zerocover

I'm in NYC now. If anyone has seen the lines for gas on TV know its much worse in real life. People are paying $20/gallon on the black market and thieves are siphoning gas directly from cars.
Basically we are living Mad Max.

I know toluene and xylene can be poured into a tank and is basically race gas. Has anyone tried running pure toluene in the gas tank of a W203?

This is important.

contact148

No idea call the dealer

on the other hand i can sell you some hockey pads and helmet then you can be a road warrior in your W203.....

JsCoupe

My O-Chemistry professor stated about a week ago that toluene is pretty corrosive stuff. This leads me to think that it would eat through any rubber fuel lines IF it wasn't diluted with a lower octane gasoline. It also doesn't have the same lubricating properties. However, she did mention that race car drivers back in the early 80's used mildly diluted toluene to power their high compression engines. I think if you brought down the octane level with standard gas then you would be doing substantially less damage in the long run.

Glyn M Ruck

Absolutely forget running pure toluene and xylene.

boschk

The dealer is going to tell you what's in the owner's manual. They don't want to be liable for something by sticking their necks out. I don't blame them.

JsCoupe

I also found this if it will help? http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w126...91-octane.html

MacVidMB-V8

And before we get too far afield in Urban Myth Chemistry...."high octane" does not mean it contains any more or less energy. It is merely a measurement of a given fuel's ability to avoid preignition. Higher Octane gas can take more compression/heat before being ignited by these forces rather than the spark plug.

Has nothing to do with being more or less explosive or corrosive.

I remember when I could buy 94 Octane at Sunoco, I always felt like I had a tank brimming with extra horsepower. The gasoline itself does not necessarily contain a single BTU more energy, it just is easier for a high compression engine to convert this energy into power than the same engine running lower octane gas.

JsCoupe

This point was whether he could run pure toluene, not get more power out of the engine. The reason I stated diluting it with a lower octane gasoline relative to toluene was because if he was to dilute it with any octane gasoline he would reducing the concentration (Molarity). Since gasoline also has lubricating properties, diluting the toluene with it would act as a potential safety mechanism by somewhat protecting the rubber components against toluene which is indeed corrosive to these types of materials. I only provided that solution because he seems to be in a bit of a pinch, and in the case of an emergency, this could theoretically work. However, most evidence says that highly concentrated toluene probably shouldn't ever be used. I'm sure there's government funded research out there on this topic, don't merely dismiss it as "Urban Myth Chemistry".

Carsy

$20 a gallon is cheaper than wrecking your internals with Tolueline.

Why that's only $5.28 a litre.

In UK it is US$ 2.28 all the time.

Glyn M Ruck

Toluene can act as a slight octane booster but it retards flame front propogation.

sammydragon3

did u think the storm wasnt going to hit nyc and new jersey?

i filled my gas tank to full before the storm hit new york and im in chicago

my tank ususally lasts me 2 to 3 weeks

Carsy

Glyn,

I am in the local bush fire brigade. Retarding' flame front propogation 'sounds exactly what we need in the tank of our tanker

JC

zerocover

The full tank lasted me 4 days. I had a friend drive down some 55 gallon drums from upstate NY. Now I'm relaxing.

Got it wont be running toluene. Thanks!
I had heard about people running paint thinner in russia when they had fuel shortages seemed like not such a bad idea.

And yet buying gas in tide containers from the "pst over here guy" seems a bit worse.

Carsy

I would be concerned about buying fuel in NY from a gas station that was flooded.

I would be buying from ones that were above the high tide mark.