PDA

View Full Version : What fluid you run in radiator?



Crash101
01-25-2017, 06:43 PM
Water distilled? Spring?Anti freeze or not? Additives?

over4T
01-25-2017, 06:52 PM
Distilled water with Water Wetter. Don't think there's a track in the country that allows antifreeze any more with the EPA regs.

Punisher88
01-26-2017, 08:31 AM
Coulda fooled me. I run antifreeze every weekend. I've never seen rules against it. Lubrication in it alone is worth it in my opinion. But I do add water wetter as well.

over4T
01-26-2017, 11:46 AM
Punisher, Guess I should have said not in California. They're pretty strict on the no antifreeze. Most of it is really nasty stuff.

zerolm
01-26-2017, 12:29 PM
Punisher, please do not run antifreeze for you and your competitors sake. It is illegal at alot of places. If you were ever to loose a hose entering the corner on a hard track it is bad enough for you and the competitors behind you when running only water for obvious reasons. Antifreeze makes the impact even worse because it is very slick! Have seen this happen. They say to run distilled water and water wetter to avoid corroding the radiator, but I run tap water with a little wetter for the water pump. Maybe the radiator will corrode faster with tap water, but how long do you truthfully keep a radiator these days? Good luck!

fastford
01-26-2017, 01:40 PM
ive never herd of antifreeze being illegal any where around here , i go to a few winter races , such as the ice bowl and you better have some in it, was told of 3 or 4 engines that froze on the first friday night this year. all i use the rest of the time is distilled water , tap water containing chlorine will damage a new radiator because of corrosion. they say if you set an open container of tap water out for several hours , 5 i think, the chlorine will disappear , but distilled water is so cheap, i just buy it.

RCJ
01-26-2017, 07:06 PM
I use anti freeze ,but I'm not mixing it 50/50.some where between a quart and 1/2 gallon.Everybody will tell you that anti freeze doesn't conduct heat as good as water and that is true ,but it raises the boiling point.I've had cars that would run a little cooler with some anti freeze in them.I feel like the increase in boiling point let in cool around the exhaust ports better.

Brian Gray
01-26-2017, 09:33 PM
My preference is 1/2 gallon antifreeze 1 bottle of water wetter and the rest is plain water. #1 reason to use antifreeze and ww. Next time you're near a hot stovepipe throw a little water on it and watch it jump off. A little antifreeze helps keep the water from doing that around the exhaust ports during racing. But yes it's illegal at every asphalt track I've been to but I have never heard about it on the dirt.

Krooser
01-27-2017, 04:17 AM
No anti freeze used around here... dirt or pavement.

over4T
01-27-2017, 10:40 AM
Talked to the guys at Griffin Radiators a couple of years ago and they flat told me not to use tap water and that they had radiators brought in that used tap stuff and, with only a couple of races on them, were already clogged and corroded. Tap water around the country is very inconsistent...think Flint, Michigan. Yuck!!

Matt49
01-27-2017, 01:08 PM
Antifreeze in racing should be illegal everywhere for safety reasons. Nasty stuff in terms of burns if it ends up on you.

CCHIEF
01-27-2017, 05:14 PM
City Water with a splash of AF so you can smell if its leaking.

Leo58
11-01-2021, 04:09 PM
I pour distilled water for spring and summer, but with the onset of cold weather, of course, it is better to use antifreeze. Therefore, in winter I use only antifreeze.

Drake Racing
11-02-2021, 06:30 AM
VPs stay frosty.... I used to run straight water with a couple of the pellets for corrosion resistance, but switched this past summer. It is the only "coolant" that actually does what is advertised...(dropped temps 10-15 degrees with nothing else changed). It also has a corrosion inhibitor in it so nothing needs to be added.

CharlieR
11-02-2021, 09:50 AM
Each owner of an iron horse has his own position regarding car maintenance. Nevertheless, if the question is about which is better, then every man will advise the liquid that he pours into his car. I want to tell you that it is better to find out for yourself which Antifreeze for Aluminum Radiator (https://metalprofy.com/aluminum/best-antifreeze-for-aluminum-radiator/) will suit your opinion for your car.

cjsracing
11-02-2021, 04:49 PM
Distilled water until the summer temps hit then it's straight VP Stay Frosty until the fall temps hit then it's back to distilled water.

riddle28
11-03-2021, 06:35 AM
hose water with a quart of maxima koolaide. its neon pink so if you have ANY kind of leak youre gonna know where

keeks
11-03-2021, 08:05 PM
Anyone running Evans or another waterless coolant?

cjsracing
11-03-2021, 08:09 PM
Anyone running Evans or another waterless coolant?

I run VP Stay Frosty straight with no water added

Lizardracing
11-04-2021, 12:35 PM
Evans has some radiator sizing and heat things to know that scare most people.
Most people don't like the engines running 30-40 degree's hotter as a new normal with Evans.
The advantage lies with it's raised boiling point WITHOUT the need for pressure. IT doesn't conduct heat as well as water either.
If anyone is considering Evans, I'd call them and get the straight scoop on what to expect as it's NOT just a even swap.
Also, it's expensive.
It was some getting used to on my street hot rod to let the engine settle at 240' instead of the usual 210'. The idea is the Evans won't boil to 300' and the engine doesn't care about 200' or 300' water temps as much as the loss of water and cavitation creating the hot spots on the heads and cylinder walls that cause the warping and cracking. Even brand new OEMS cars are in the 220-230 range these days but without numbers on a gauge, most people don't know and just worry when the gauge needle goes past the middle mark.
Without understanding and accepting this idea, If I told you to spend $200 on coolant and don't worry about the water temp anymore all the way up to 320' you send me up the road running. It's been ingrained in our heads for 60 years that 160' to 220' water temp is where it's at.

keeks
11-06-2021, 04:03 PM
Lizard. the reason I asked was that my son bought a ministock(2.3). Came with Evans in it. I feel like it saved his bacon one race. The alternator went so the fan quit working. It started to run rough because it was hot, but only got to 230.

Lizardracing
11-08-2021, 02:35 PM
Keeks, All good, I was just sharing my experiences with Evans. I didn't mean to imply it was or wasn't good I personally just got caught up in the hype with it among my hot rod friends and got a lesson with it to expect higher temps and be okay with it basically. Ive had no problems with Evans and I didn't have problems before Evan either so I can't say it fixed a problem either.
If it did work out for ya'll that great. I hope it did save an engine. That would be a worthy investment for sure.