Anyone here using a coolant additive? Such as Purple Ice or whatnot?

I used to throw some additive into the rad of one of the cars I used to own to help keep things cooler, but I never really thought of doing the same in my GT. Is it worth it? Anyone using something in their coolant?

 

Red Line Water Wetter.

 

I'm running 2 bottles of Red Line water wetter with a 50-50 mix. 8 degrees cooler on average.

 

Not much need for a N/A car in my opinion. Does your car get hot? No, probably not. So what is the need?

 

All of these new 3-valve stangs run hot. In fact, the under hood temperatures are higher than ever. I don't have any overheating problems though. The water wetter also lubricates seals and has superior anti-corrosive properties. I'd run just water wetter mixed with straight up water if it weren't for the cold months. This stuff can reduce coolant temps by like 25 degrees if used without anti-freeze.

 

I got a 10 degree improvement on my Mazda using Redline Water Wetter with a 25% coolant, 75% water mix. Plus it lubs and conditions. I`ll also use it in my GT.

Eric

 

I've been eyeing a new hood to get some good ventilation, but until that day comes, I was just looking for a way to help. Whether or not there are any problems going on, I like to er on the side of caution. It gets bloody hot in D.C., and sit'n in traffic stop-n-go probably doesn't help. I just thought one of these additives might help keep the rad running good.

So redline's good, huh? Does FRPP make anything?

 

I run Water Wetter in both my radiator and intercooler.

 

If anybody is curious as to how it works, to put it simply when coolant comes in contact with hot engine parts (especially the heads) the coolant contacts the surface of that area and cools it. When the area is super hot it causes to coolant to boil and steam off resulting in less liquid contacting the surface of the given part resulting in less cooling. The water wetter reduces the surface tension of the coolant in effect raising the boiling point of the coolant mixture. This results in more actual coolant contact with the hot component....more of the area is covered with coolant rather than steaming off due to the lower boiling point.

 

2 bottles in my engine coolant and 1 in the intercooler. works very well

 

Need it here. Hot, Hot, ALWAY's!! Red Line.

 

When you use the water wetter or whatever do you have to drain the radiator and start over with a mixture or can you drain off some coolant and add the water wetter? We are around a 100 degrees pretty much all summer so I am interested in this although my car isn't running hot.

 

I wouldn't think so. Just bleeding off (or siphoning off) a bit to make room should be good. Although the next time you fiddle with the coolant as a whole, I'd recommend doing it propper. It's all gonna get mixed anyway. I usually redo my coolant in November when the cold weather starts in. Then again in march or so when it starts getting warm again.

 

So you change your coolant 2 times a year? I have 20,000 miles on my car and it's over 2 years old and haven't changed the coolant yet.

 

Coolant should be changed every 2 years along with the brake fluid.

 

I typically change coolant with the change in weather. If I lived somewhere where the seasons weren't so different, I probably wouldn't. But here in D.C. we get hot summers and freezing cold winters.

I change up the water/coolant ratio in late fall, and back again in late spring. Now it seems I'll be adding water-wetter, too.

It's work...but nothing I can't put up with for my baby.

 

Just a mix of water wetter and water is the best way to go for cooling until it gets cold out. It will freeze.

 

True. Water Wetter, 40 below and Purple Ice all work better with a straight water mixture. But in the winter time you need to have enough anti-freeze if you stay at or below the freezing point.

I also change my coolant twice a year. Straight water with an additive in the hot seasons and 75/25 water and coolant in the winter.

Eric

 

I use RMI-25 and distilled water, which I found out about as an easy cooling trick for my Turbo Regal, which is very finicky about heat [under boost]. $30 for a quart which does 4 treatments.

Here's a link if anyone's interested. http://arizonagn.net/cooling_systems.htm

There's a link there to a whole second page describing the usage of it.

BTW, I am in NO way connected with this guy, I just buy the stuff.

Mike E