mothballs and horsepiss
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mothballs and horsepiss
"Put mothballs in your gas tank. They dissolve and the ethanol in them works like an octane booster to give you more horsepower. But make sure its the right kind of moth ball. The newer ones have almost no ethanol in them."
I figured I would ask the proffesionals about it. Is this true?
I figured I would ask the proffesionals about it. Is this true?
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Posts: 3,456
Re: mothballs and horsepiss
The legend of mothballs as an octane enhancer arose before WWII when naphthalene was used as the active ingredient. Be forewarned that some mothball recipes do not use naphthalene any longer. The amount of naphthalene usually required to appreciably increase the octane also may have adverse effects. The most obvious is due to the high melting point and when the fuel evaporated the naphthalene would precipitate out, blocking jets and filters. With modern gasoline, naphthalene is more likely to reduce the octane rating and the amount required for low octane fuels will also create drivability problems.
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From: Hell was full so they sent me to NJ
Re: mothballs and horsepiss
From the "Gasoline FAQ, Page 3":
6.20 Can mothballs increase octane?
The legend of mothballs as an octane enhancer arose well before WWII when naphthalene was used as the active ingredient. Today, the majority of mothballs use para-dichlorobenzene in place of naphthalene, so choose
carefully if you wish to experiment :-). There have been some concerns about the toxicity of para-dichlorobenzene, and naphthalene mothballs have again become popular. In the 1920s, typical gasoline octane ratings were 40-60 [11], and during the 1930s and 40s, the ratings increased by approximately 20 units as alkyl leads and improved refining processes became widespread [12].
Naphthalene has a blending motor octane number of 90 [52], so the addition of a significant amount of mothballs could increase the octane, and they were soluble in gasoline. The amount usually required to appreciably increase the octane also had some adverse effects. The most obvious was due to the high melting point ( 80C ), when the fuel evaporated the naphthalene would precipitate out, blocking jets and filters. With modern gasolines, naphthalene is more likely to reduce the octane rating, and the amount
required for low octane fuels will also create operational and emissions
problems.
The legend of mothballs as an octane enhancer arose well before WWII when naphthalene was used as the active ingredient. Today, the majority of mothballs use para-dichlorobenzene in place of naphthalene, so choose
carefully if you wish to experiment :-). There have been some concerns about the toxicity of para-dichlorobenzene, and naphthalene mothballs have again become popular. In the 1920s, typical gasoline octane ratings were 40-60 [11], and during the 1930s and 40s, the ratings increased by approximately 20 units as alkyl leads and improved refining processes became widespread [12].
Naphthalene has a blending motor octane number of 90 [52], so the addition of a significant amount of mothballs could increase the octane, and they were soluble in gasoline. The amount usually required to appreciably increase the octane also had some adverse effects. The most obvious was due to the high melting point ( 80C ), when the fuel evaporated the naphthalene would precipitate out, blocking jets and filters. With modern gasolines, naphthalene is more likely to reduce the octane rating, and the amount
required for low octane fuels will also create operational and emissions
problems.
Last edited by Injuneer; Oct 17, 2004 at 09:38 AM.
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