[macario]

Howdy, you can probably tell I have way too much time on my hands by these questions( :

1. Prestone recommends a 50-50 mix of antifreeze and water and you can go a bit higher for max protection from freeze and boil over. My question is this: What mixture actually cools the engine better, the higher antifreeze concentration, the lower one, or no difference?

2. Do the water wetter mixes that you can add to your coolant really work in helping to cool the engine better?

Mac

 

[BrianT]

it seems the wetters do more for like slow going off roading but hey it should work just as well ona street rig i would think . maybe ED# knows more about the wetter stuff . being u live ina 50/50 climate i would go maybe less anti freeze ina warmer climate .

 

[KThaxton]

Less antifreeze will cool better, its the water that is carrying the most heat. Go with the minimum concentration of antifreeze.
I have only heard good things about water wetter, but I have no personal experience with it.

 

[chrysler300le]

Going with less antifreeze will also drop the coolants boiling temp. 50/50 is good for just about anyone in the 48 states. Also less antifreeze would increase the chance of rusting out your freeze plugs.

 

[macario]

I replaced all my freeze plugs during the rebuild but good point about the lower antifreeze concentration.

Going with less antifreeze will also drop the coolants boiling temp. 50/50 is good for just about anyone in the 48 states. Also less antifreeze would increase the chance of rusting out your freeze plugs.

 

[Evildriver-3]

Ok im sure i have went into detail about this before on the 50/50 and the water wetter, yes the water wetter works and i use it.
Always, always, i don't care where you live always use 50/50, never ever add water, or distilled water, or any other BS type of water, 50/50 mixes use a special cured water free of everything that ruins your cooling system, trust me water causes all kinds of problems and distilled water adds to electrolysis and other chemical reactions.

USE ONLY 50/50, if you need more cooling protection then use 1 50/50 and 1 full strength and water wetter, but never add water or distilled water.

 

[macario]

Trying to understand your post. Do you mean that you recomment using the pre-mixed 50/50 antifreeze? I got that idea when you said "50/50 mixes use a special cured water" . Did I read that correct? Thanks.

Ok im sure i have went into detail about this before on the 50/50 and the water wetter, yes the water wetter works and i use it.
Always, always, i don't care where you live always use 50/50, never ever add water, or distilled water, or any other BS type of water, 50/50 mixes use a special cured water free of everything that ruins your cooling system, trust me water causes all kinds of problems and distilled water adds to electrolysis and other chemical reactions.

USE ONLY 50/50, if you need more cooling protection then use 1 50/50 and 1 full strength and water wetter, but never add water or distilled water.

 

[KThaxton]

I don't think you can reasonably get any purer than distilled.

 

[Evildriver-3]

Yes the only thing you should pour into your radiator and motor in the way of coolant is Anti-Freeze pre-mixed at the plant in 50/50, in other words when you are low on coolant you only add 50/50 anti-freeze DO NOT EVER ADD ANY TYPE OF WATER EVEEEEERRRRR!!!!!!! boiled, tap, distilled, purified, lake, fresh, salt, no water period ever.

The process the water goes thru at the coolant companies to make 50/50 is the best solution to use with no sediment or electrolysis and other chemical reactions.

 

[KThaxton]

Unless I've overlooked it, hasn't the premix stuff only been available in the last few years? If thats correct (and I'm not saying it is) what have people been doing for the last (almost) century?

 

[macario]

Evildriver: I see what you mean about it being the best thing to put in your radiator, but I have straight anti freeze laying around that I want to use so if I pre mix it myself then put it in it seems to me that would be the next best thing.

This kinda reminds me of when I was a kid and I got a plate of food where the food had kinda gotten all mixed up so I didn't want to eat it and my Dad said, it will all get mixed up inside you anyway. Seems to me the water and antifreeze will all get mixed together in a few minutes anyway.

 

[Evildriver-3]

The 50/50 stuff has been around for a while, people used to and still think that the distilled is the way to go.

Macario adding any water at all to any anti-freeze is bad, the water the anti-freeze companies use can not be replacated by you or me, just put it in straight

 

[macario]

Not doubting you, but that goes against everything I've ever heard so I was curious if anyone else has an opinion on this.

KThaxton, that is what I was thinking also.

Just for the sake of arguement, following the logic, if I run straight water in my coolant system, it will cool my engine better than mixed with antifreeze/coolant?

Mac

The 50/50 stuff has been around for a while, people used to and still think that the distilled is the way to go.

Macario adding any water at all to any anti-freeze is bad, the water the anti-freeze companies use can not be replacated by you or me, just put it in straight

 

[thegrimreaper]

50/50 is only good for -37 celcius might be alright down there but up here -50 isnt unheard of.50/50 just isnt enough around here.And yes 50/50 premix has only been around for a couple of years so i dont know what we were all doing before that?

 

[AZ_Drummer]

Just for the sake of arguement, following the logic, if I run straight water in my coolant system, it will cool my engine better than mixed with antifreeze/coolant?

Yes and no. The heat transfer properties of water are better than glycol, so yes. But the water would boil out, so no.

The reasons for adding glycol are:
1) raise boiling / lower freezing points
2) corrosion protection

I don't understand ED3's thoughts on not adding water either. Doesn't make any sense to me.

The 50/50 pre-mix has only been on the market for 4-5 years. I guess distilled water was good enough before that.
(and the 50/50 mix is about the same price as the straight coolant..a rip-off, IMHO.)

 

[willy J]

The process the water goes thru at the coolant companies to make 50/50 is the best solution to use with no sediment or electrolysis and other chemical reactions.

bear in mind if SHTF use what you got. including urine. Eds talking about garage conditions an you use the best available to get the most performance and dependability.

 

[Evildriver-3]

Water is full of minerals, it deposits it's minerals and ruins your pumps and adds to electrical and other chemical corrosions.
Distilled water is worse for electrical corrosion, the 50/50 pre mixes are purified removing every mineral from it and then they are deionized leaving nothing in the coolant to promote or add to corrosion.

I have and always run all coolant 50/50 premix and i have never had any problems cooling, if i want any of my motors to run at a constant 160, 180, 190, 200 they all will.

50/50 premix has been around alot longer than 3 years, just most people ignored it on the shelf as inferior and alot of places didn't carry it.


If you don't carry full strength coolant with you and run into a problem, you have 2 choices, walk or use whatever you have, but when you flush it out remember to flush the water out also

 

[macario]

What about deionized and distilled water? Seems like we could make our own premix that way.

Distilled water is worse for electrical corrosion, the 50/50 pre mixes are purified removing every mineral from it and then they are deionized leaving nothing in the coolant to promote or add to corrosion.

 

[KThaxton]

What about deionized and distilled water? Seems like we could make our own premix that way.

Distilled water is worse for electrical corrosion, the 50/50 pre mixes are purified removing every mineral from it and then they are deionized leaving nothing in the coolant to promote or add to corrosion.

There is very little difference between distilled water and de-ionized. I have been using D.I. water because I have access to it (thats the other part of my job besides surfing the net I run an industrial De-Ionization system). Either is just fine, people have been adding it for years, even TAP water, but obviously distilled or D.I. would be better.
Ed3 is a little set in his ways and we won't convince him otherwise. I'll keep comitting coolant suicide by mixing water with my antifreeze, the same way my FSM and the antifreeze label says to, and the way I (and the rest of the world) have been doing it for years.

 

[macario]

KThaxton: That is what I did, except I mixed the water and antifreeze before pouring it in. That seemed to make my conscience feel better anyway.