| LEADED fuels are bad for O2s and cats obviously because the metals can lay down on the cats and plug off active sites on the catalyst, and can coat the sensors as well over time which could interfere with their sensitivity. But for Toluene (and Xylene), nobody's talking about running it PURE. Incremental increases in the concentration of toluene shouldn't harm either your O2s or Cats. If there was a problem with burning toluene in combustion engines, then the refineries would not add it at all. In my opinion (for what its worth) the "soot" aspect shouldn't be any worse than if you were running an overly rich mixture from a bad ECU tune (for example), and if your car is in a normal state of tune it should be fine (assuming we're talking a modest amount, like maybe 5-15% by volume of your gas tank mixture). I've run small amounts of Toluene occasionally over the last couple summers, and I haven't noticed any detrimental side effects. Yes my exhaust tips get sooty over time, but not really any worse than before I tried it (JWT ECU, etc.). The (R+M)/2 Octane of Toluene is 114. Not exactly sure on Xylene offhand but they are very chemically similar. I know you were asking about Xylene specifically, but if you're worried about the uncertainty there, it has been more frequently documented of guys using Toluene in their gas, and even Naphthalene to a lesser degree (ie. mothballs). I can try and see what I can find out from some local industry contacts, but I can't promise anything.
Z-Jay
Edmonton Z Car Club
93 300ZX TT - Stage VI
01 Sentra SE - daily driver
 
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