How much better is water than 50/50 coolant?

I used to have 50/50 coolant and my car was running about 210* or higher in 100* weather,for the last year its been just water wetter plus water and last week it was over 100* and the car was runnung at 185* for the most of the trip home for two hours steady at 75mph

 

If you are running 230 on a 70 degree day you need to pay that radiator some attention. No reason it should be that hot, even in traffic.

 

Not sure if you have one already since you track but I just put a secondary catch tank on the stock overflow outlet ... was mentioned here before by someone and is probably not necessary for typical driving but that's not us .

I've seen a little over 2 qts purged in there during complete stop sitting in the shop with just the fans on ... and only about 1/2 qt purged in there when I leave for a drive and bake up in the mountains for example this a.m. in 80 degree weather. I flushed my system again just for the heck of it this afternoon and am running a total of 4 gallons of coolant with the 1/2 qt that's in my extra catch tank at initial fill up. I went for a thrash around the hood in 90 deg plus weather and temps didn't go over 190 but this is nowhere near track punishment, but still cooler than I've ever seen.

Not meaning to hi jack but just thinking about trying to run these things cooler and it's been hot down here in So cal .. and my car has never run cooler since she's actually "full" of water.

edit: temps got to about 210 f this a.m. going up the mountain with a carbon fiber wheel euipped R1 behind me ... ambient temp about 80 f.

cheers,

Sean

 

While most use ethylene glycol for it's lower freezing point, it also has a higher boiling point, up to 250 dependent upon pressure. And it's superior wetting ability to exchange heat to-from metal surfaces. 50-50 is a convenient but not optimal mix but there's no way to easily adjust 53-47 . So 50-50 it is, distilled water only. Heat exchange is 20-40% better than just water. But you knew all this.

My overheating ended with rodding out the 30 yo radiator.

 

I don't even drive my car this time of year, except for weekly very-early cruise.

 

Your heat exchange capacity can be improved maybe ~10% by using straight water, but as others have posted, your radiator is probably scaled and needs to be replaced. Rads only are good for about 10-20 years or so, even on cars rarely driven, before they start losing heat transfer efficiency due to corrosion.

Et Gyycol does not improve heat exchange, it merely raises boiling point and reduces freezing point. The heat capacity of an ET glycol mix is less than 1 btu/lb/degreeF, as compared to water which is 1 btu/lb/degree F. Lower heat capacity means lower heat exchange capability.

Doug

 

i love useful tech-trivia type of threads; very handy and I thank you for bringing up the topic, to OP

 

Distilled water with Water Wetter will keep you cooler than any antifreeze mixture.

 

agree 100%

 

I think water with a 15lb cap is 250 F and 50/50 with a 15lb cap is 265 F so there is a huge difference in my opinion. I would run 50/50 if you can but if your temps are too high then 100% distilled water and water wetter works great.

 

One option you have is to get a Ron Davis aluminum radiator. He makes a gorgeous drop-in replacement for 308s. Even though my 328 never gets over 195 degrees in 105 degree ambient, I keep wishing my radiator would blow up so I can justify buying one . -Steve

 

The pressure in your engine coolant jacket is higher than the cap pressure.

Your thermostat acts as an an orifice valve, and builds up back pressure in the motor, that is why you should always use a T stat.

a 50/50 mix does raise the boiling point, but it doesn't transfer as much heat as pure water.

Now, raising the BP can be good as it will help prevent steam flash on the head surface, as a steam film doesn't transmit heat well at all.

Whether you need a coolant mix vs water due to steam flash can only be determined if you have a head temp gauge.

Personally, i would never run just water,a s you never know when, under some strange circumstance, your car may see a freezing temp and crack your block

 

+2

It was 115 degrees in Las Vegas over the weekend. I was in traffic on I-15 n/b for about 40 minutes and then drove pretty hard on other roads for a good 30+ minutes. The temp was between the 195 and 230 mark with it being a little closer to the 195 mark better part of the time with it even dipping below 195 on longer stretches. Oil temp was about 200 the entire time. Distilled water and water wetter only.

No overheating, but if it were to overheat this undoubtedly would have been the time. Hell peaks its head in July out here

 

+3. water wetter+ water

 

But no anticorrosion protection. But I guess for trac use it's ok.

 

Right,

In less then six months,,,,, you will have holes in your radiator.
(distilled water is very corrosive,,, water wetter is octalalcohol, , , and, offers no corrosion protection.....)

Look Up, Evaluation of Water Corrosivity Using The Langelier Index, ,, test on friday.

Now, Each of you Little children,. , ,
send me $ 300.00 USA, , because, I saved your radiator core.

Edwardo
Have a nice day.

 

Royal Purple has a treatment Purple Ice, it does have anti corrosion properties, IIRC...

 

Another birthday??


Happy Birthday buddy!!

 

seems so ghetto to try to "fix" your cooling system by doing things like running straight water and/or water wetter.

you are dealing, likely, with a 25+ year old radiator that is not functioning properly. A properly functioning cooling system should keep the car at the proper temp range even on a hot day, at the track, with the specified coolant mix in it.

why not give your car a break, do it right, and fix the cooling system instead of trying to put some band aid on it?

 

Water Wetter says they have superior aluminum corrosion properties in their product.

 

Water wetter helps relieve air pockets, which has nothing to do with an improperly function cooling system. I have used this in our Out law sprint cars and it did make a significant difference. Dual pass reverse flow cooling system in perfect working order. You make horse power you make heat.

 

You are correct BUT, the OP was running hotter than normal on a 70 degree day. The evidence is in without question, his cooling system is not working to its capacity and should be fixed.

 

I have used this combination for 3 years now without a leak. I also used this combination with a Lotus esprit and a Maserati Merak ss for several years without any issues.

 

Brian,does your shop use water wetter or another product or what does your shop put in your clients cars?