Heater and defroster – make sure they work properly.
save gas Lights and flashing hazard lights – see if they work.
save gas Oil – check for level, and weight. Make sure you have either a high-viscosity or multi-viscosity oil rated for winter use.
save gas Thermostat – check if operational.

I have written a blog post on improving gas mileage

http://www.savegaspros.com/articles/how-to-improve-gas-mileage.php

Also – you are putting far too much faith in your own “test.” You seem to be relying on the published mileage for your vehicle, but did not actually do a baseline for control. I would also recommend a blinded trial, as driving habits can significantly affect gas mileage. You might also control for other factors, such as how long it has been since the last tune up, and the use of detergents in the fuel to clean certain parts.

In other words – your information is not sufficiently controlled to be of any use.

Finally – I cited more references than just Mythbusters. But they at least documented their tests in a way that can be examined. Why should I put more faith in your test than theirs?

Well here’s some hard evidence,…from someone who has DONE it (granted this is the internet and someone can be, say, or do whatever or whomever they want).

November 2006
1991 Nissan Maxima SE, 3.0 V6, Automatic Transmission

This particular car has a mileage rating of 17 City and 24 Highway,..according to fueleconomy.gov,…which is quite accurate;…as with 89 octane gasoline,…and normal (FAST)driving, the car yielded a combined gas mileage (filled up, trip odometer set, drive until almost empty,…fill up again and divide the miles driven by the gallons of gas used, for those who may not know how to check such things) of between 19 and 21 MPG, with other occasions of Highway-specific testing yielding no greater than 23 MPG.

NOW we begin….

Trip from Pittsburgh, PA, to Easton, MD

Gasoline was filled to the top,..on level ground,…with BP 89 Octane,…careful calculation of maximum fuel capacity was made,…with a carefully-measured 3 ounces of Acetone per 10 gallons of gasoline.

All said and done, the car yielded 28.7 miles per gallon with the acetone additive. Testing since then has yielded the same results. For those with low IQ, or for the hard-of-hearing; that is a: MORE THAN 24% INCREASE IN FUEL ECONOMY WITH 3 OUNCES OF ACETONE PER 10 GALLONS OF GASOLINE

I did not write it down how many miles exactly, but I knew it then and I did it right, so the MPG is all that matters.

But I just have to ask,…how many of you have actually TESTED their car with 3 ounces of acetone per 10 gallons of gasoline? Anyone? I sure didn’t see anyone raise their hand with a case wherein they PERSONALLY disproved this theory. It’s not hard to do this testing yourself. Unless you are dull at basic math, or you do not know how to work your trip odometer….

And I don’t give a damn about MythBusters,….I have seen them foible “experiments” before, and I would certainly not take the word of a mainstream-media TELEVISION SHOW telling me how something that could save me dollars at the gas pumps does NOT work.

||[Myth busters] also tested the idea that adding a small amount of acetone to gasoline increases fuel efficiency by making the gasoline burn more completely (presumably without damaging the plastic parts of the fuel system.) However, the result was that alhough there was no apparent damage the fuel system, the efficiency of the fuel actually decreased.||

I encourage you not to take the word of a wiki page or of a TV show. But I also encourage you to consider the problem of testing it yourself:

You’ll need to average this over a very long period of time. The week you use acetone you might encounter less stop and go traffic. You will experience increased fuel economy, none of which may be attributed to the acetone.

It’s manifest that simple changes in driving habits can lead to big improvements in gas mileage. If you knowingly have acetone in your tank, you might subconsciously attempt to drive in a more efficient manner because you have the end goal of better gas mileage. We all have a good idea of what we think we should be getting in terms of mileage at certain cardinal points on our fuel gage. I’m pretty sure I should be getting about 450km per tank (sorry I’m Canadian, not sure what that is in miles). If the fuel gauge is at mid level and I’m at 190 km, I might well adjust my driving habits. With acetone in the tank and the expectation to do even better, this might make me change my driving habits even more.

Best of luck.

one thing that irked me was _Arthur’s post regarding the cost of acetone outweighing the gains (if gains are possible). _Arthur, you are way off buddy! think about what you are measuring and your variables! the recommendations are 1oz-3oz of acetone per 10gals of gas.

ok lets do some calculations on cost

16oz bottle of 100% pure acetone = $5 (beauty supply store)
$5/16oz = $.31/1oz of acetone
1oz of acetone per 10gals of gas
$.31(cost of 1oz of acetone)/10 gals = $.03/1gal of gas
thats an increase of $.03/gal of gas you buy.
87 octane is about $4.50ish/gal
so $4.50 + $.03 = $4.53/gal of gas; thats .66% increase in cost/gal of gas.
.66% is, in my opinion, very insignificant.

lets run some scenarios:

87octane costing $4.50 gal
20 gals of gas = $90
avg 18mpgs = 360miles/tank
$90/360miles = $.25/mile

87octane costing $4.50gal
20gals of gas = $90
1oz of acetone/10gal of gas = 2oz of acetone
2oz of acetone = $.62
total cost of “fuel” = $90.62
avg 19mpgs (gain of only 1mpg) = 380miles (5% increase in mileage)
$90.62/380miles = $.23/mile (8% in cost savings.)

so IF you can gain atleast 1mpg, it already pays for itself. with 1mpg increase, the point at which there is ZERO gain in cost savings is when you have a base of 150mpgs and a increase to 151mpgs. i dont think we will get those kinds of mpgs anytime soon. but who knows

im not a advocate for acetone in gas. im still deciding if i should try it or not. ive read so many things for it and against it. im tired of reading blah blah blah. so, if i decide that 2oz of acetone in my 20gal tank of gas will not SIGNIFICANTLY damage my suv, i will give it a try and see for myself.

http://skepchick.org/skepticsguide/index.php/topic,12172.0.html

A good first test of the DeAngelis Novella Postulates.

1) Powerful evil:

“Now “big oil” is running our country, from Washington on down the line”

2) Sheeple:

“Our society of today has no clue, as the majority of it functions like a programmed robot.”

3) Army of Light

“And to think this ol country boy figured it all out?”

“I had a conversation the other day with a gal from Canada, and the conversation lead to the highway system connecting US, Canada and Mexico. I informed her Canada wasn’t exempt from this plan. What she told me floored me, and it sums up what has happened to the people in our country today. This is what she said, and I quote: “I believe what I am told to believe”.”

“Now, you may all begin laughing and making silly programmed jokes….hehe…..because I’m paying on average 2 bucks a gallon at the pump. Snicker away!”

Any chance you could search and post the findings here? Because i went there did a search:

http://usasearch.gov/search?affiliate=uspto.gov&v%3Aproject=firstgov&query=high+mileage+fuel+device

And nothing came up supports your claim.