This article is from a past issue of the magazine. Like stories like this? You’ll see every article as soon as it's published, and get access to our full digital archive, by subscribing to Classic Motorsports.Subscribe now.
Story and Photos by Tim Suddard
Water mixed with antifreeze has served the automotive industry for more than a century; more …
I'd love to see a side-by-side comparison (on Engine Masters, etc) of traditional coolant and waterless coolant in two engines run near redline to really explore what happens to them when the coolant temps soar past 250°F and the water-based coolant boils.
Any idea whether IMSA/FIA teams are already using this? Waterless coolant seems an obvious choice for racing applications.
I was thinking of going this route with my TR6 project. It sounds even easier since the system is completely rebuilt and dry. When the engine was rebuilt, the freeze plugs were replaced and the machinist did not use any adhesive. I believe they were staked into place. My only concern is that the waterless coolant may not rust the new freeze plugs into place the way a traditional coolant would. OTOH, less coolant pressure should make it less likely to have a plug pop out. We will see.
Thanks for the timely article.
I suspect this is like the lifetime transmission fill. Lasts until the transmission fails.
Water boils at 212*F/100*C Water with coolant mixed in it does not boil at 212*F/100*C, it is higher, pressurized system also raises the boiling pont.
Is it racing approved? Part of the reason we use only water in racing applications is the ease of clean up when it ends up on track.
I'm trying to remember stuff from those old chem and physics coursed back in the day. Is it called "Specific heat"? Its a measurement if how much heat ti takes to raise the temperature of a liquid 1 degree C. IIRC you want a coolant that takes a lot of heat to raise its temperature. How does the Evans stuff compare to water or the standard 50/50 mix?
Stu
In reply to stu67tiger :
Stu,
I used Evans Coolant in my RX-7. Two major reasons I switched to Evans were the fact I could run unpressurized system, and the fact that since there is no water, the chance of air pockets and hotspots are nil. In the time I had the car, I took it out to several track days with sustained high RPM laps. The gauge never went above the half way mark, and It never roller-coastered.
Rex
In reply to Durty :
I’m not aware of any race sanctioning organizations that allow it for competition, for the same reason they don’t allow traditional coolants other than water.
I read the article and thought it was a great idea until I got the sticker shock. My car holds 18 litres of coolant and it sells in Canada for $70 + tax for 4 litres. So almost $400 plus the prep stuff makes it an awfully expensive option.
Steve
I shall with hold commenting on this.
You'll need to log in to post.
