howard@metheus.UUCP (Howard A. Landman) (03/30/84)
I once saw a formula for an octane booster that I happened to try out. A coworker had an old, high compression luxury car that seemed to want well over 100 octane. He was mixing premium with aviation fuel to keep it from knocking. But this fixed his problem. Haven't had reason to use it since. Anyway: put a few drops of hydrogen peroxide (the kind you get in the drugstore is fine, although stronger mught work better; I don't know) into 2 ounces of methanol (wood alcohol). Do this with good ventilation as methanol is toxic as well as somewhat flammable. Mix well by shaking or stirring, then dump this into 4 ounces of toluene (the original recipe said benzene, but it's rather carcinogenic; toluene is chemically very close but less toxic and seems to work OK). Mix well again. You can store this in a tightly capped CLEAN jar for a few months. Dirt destroys the peroxide. Got it? Now add ONE TABLESPOON of this PER TANKFUL OF GAS. Yes really. Add it just before, during, or just after filling up. I don't know much about why this is supposed to work, but I think the peroxide is to generate free radicals that promote smoother burning (or something like that). Anyway, if you're desperate, give it a try. It's far less harmful to the environment than adding more lead to your gas, and probably cheaper too. Sources of ingredients: Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) Drug store Methanol Hardware store, chemical supply Toluene (or benzene) Chemical supply If anyone uses this please mail me the results for my edification. One satisfied user out of one may be a good sign but it's hardly statistically significant. Howard A. Landman ogcvax!metheus!howard