopower]

Quoted from another thread

no, the car ran less power in tuning. 286rwkw to be exact, then 700ml of toluene was added to the fuel that already consisted of BP Ultimate and a bottle of Nulon Pro strength octane booster.

I have a few questions about this-

1) What is toluene? Who makes it and why?

2) Does it stuff your fuel lines/ injectors just as bad as adding octane booster does?

3) Is it legal to use in racing or Dyno competitions?

4) If it works as an octane additive, or along the same lines (Makes fuel more volitile) then wouldnt this allow a tuner to build a tune specifically designed for the combustibility of the fuel, hence being able to run the engine much leaner than you would normally tune an engine, in which case the vehicle would run much higher in power than would be normally expected with the associated engine components and hardware, but with AN AFR SO SCARY EVEN THE DYNO'S PRINTER COULDNT PRINT IT OUT?

Just wondering that's all?

[FPV TRANNY]

Tolulene is used as a solvent,as I use it for strippng wax build up off fibreglass pool moulds but I dont know what effects it has on your fuel burn or what ratio to run with it.

dont know if it stuffs fuel lines either.

[Dannopower]

Are you for real? Fibreglass stripper!??

I have some thinners I use at work for adding to lacquer when spraying clear coats on furniture, comes in 2 drying speeds too. Maybe that would be the go.....

[FPV TRANNY]

dunna dude

[deek]

I ran some at the drags a couple of times and ran a consistent 12.6 with or without it.

I ran about 10% Tolly (4 L to 40L BP Ultimate) couldn't tell any difference.

It didn't effect any of the fuel system.

Just don't spill any on your paint job.

[rboksic]

Tolulene is used as  a solvent,as I use it for strippng wax build up off fibreglass pool moulds but I dont know what effects it has on your fuel burn or what ratio to run with it.

dont know if it stuffs fuel lines either.

Are you for real? Fibreglass stripper!??

I have some thinners I use at work for adding to lacquer when spraying clear coats on furniture, comes in 2 drying speeds too. Maybe that would be the go.....

Its only geting rid of the wax on the mold.

A mate uses it to clean metal parts that are to be rubber bonded.

10 % tolly is ok

its the same as putting Octain booster in only cheaper 60c to $1 lt

[Dannopower]

so does a 10% mix lift the octane level up as good as a bottle of Pro Strength?

[CnC]

Toluene is Methyl Benzene and was used in vast quantities in the old 80's F1 turbo days.

Essentially it is an octane booster and detonation retardent that will allow you to run more timing and boost.

This stuff is highly carcinogenic so be very carefull handling the stuff, unless you are a smoker then you can probably drink the sh*t as you will most likely get cancer anyhow

[Blonk]

Toluene

Toluene, also known as methylbenzene or phenylmethane is a clear, water-insoluble liquid with the typical smell of paint thinners, reminiscent of the sweet smell of the related compound benzene. It is an aromatic hydrocarbon that is widely used as an industrial feedstock and as a solvent.

History

The name toluene was derived from the older name toluol that refers to tolu balsam, an aromatic extract from the tropical American tree Myroxylon balsamum, from which it was first isolated. It was originally named by Jöns Jakob Berzelius.

Chemical properties

Toluene reacts as a normal aromatic hydrocarbon towards electrophilic aromatic substitution. The methyl group makes it around 25 times more reactive than benzene in such reactions. It undergoes smooth sulfonation to give p-toluenesulfonic acid, and chlorination by Cl2 in the presence of FeCl3 to give ortho and para isomers of chlorotoluene. It undergoes nitration to give ortho and para nitrotoluene isomers, but if heated it can give dinitrotoluene and ultimately the explosive trinitrotoluene (TNT).

With other reagents the methyl side chain in toluene may react, undergoing oxidation. Reaction with Potassium permanganate leads to benzoic acid, whereas chromyl chloride leads to benzaldehyde. Halogenation can be performed under free radical conditions. For example, NBS heated with toluene in the presence of AIBN leads to benzyl bromide.

Catalytic hydrogenation of toluene to methylcyclohexane requires a high pressure of hydrogen to go to completion, because of the stability of the aromatic system.

Preparation

Toluene occurs naturally at low levels in crude oil and is usually produced in the processes of making gasoline via a catalytic reformer, in an ethylene cracker or making coke from coal. Final separation (either via distillation or solvent extraction) takes place in a BTX plant.

Uses

Toluene is used as an octane booster in fuel, as a solvent in paints, paint thinners, chemical reactions, rubber, printing, adhesives, lacquers, leather tanning, disinfectants, and to produce phenol and TNT. It is also used as a raw material for toluene diisocyanate, which is used in the manufacture of polyurethane foam.

Precautions and metabolism

Inhalation of toluene fumes can be intoxicating, but in larger doses nausea-inducing. Chronic or frequent inhalation of toluene over long time periods leads to irreversible brain damage.

The toxicity of toluene can be explained mostly by its metabolism. As toluene has very low water solubility, it cannot exit the body via the normal routes (urine, *beep*, or sweat). It must be metabolized in order to be excreted. The methyl group of toluene is more easily oxidized by cytochrome P450 than the benzene ring. Therefore, in the metabolism of toluene, 95% is oxidized to become benzyl alcohol. The toxic metabolites are created by the remaining 5% that are ring oxidized to epoxides. Most of the epoxides become glutathione conjugated. However, the remainder will severely damage cells.

Hope this helps

[Dannopower]

Thanks for the info!

Wow, Its bad stuff!

I guess as a cheap form of octane booster its ok. I wouldnt want any of that stuff in my plastic swirl pot inside the plastic fuel tank! Who knows what it can do!