6 ms·

Some people really like the smell of gasoline or jet fuel or rubbing alcohol, or acetone, which is the order in which I would rank how much I like them from min

Some people really like the smell of gasoline or jet fuel or rubbing alcohol, or acetone, which is the order in which I would rank how much I like them from mind-boggling to okay-that-smell-is-kind-of-nice.

minitoar 6y ago
I like gasoline but weirdly avgas is gross for me.
- kleton 6y ago
  It's amazing that they still allow lead in that.
  - minitoar 6y ago
    It’s actually required to have lead. It’s hilariously called “low lead”.
    - StillBored 6y ago
      The LL avgas situation is odd because while we have quite a number of additives to reduce knocking (ugh MTBE) valve erosion has been one of the listed reasons for not using it. Yet, most aircraft engines have strict servicing guidelines and mandating replacement valves/seats with a more resistant design could have been done 40 years ago as part of engine overhaul/rebuild guidelines. Then the usage would have slowly declined. Yes its expensive, but so is GA aircraft maintenance. *MTBE was another of those chemicals where the replacement was quite likely just as bad if not worse than the original. Similar to the refrigerant bans where we went from a chemical that broke down in the atmosphere fairly quickly (and caused ozone holes doing it) to one that lingers basically for eternity and causes global warming.
  - gruez 6y ago
    AFAIK that's only for general aviation (aka. people flying their cessnas), rather than jetliners.
- sgt 6y ago
  Burned two stroke oil!
  - minitoar 6y ago
    Ah is that what it is about avgas I don’t like? More burned oil?
  - datameta 6y ago
    I'm a glow fuel degustateur myself! 85/15 methanol to nitromethane is the sweet spot for the RC planes I fly
  - zwieback 6y ago
    Memories of my Vespa in the 80s!
    - sgt 6y ago
      Makes you think two strokes are long obsolete, but I actually ride a two-stroke in the year 2021. An enduro bike - KTM 300 XCW 2017 model. Occasionally with proper blue smoke coming out when giving it proper gas!
selimthegrim 6y ago
I did as a kid but it went away after a few years
avereveard 6y ago
part of owning a busso engined alfa romeo is the 'alfa smell' - the blowback of gasoline in the cabin from an 80s' design engine brought into the two thousands kicking and screaming and I love it
yummypaint 6y ago
I feel like i have a normal palette and preferences for smells, but for some reason diesel exhaust (like from a school bus) has always been in my top 5. Makes me wonder how common this kind of thing is and how much random variation there is among people.
- slfnflctd 6y ago
  Fascinating. Of all the 'sharp' smells in my environments over the years, diesel exhaust has always been one of the absolute harshest to me. Feels like it's actively damaging my lungs perceptibly in real time. It's the primary reason I keep my car's climate control on internal circulation almost constantly. I flinch whenever I detect the slightest trace. Maybe I got exposed to a little too much of it as a kid.
  - sfink 6y ago
    I have that reaction to the exhaust that airplanes introduce to the cabin when reversing out of the gate before takeoff. It boggles my mind why all outside air isn't shut off when reversing. I get an instant headache and have difficulty breathing, and I'm generally not sensitive to much of anything.
- arsome 6y ago
  Yuck, I hate diesel exhaust but that slight unburnt fuel smell from a 2 stroke small engine is what I'm all about.
  - ticmasta 6y ago
    2-stroke exhaust and new tires... Maybe it's the association with memorable activities like visiting a motorcycle dealership with my dad as a kid, or a mowed lawn and warm summer rain? Meanwhile diesel exhaust makes me think of those cold, cold winter days, waiting for the car to warm up on an ice-cold vinyl seat...
- MayeulC 6y ago
  I hate diesel exhaust. New car smell makes me want to puke (and did, on numerous occasions, as a kid) so bad that I have to take breaks and open windows. The absolute worst is burnt heavy fuel like mazut, and other two-stroke engines that burn oil. It smells like cigarettes to me, but worse. On the other hand, gasoline is kind of nice to smell. Go figure, chemicals react weirdly with our sense of smell, I don't think it's wise to rely on it for synthetic compounds (cue bitter almond smell). Edit: And it is commonly accepted that odors are wired to memories, so living on a boat when I was young and having family members that smoke are probably linked to these sensations.
dekhn 6y ago
I am definitely an aficionado of distilled petroleum products although I wouldn't recommend sniffing gasoline.
yks 6y ago
My favorite speculation along those lines is that people are addicted to motorcycling because they are addicted to gas fumes/exhaust (and I'm riding myself).
userbinator 6y ago
If you grew up in the first half of the last century, chances are you'd recognise the smell of chlorinated solvents --- and they're even described as "sweet" by a lot of people. Due to their widespread use, many associated it with the smell of "clean". Unfortunately, they're also most if not all carcinogenic.

