Cooling capacity of water versus "antifreeze"

[hemi68charger]

Hey gang..
Was curious on the subject of cooling. I live down South in Houston. We're going through all-time record heat down here in the consistent 100+ degrees.
I just purchased a bottle of concentrated Water-Wetter. I've heard good things about it. On the bottle, it had some comparisons. It showed that the best cooling solution was good ole' fashion water (distilled) with a bottle of water-wetter. Being down here in the South, we really don't need to worry about freezing.

Any truth to this?

Troy

[resq302]

I would always put some anti-freeze in it.  Anti-freeze also raises the boiling point of the coolant.  Also, in with the anti-freeze has water pump lubricant in it which will help extend the life of your seals and gaskets.

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

Straight water is for race cars that have frequent coolant changes....plain water produces scale & rust..... something you dont want in a cooling system

[hemi68charger]

OH, I'll have some antifreeze still left in there.. All that's left in the block which I'm assuming is already a 50/50 mix. So, with the radiator filled with distilled water and the bottle of water-wetter, I should be good to go on all facets.



Thanks guys

[ACUDANUT]

 Don't forget the anti-rust/water pump lube (in all auto stores).

[TylerCharger69]

Running a street car without Antifreeze/coolant  is just insane.  Especially if you run aluminum heads.  Race cars run straight water with Water Wetter because they are torn down frequently, not to mention in a crash, it's safer from an environmental standpoint meaning antifreeze isn't spilled all over the place.  And, like mentioned before...the coolant (Either conventional green or Dex-Cool) provides lubricant for the water pump and helps deter corrosion on freeze plugs.  Adding a little water wetter to your coolant wouldn't hurt however.

[Ghoste]

I think we discussed this in depth once before?

[maxwellwedge]

Yes it was - but just to say it again.......DO NOT EVER USE DEX-COOL!  If you have, flush out your system twice and use the normal stuff. Dex-Cool is death to our engines.

[hemi68charger]

Running a street car without Antifreeze/coolant  is just insane.  Especially if you run aluminum heads.  Race cars run straight water with Water Wetter because they are torn down frequently, not to mention in a crash, it's safer from an environmental standpoint meaning antifreeze isn't spilled all over the place.  And, like mentioned before...the coolant (Either conventional green or Dex-Cool) provides lubricant for the water pump and helps deter corrosion on freeze plugs.  Adding a little water wetter to your coolant wouldn't hurt however.

Ok guys... I in no way am going to run any solution without any sort of lubrication or corrosion control characteristics. With my research, I'm trying to get the best situation for the deep South. I'm reading on some fronts that distilled water with the water wetter is the best thermodynamic heat sink. You have to take into consideration both heat transfer rate and boiling point, not just one or the other.

Troy

[Ghoste]

I ran that combo for a while with good results but I have since gone back to running a little antifreeze with it.

[maxwellwedge]

Running a street car without Antifreeze/coolant  is just insane.  Especially if you run aluminum heads.  Race cars run straight water with Water Wetter because they are torn down frequently, not to mention in a crash, it's safer from an environmental standpoint meaning antifreeze isn't spilled all over the place.  And, like mentioned before...the coolant (Either conventional green or Dex-Cool) provides lubricant for the water pump and helps deter corrosion on freeze plugs.  Adding a little water wetter to your coolant wouldn't hurt however.

Ok guys... I in no way am going to run any solution without any sort of lubrication or corrosion control characteristics. With my research, I'm trying to get the best situation for the deep South. I'm reading on some fronts that distilled water with the water wetter is the best thermodynamic heat sink. You have to take into consideration both heat transfer rate and boiling point, not just one or the other.

Troy

Troy - Gotta say.....We love it when you say thermodynamic! 

[hemi68charger]

Running a street car without Antifreeze/coolant  is just insane.  Especially if you run aluminum heads.  Race cars run straight water with Water Wetter because they are torn down frequently, not to mention in a crash, it's safer from an environmental standpoint meaning antifreeze isn't spilled all over the place.  And, like mentioned before...the coolant (Either conventional green or Dex-Cool) provides lubricant for the water pump and helps deter corrosion on freeze plugs.  Adding a little water wetter to your coolant wouldn't hurt however.

Ok guys... I in no way am going to run any solution without any sort of lubrication or corrosion control characteristics. With my research, I'm trying to get the best situation for the deep South. I'm reading on some fronts that distilled water with the water wetter is the best thermodynamic heat sink. You have to take into consideration both heat transfer rate and boiling point, not just one or the other.

Troy

Troy - Gotta say.....We love it when you say thermodynamic!  

Well, one's mouth leaks terminology every once and awhile from our college days when you're a professional geophysicist (believe me, sounds more glamorous than it really is)  

[jaak]

Yes it was - but just to say it again.......DO NOT EVER USE DEX-COOL!  If you have, flush out your system twice and use the normal stuff. Dex-Cool is death to our engines.

Thats true....at a dealership I use to work at, anytime a customer bought a new car,  they were told about this and asked if they wanted it flushed and changed to green antifreeze. Some would, some would decline (I guess thinking we was trying to just sell them something, or because the owners manual says to use dex-cool, and they think thats the only you can use.)

Jason

[Ghoste]

Since the topic is fresh again, here's another question for the geophysicists and chemists out there, what effect does air density and humidity have on heat transfer?  Obviously the ambient air temperature affects cooling performance but do our automotive cooling systems work harder when the humidity is high?

[resq302]

Since the topic is fresh again, here's another question for the geophysicists and chemists out there, what effect does air density and humidity have on heat transfer?  Obviously the ambient air temperature affects cooling performance but do our automotive cooling systems work harder when the humidity is high?

Don't know about cooling systems but the A/C will have to certainly work harder.  A/C first removes humidity then cools the air.

[bull]

Straight water is for race cars that have frequent coolant changes....

Or for those unexpected repairs while screwing around in the boondocks in your 4x4. First you make the repair with bailing wire, zip ties and duct tape and then refill the radiator starting with all the plain water you can find and then top it off with piss, beer and soda pop.