Hi and Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays,
I'm curious if anyone has switched to waterless coolant and seen a difference in how it cools especially in traffic.
Thanks
Bruce

 

I think P. T. Barnum said something about it.

 

If pure water cools better than pure coolant then...?

 

Perhaps someone on here has actually used it and can report on it, but if not, I would suggest doing an in-depth study before making the change. It may work; it may not.

It will be expensive to first make the switch over since you must purge at least 97% of all the water within the radiator, hoses, and engine. It takes a special, manufacturer-provided product to do the purge and then you fill the system with the new product. I believe a lower pressure radiator cap is needed. So, you can be looking at $250-350 or more to make the change over.

I've read some glowing reports, but I've also read many reports where head temps have increased 100+ degrees which probably necessitate an octane booster.

Remember, too, that any water based product (exceeding 3% of the total volume of coolant), will adversely affect the water-free product. That means you must carry this product with you on out of town trips (or be sure you can immediately buy some) because if you have a cooling system leak you must use the same product to replenish the system. At about $45/gallon that adds to your investment in this cooling product.

If you do make this changeover I'm sure many on the Forum would love to hear your report. Good, long term, unbiased reports could make me a believer, but in the meantime, I'm doing fine with the "standard" water and coolant mixture which I've run for over 50 years in Corvettes, other street cars, SUVs, and in multiple drag cars.

Best wishes

 

In a word....why?

The 50/50% of DexCool and distilled water works great for me.

 

I have only read reports posted here, it seems the product is well regarded in the trucking industry, I followed the product for a while, gathering information before I decided against it.

Jay Leno has posted his experience with the product, but I don't remember his decision. It would seem very good stuff for an antique or show car. I might have seen it at Jay Leno's garage webcast.

My car , unfortunately, has a slightly more random life, and only a lightly trained and somewhat lackadaisical staff of one, me , to keep it on the road. I blow my hoses on the road, by accident, and have to grab water on the roadside. I feel this is how god constructed the world, so I play along. I would prefer to live on the preventive maintenance side of the street, but mistakes have been made in the past.

The main objection for me was the heat carrying capacity of water is hard to beat, and cooling is my primary concern. However, having zero corrosion in an old car is quite attractive, but in the end it would add an unnecessary complication , and, reengineering and supporting the changes to a major system on the car is not where my interest lies. Stock is easy , to understand, run, and finance.

So, in other words, in answer to your question,
No.

 

I wouldn't use it on a Corvette. More trouble than its worth.

 

You shouldn't be having cooling issues with good DexCool and a properly working cooling system (good water pump, good hoses, etc). Remember also that ~220-230 F temperatures is not running "hot". That's not even hot enough for high speed fan operation which doesn't occur until 235 F w/ A/C off. Now if you're hitting 260+ frequently then yes you may need to do some work to the cooling system.

 

I ran Engine Ice in a motorcycle noted for having a cooling issue. Switched from normal 50/50 ethylene glycol to the Ice. Made no difference. Switched again to water with Water Wetter and it dropped considerably in most situations, but in long red light dwells nothing helped.

 

I'm running evans coolant the car runs at a constant 189* at highway speeds and 215* in have traffic..... you keep your same cap.... it just doesn't build pressure so even after a 14 hour drive... you can stop ....pop the hood and remove the cap without the fear of burning yourself. 50/50 water-coolant still boils in certain spots (cough, cough...number 7 cylinder cough) but the evans doesn't...... even in the hottest spots (around exhaust valves) ...... "blowing hoses" are much less likely to happen because it doesn't pressurize nor does it rot out the hoses from the inside (like water)......... if you are really worried about it just get silicone hoses (mitimoto makes all of them) there is zero chance of electrolysis so no bad heater cores to worry about either. and it never wears out.

Last, Yes Jay Leno swears by it.... as well as many restoration experts and moto cross guys...

 

Evans is good stuff but expensive and overkill unless you are tracking the car IMO.

If you do run Evans be sure to follow their flush procedure.

 

here is a good read for you...

http://www.hotrod.com/articles/ctrp-...-cooling-tips/

 

I used it on my Darton Sleeved LS1 years ago (required to keep the Darton sleeves warranted) and I was very happy with the cooling performance. As others have stated, it is very expensive and not worth using unless you have a purpose.

I'm currently running distilled water and water wetter in my stock C5 and am very happy with the results. Because I'm in AZ, I never worry about freezing and with a 180 T-stat and fans programmed (195 low/205 high) my car almost never goes above 198.

 

I ran it in my Mustang years ago and gave up on it because you can smell it all the time even though there was no visible leaks. Switched to distilled water and Water Wetter and have never looked back.