The Acetone Debate started quite a while ago. I can remember reading articles about it in magazines in the late '80s.

Some swear by it and SWEAR they see better gas mileage, but I don't recall ANYONE ever claiming 30%. Most legitimate (conducted by auto magazines, controlled environments) show a SLIGHT increase in fuel economy, but ALL cautioned that the LONG TERM effects on the engine and it's system (lines, seals, etc.) are unknown.

I've read a good bit about using a TCW3 (marine type, 2 stroke lubricant) in the gas tank for increased fuel economy as well as offering better engine protection and longer life. TWC3 is nothing more than your basic oil (be it natural or synthetic) with a much more unique additive package than 4 stroke engine oils.

These additive packages must meet certain criteria before they can be labeled "TCW3" and as such are deemed to be "ashless" or they burn clean, producing NO ash or soot and for the most part, as they are burned off actually clean metallic parts of such deposits as they come in contact with them. It's been shown that engines with plug fouling issues have been "cured" by the use of TCW3 lubricants.
Because these lubricants are chiefly produced for use in air cooled, high performance engines they MUST be able to keep their lubrication and detergent properties up to an operating temperature of 400*F in order to obtain a TCW3 rating.

Because it's designed to be added to gas in a 2 stroke, it does NO HARM to engine components and (in theory anyway) would yield the same protective and lubrication properties in a car (truck) engine. At the same time, studies have shown that the increased lubrication gives a modest increase in fuel economy.

The "recommended" ratio for use is 1 oz. to every 5 gallons of gas. It WILL slightly reduce the octane of the gas, but not enough to even be detected in that small a quantity. The cost of TCW3 runs about $10 per gallon in generic (WalMart) form up to about $18 a gallon for name brand stuff, so at 1 oz. per 5 gallons of gas, the cost of running it would be quite low.

I have a buddy with a Duramax who swears by the use of TCW3 in his diesel fuel. He has well over 300k on his engine with NO negative effects. Although I've read a lot of accounts online from guys running it in gassers, I do not personally know anyone who does.

I've toyed around with the idea of adding it, but to date have not. Upon reading about the use of Acetone in this thread though, has peaked my curiosity again, and I may give it a shot this time...

 

Up to $18 a gallon? LOL - the name brand stuff for Skidoos and Polaris runs more like $40 a gallon

At that rate of usage it might not matter, but there are summer and winter blends. I don't think I'd put it in a regular gas engine for fear of fouling sensors and making the computer unhappy. I can see where a diesel wouldn't care - more oil in the oil you are already burning.

 

For me, I purchased a tonneau pro tri-fold cover and I went from 11ish to 13-13.5. In addition, I use the hell out of my cruise control which will get you better gas mileage than letting off the gas pedal. Last week, I put a Magnaflow exhaust and now I'm up to 15-16 mpg's. I'm not sure if the muffler did it or not but I was l surprised one day when I checked my avg mpg's. I do take off gradually instead of taking off quicker. From time to time I do test the power of my hemi, but overall, these steps I took have got me to this point. I will also say that when I first purchased the truck, my gas mileage was horrible. (9-9.5 mpg's) As time went by and I got used to the truck more, the numbers went up. BTW, I have close to 10,000 miles on the truck.

 

I did find this link regarding use of Acetone to increase gas mileage. It is interesting reading. However, there are no numbers given for mpg's gained.

http://www.pureenergysystems.com/new...00069_Acetone/

 

My 09 turning 221,000 tomorrow. I run K &N filter. Lucas gas treatment. ...in town traffic stop and go . stop to check on jobs 15-16.5 all day long
Long stretch driving 18-21 ... never hit 22 ... Truck hates to set and idle . Gas milage goes do

 

I realize this thread hasn't been active in a while, but I'll chip in what I've learned over the years and miles with my truck. Or at least some of it. I'm thinking I'll put it all into a How-To thread...

True, my truck is a 3rd gen, but a lot of what I learned still applies.

-As stated above, drive like there's an egg under the accelerator. Ain't much fun, but it does good things for fuel mileage.
-Forget using cruise control unless the road is really flat. You are much better off using your foot and letting the truck slow down a few mph going up hills and then speeding back up going down hills.
-Adjust the nut behind the (steering) wheel. In other words, change your driving habits.
--Besides the egg under the throttle:
--keep the engine rpms under 2,000
--start coasting up to stoplights earlier than you are used to. I start coasting before I reach the halfway point to the next light if it's red.
--Don't feel obligated to go 70mph if that's the speed limit. The truck will get better mileage at 65mph.
-Get a fuel monitoring device. The overhead doesn't really help; you need something that shows you instant mpg. Several are available. The AeroForce Interceptor will monitor it, but I've compared it to a direct reading off my truck's injectors and the Interceptor is about 20% lower than it should read.
-Drop some truck weight! There is a thread on Dodge Talk dot com that covers a huge list of possible items. (Official Weight Reduction Thread)
--Get lighter wheels and tires. Rotating weight is worse than weight on the truck.
-Cover the truck bed. Either a bedcover or a topper (level with the cab).
-Use a tuner. I use the Superchips 91 tune. It's worth about 1.5mpg typically. It's also another 20hp, so the right foot has to behave...
-Improve aerodynamics. If you see my truck, you'd see I've done a lot with regard to this.

@capsfloyd, you are so right. Idling doesn't help mpg one bit.

I don't use any additives, but now get 25% over the original highway rating. From 17 to 21. It's probably better than that, but for the longest time we didn't live where I could buy 100% gasoline like when I bought the truck. Maybe I can get out and do some testing next week...if the wind will die down.