Water Wetter has got to be about the most misunderstood compound in the automotive aftermarket.

Here's the theory on how it is supposed to work:

1) The first property that Water Wetter delivers is that of an anticorrosive. This simply allows running 100% water instead of 50% antifreeze, which also has anticorrosive additives. It is imperative that some type of anticorrosive be in the cooling system to prevent oxidation of the aluminum, brass, and iron, and resultant clogging of the radiator. Because water has the highest specific heat (holds and carries the most heat energy) of any commonly available liquid, 100% water will increase the cooling capacity of a given system as compared to running 50% water with 50% antifreeze. If any decrease in coolant temperatures is seen, it is probably due to this reason rather than due to Water Wetter's second function.

2) The mysterious detergent property: If you heat water in a pan on the stove, you will note bubbles of steam form at the interface between the bottom of the pan and the water. The steam bubbles adhere to the bottom of the pan for a while, but gradually get bigger, then break away from the bottom of the pan and rise toward the surface. A bubble may make it all the way to the surface, or it may possibly recondense and disappear back into liquid form as the steam cools on the way up through the water. The bubbles stuck to a metal surface act as a heat transfer insulator and impede heat transfer from the hot metal to the cooler water. Heat transfer can be improved by adding a compound that decreases water surface tension, and causes the bubbles to break away sooner, when they are smaller. This same hot metal/bubble/liquid arrangement most critically occurs in your engine cooling jackets around the very hot combustion chambers in the cylinder heads. As far as I know, this is the only spot where improved heat transfer occurs because of the detergent property. And because the detergent property helps move heat from the heads to the coolant, it could possibly actually INCREASE overall coolant temperature as measured by the coolant sensor, if radiator capacity is nearly tapped out already. In any case, this property should not work to decrease coolant temperature.

I know the Water Wetter bottle claims to lower temps just by adding it to existing coolant, and some people claim to see this. But there is no scientific basis for why this would occur. Lower temps should be seen only if the water/antifreeze mix is altered to contain a greater proportion of water. The detergent property basically helps out only with hot spots in the heads that might otherwise cause troublesome detonation on high-compression, supercharged, or nitroused engines.

So does it work? Yes, it does, but possibly not in the way that some people imagine that it does. Hope this helps. Happy trails.

 

Added it to 50/50 water and coolant, as stated above it didn't do a damm thing.

I think the #1 thing that works is setting your fans at a lower temp then lower stat close 2nd. I did the fan controller and it brought the water temps down to low 190s.

I then had LS1 edit done and modded my stock stat. Now the highest temp is about 180-185 during normal street driving. On the track 200-210. I'm about ready to put the stock stat back in, on my way to work (30 miles) when its about 60* or less OAT the water temp barely goes to 160.

 

The Evans coolant and reverse water pump allows the motor to run hotter, not cool better. There is a difference.

 

I run Redline water wetter in my O4 and all my vehicles. You get about a 10-12 degree benefit out of it. At work its run in all 400 fleet vehicles with good success.

 

You are 100% correct in that it does break the surface tension of the water. Of course about 2 tablespoons of liquid detergent in a closed system will also do that, but another additive would be required to prevent foaming.
If one is trying to simply reduce coolant temps on a vehicle that is not driven on the track, then increasing the coolant mixture to a 60 - 65% anti-freeze to distilled water will do the same thing. It also provides more water pump lubrication, anti-corrosion properties, and if in a cold climate, reduces the freezing point to well below -30 degrees.

zo6vettepilot

 

I've used it in race engines for years as a W/P lube.
The temps never changed when it was not in the cooling system.
I don't buy that there is a redcution in temps.
Never have and never will.

 

I run it in my 350z for autocross, it drops the temp by as much as 30 degrees.

 

I also use Toyota anti freeze, it has a higher boiling point

 

 

I have a pro street 58 Corvette with a healthy big block, stock 1958 radiator, electric fans and electric water pump.

As would be expected, it overheats very easy on the street. We're talking on a 80 degree day it will go maybe 4 miles before overheating. Since the cooling system is all electric all I have to do is shut off the motor and leave the cooling system running while setting at a stop light and it will cool off enough that I can start the motor and go when the light turns green.

I run enough antifreeze to protect to zero degrees F.

I mixed and added Water Wetter to the system with no other changes.

There is no doubt it made the car run a bit cooler than it had just a few minutes earlier on the same day. After adding the WW I could actually drive the car just a bit farther than I could just before I added it. There is no doubt in my mind that it did help this car. While it wasn't huge difference, it was definitely worth the trouble.