minitoar 6y ago

I like gasoline but weirdly avgas is gross for me.

kleton 6y ago
It's amazing that they still allow lead in that.
- minitoar 6y ago
  It’s actually required to have lead. It’s hilariously called “low lead”.
  - StillBored 6y ago
    The LL avgas situation is odd because while we have quite a number of additives to reduce knocking (ugh MTBE) valve erosion has been one of the listed reasons for not using it. Yet, most aircraft engines have strict servicing guidelines and mandating replacement valves/seats with a more resistant design could have been done 40 years ago as part of engine overhaul/rebuild guidelines. Then the usage would have slowly declined. Yes its expensive, but so is GA aircraft maintenance. *MTBE was another of those chemicals where the replacement was quite likely just as bad if not worse than the original. Similar to the refrigerant bans where we went from a chemical that broke down in the atmosphere fairly quickly (and caused ozone holes doing it) to one that lingers basically for eternity and causes global warming.
- gruez 6y ago
  AFAIK that's only for general aviation (aka. people flying their cessnas), rather than jetliners.
sgt 6y ago
Burned two stroke oil!
- minitoar 6y ago
  Ah is that what it is about avgas I don’t like? More burned oil?
- datameta 6y ago
  I'm a glow fuel degustateur myself! 85/15 methanol to nitromethane is the sweet spot for the RC planes I fly
- zwieback 6y ago
  Memories of my Vespa in the 80s!
  - sgt 6y ago
    Makes you think two strokes are long obsolete, but I actually ride a two-stroke in the year 2021. An enduro bike - KTM 300 XCW 2017 model. Occasionally with proper blue smoke coming out when giving it proper gas!

selimthegrim 6y ago

I did as a kid but it went away after a few years

avereveard 6y ago

part of owning a busso engined alfa romeo is the 'alfa smell' - the blowback of gasoline in the cabin from an 80s' design engine brought into the two thousands kicking and screaming and I love it

yummypaint 6y ago

I feel like i have a normal palette and preferences for smells, but for some reason diesel exhaust (like from a school bus) has always been in my top 5. Makes me wonder how common this kind of thing is and how much random variation there is among people.

slfnflctd 6y ago
Fascinating. Of all the 'sharp' smells in my environments over the years, diesel exhaust has always been one of the absolute harshest to me. Feels like it's actively damaging my lungs perceptibly in real time. It's the primary reason I keep my car's climate control on internal circulation almost constantly. I flinch whenever I detect the slightest trace. Maybe I got exposed to a little too much of it as a kid.
- sfink 6y ago
  I have that reaction to the exhaust that airplanes introduce to the cabin when reversing out of the gate before takeoff. It boggles my mind why all outside air isn't shut off when reversing. I get an instant headache and have difficulty breathing, and I'm generally not sensitive to much of anything.
arsome 6y ago
Yuck, I hate diesel exhaust but that slight unburnt fuel smell from a 2 stroke small engine is what I'm all about.
- ticmasta 6y ago
  2-stroke exhaust and new tires... Maybe it's the association with memorable activities like visiting a motorcycle dealership with my dad as a kid, or a mowed lawn and warm summer rain? Meanwhile diesel exhaust makes me think of those cold, cold winter days, waiting for the car to warm up on an ice-cold vinyl seat...
MayeulC 6y ago
I hate diesel exhaust. New car smell makes me want to puke (and did, on numerous occasions, as a kid) so bad that I have to take breaks and open windows. The absolute worst is burnt heavy fuel like mazut, and other two-stroke engines that burn oil. It smells like cigarettes to me, but worse. On the other hand, gasoline is kind of nice to smell. Go figure, chemicals react weirdly with our sense of smell, I don't think it's wise to rely on it for synthetic compounds (cue bitter almond smell). Edit: And it is commonly accepted that odors are wired to memories, so living on a boat when I was young and having family members that smoke are probably linked to these sensations.

dekhn 6y ago

I am definitely an aficionado of distilled petroleum products although I wouldn't recommend sniffing gasoline.

yks 6y ago

My favorite speculation along those lines is that people are addicted to motorcycling because they are addicted to gas fumes/exhaust (and I'm riding myself).

userbinator 6y ago

If you grew up in the first half of the last century, chances are you'd recognise the smell of chlorinated solvents --- and they're even described as "sweet" by a lot of people. Due to their widespread use, many associated it with the smell of "clean". Unfortunately, they're also most if not all carcinogenic.