Mothballs in gas?????

[Oh Haha]

Talking to a customer today who used to be big into street racing in the early-mid 70's.
(He ran a 66 GTO with a 421 Pontiac/tri-power/ 4 speed.)
He said they used to smash mothballs and mix them with fuel for added power.

I've never heard of this.

Any of youse guys from that generation know what the point would be?

[tharbert]

Naphthalene moth balls can boost octane. Other formulated moth balls would just clog your cat. You also run the risk of fouling as naphthalene (C10H8) releases a significant amount of carbon upon combustion. It's also used to create black smoke in fireworks.

[snbush67]

Information from ; http://www.faqs.org/faqs/autos/gasoline-faq/part3/preamble.html

Bottom Line;

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.


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.

[Steve Viegas]

Is it too sophomoric to ask how you get between their legs to harvest them?

[88911coupe]

Insert Beavis and Butthead snickering here.

[Canada Kev]

Like, huh, huhhuh, he just said balls, huhhuh.