[alfa] re: Quality of gas -- anybody use lower octane?

["Stefano Iachella" <iachella@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I don't know about the lower octane being better, but this reminds
me of something I wanted to ask the digest:

Someone leant me some old ARA Newsletters from before I was
a member, and the Tech Tips by Jack Hagerty in the May 1993
issue has a great article on increasing octane by mixing things to
the gas.

I haven't heard anything more on it and wondered if this stuff is still
valid. Our decreasing octane (no more than 91 in CA) has got me
thinking and wanting to try them. There are several mixtures
of either toulene, xylene, MTBE (but we know about this now), 
methanol, ethanol, and isopropyl alcohol. They are added in either
10% or 20%, so about 1 or 2 gallons per tank, and raise the octane
about 2.5 to 3.0 points. Finally, a home brew is suggested with 100
oz of toulene, 25 oz of mineral spirits, and 3 oz of transmission 
fluid (cleaning and lubricating agents for the last two ingredients), to
make one gallon of booster.

Anyone try any of this? Toulene and xylene are listed at $2.50 and
$2.75 a gallon in this article of 1993, but I find them at about $10
in paint stores. Are they really this much now? With gas prices
near $2.00 here in CA, those figures aren't that expensive for 
putting a gallon of the stuff in at refills. $10 a gallon is more to 
consider.

Anyone have knowledge of these mixtures?

Stefano
Oakland, CA
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