slowd16

If you live in an area that freeze use antifreeze in the system. like you said; OP, Tut, and myself are all in Fl. We never have freezing issues. Tut might in the panhandle but I'm sure its rare.

BlueBarchetta

I'm in the north. Most sanctioning bodies will require wheel to wheel race cars to have no antifreeze. So we still do the water/wetter with my car and our team cars. In the fall we drain some of the water, add antifreeze for winter storage. Then in spring we drain it all, and start over with just the water/wetter.

For events in the edge season (what those in the south would consider prime season, lol), we store the cars overnight in a heated trailer or garage

freq

Agreed.

I was trying to point out the bad info being spread above. Maybe I just misunderstood what he was saying.

Carry on.

King Tut

I've left a light plugged in pointed at the engine block at night before when racing at Memphis and Road Atlanta in the winter months.

SmokeyGatto

I'm the only one that found that funny!? Hahaha, oil doesn't freeze!

Chuck S

After a bit of digging I determined that water's boiling point is 100°C = 212°F and ethylene glycol's boiling point is at 197.3°C = 387°F.

But water has better heat transfer properties (absorbs and dissipates heat better/faster) than glycol making it a better coolant where freezing is not an issue and where the cooling system can be pressurized to raise the boiling point high enough to prevent internal boiling.

-- Chuck

djsilverjohnson

PSI in the chart is PSI absolute, so subtract 14.7 to get PSI guage.

Water is better at transferring heat than glycol. Glycol also swells more than water when heated. Mixing glycol with water lowers the freeze point, but also allows the temperature of the coolant to get hotter with less system pressure (could be good or bad!). When water pressure builds enough to pop the pressure cap, the releasing steam removes heat from the coolant loop. With a high concentration of glycol in the mix, the coolant temperature can get hot enough to damage the engine before the pressure builds enough to pop the cap.

Commercial antifreeze also has additives for preventing corrosion. If you run straight water or water plus "water wetter", you might consider adding an antifreeze "booster pack" for the additives.

So there are several factors to consider;
1. Freeze point
2. Boiling point and "pressure release point"
3. Heat transfer capability. I thinks this is where water wetter helps with heat transfer by reducing the surface tension of the fluid and allowing it to come into better contact with the metal surface.
4. Corrosion protection
5. Rules

glamcem

just be careful with that "water wetter" stuff, friend of mine used on his car and ended up drain the coolant system again since it leaves some residue/gunk.. that is something that you don't want in the coolant system, search online and you will see many information about that..

I also installed a Koyo rad last week and it took about almost 2 gallons of coolant (used Honda Oem coolant).. after driving around and let the air out I added some distilled water into the reservoir.. that's I typically do to lower the 50/50 mix for summer track days

postman

I live in a freeze state. I run half distilled water and half OEM coolant.

imstimpy

I have a bottle of water wetter ready to go for my new Koyo but their FAQ has me spooked. They specifically suggest against water and additives.

Any of you guys see any long term ill effects to water wetter? While my car does have a license plate, it has spent the last two years exclusively for autox and HPDEs.