Can you add naphtha to your car gas tank?

Answer 1

Yes, but do not do this until you think it through. Naptha is not a single chemical hydrocarbon, but is a mixture of them. The combination is volatile, flammable and it can be explosive as a gas or vapor. It will increase the effective octane of the fuel, and you may be familiar with this idea. It is, after all, a feed stock for high octane fuel. But it is not used alone in that application. Naptha will increase the octane of your fuel and the performance of your vehicle, but it is hard on the engine when it is used. It will increase the operating temperature of your engine because it's so combustable. The more you add, the hotter the engine will run, and the more damage you'll do to it. Be smart about this one. A little extra power now will cost a lot later on. In general, when higher octane fuels are used, the timing must be advanced to maximize the performance boost. (More volatile fuel, the sooner the spark 'cause it burns so fast.) With the newer automobiles, the vehicle's computer controls all this and it turns into a project to jack the timing around and tune for new fuel. Then you have to set it back when you're done. It's not worth it unless you're running for pink slips.