Technical What your thoughts on coolant additives ?

A buddy of mine swears by a product called water wetter. He said it brought down the temp on his car about ten degrees. I have both brass and aluminum radiators in my cars and was wondering about products and personal experiences.
My single seater has a small aluminum radiator and cools fine while moving but in the heat of the summer and slow traffic it will climb in temperature. I know the reason is not enough cooling capacity but if I could use a product that helped bring down the temp that would be great.

 

It doesn't seem to help Plan II keep any cooler. Maybe it works up north, where it doesn't really get hot?

 

Squirrel, he is from the south. South Dakota.

 

Band-Aid for a pre-existing problem with a cooling system. Won't hurt anything, and likewise, won't help anything either.

 

I have no first hand experience with this product, actually didn't know anything about it, so I looked it up and it's a product from Red Line Oil. Here's a link to the webpage: https://www.redlineoil.com/waterwetter

So according to the, the product works to reduce surface tension of water, and thereby improves the heat transfer properties of water. Surface tension is the property of water that causes it to form beads, the tension on the outer surface of the water is greater than the force of gravity pulling on the water so it beads up in small quantities. The Water Wetter additive would reduce that tendancy, improving the ability of the water to contact the internal surfaces of the engine and the radiator, so heat transfers more efficiently between them. That's the theory anyway.

The product also has some anti-rust & corrosion properties as well, they claim.

You can also download a white paper on the product from Red Line here: https://www.redlineoil.com/Content/files/tech/Water_Wetter_Tech_6.20_.pdf

And this is where is gets interesting. Lot's of good technical information there, explains things very nicely. But notice the chart in the upper right corner of the first page. Water Wetter does not increase the boiling point of water. So it's the same situation as the comparison between straight water and 50/50 solution of water/antifreeze; water has better heat transfer properties, but it has a lower boiling point. Antifreeze is less efficient at transfering heat, but it has a higher boiling point. The entire automotive industry has settled on the side of using antifreeze to raise the boiling point, though some people still prefer the better efficiency of straight water. If you're the type that prefers straight water, than this product is probably a good alternative for you. I'm the type that prefers the higher boiling point of a 50/50 mix, so this doesn't really offer much benefit.

 

I’ve also heard fantastic testimonials about water wetter. I didn’t use it because in my understanding of the product you can’t use antifreeze with it. Needs to be straight water. It still freezes occasionally here in Texas so I didn’t use it.

 

I don't know about the higher boiling point(s), which can be offset via increased pressure - up to a point, but due to where I live (just south of the Great White Frozen Norttt, upp dere), I prefer an "anti-freeze" mix for its' ability to lower the freezing point of water.

W/o re-reading the WW lit again, my understanding of it, & another one like it is; that the boiling point being raised isn't the point: it's the ability to transfer heat faster & more efficiently, resulting in a cooler system - relatively speaking.

Guess if I needed fairly high boiling points, + low freezing points w/o pressure involved, I'd use Evans stuff.

Haven't needed any of these, but then I look at them as a tool, if needed, to help w/a small problem. Not as a bandaid nor a "miracle" product. Although, eventually, I think it'd be worth it to go waterless, if for no other reason than less(or lack of) corrosion in the system, & just maybe, no electrolysis issues.
Marcus...

 

I continue to use the stuff, because it's the only rust inhibitor/lube you can buy at walmart....and I don't want to run antifreeze, because they just don't like it at the drag strip. Makes a big dangerous mess if something should happen to make it leak coolant on the track.

I use normal antifreeze in the other cars....

 

I have used it in an RV and an OT car. I couldn't see any difference in either.

 

I've used water wetter in my Kubota tractor, it tens to run hot when working it hard. I've had good results and recommend it.

 

I've tried them all on a couple cars I had that ran hotter, and none of them showed any difference I could tell. A waste of my money.

 

You can use Water Wetter with anti-freeze, it just does not work as efficiently as using it with straight water. When I was fighting cooling problems with my flathead with the original 36 ford radiator, I tried Water Wetter with a 50/50 mix of anti-freeze and water. It dropped my temps around 10 degrees. I no longer use it as I ditched the original radiator and had a new radiator built to my specs by The Brass Works. A big part of my 36 Ford Cabriolet's cooling issue was that the 1940 LaSalle grill has only 1/3 the grille opening as the stock 36 grille so I was fighting diminished air flow. The new radiator took care of the problem but the Water Wetter definitely helped until I had the new radiator built.

 

Most dirt circle track guys use it. My son likes it. We also use a tested 26# cap because we have seen 260* after a 25 lap race in 95*+ racing. It’s best used when the vehicle is driven after put in and heat cycled.
Jim, I don’t know which water you use with it but we only use distilled water in all of our cars when adding or replacing coolant with or without anti-freeze. Our blocks, heads, and intakes are always clean.

 

^^^ same here...........

 

I think race cars are their main customers for that very reason. You get a way to keep down the corrosion when antifreeze is not allowed.

 

I run water wetter from Redline and distilled water in all my vehicles, hot rods daily drivers, dirt bike, swear by it! In my 69 big block Chevelle here in Phx area, saw a 5-10 difference on the temp gauge!

 

We ran identical test on identical equipment, in identical environmental chambers, at my former employer.

Added to any conventional coolant, surfactants do nothing that can be measured.

We did not test using them with straight water.

In short, if you are already running coolant, they are a waste of money.

 

I’m an idiot.
I call a pro radiator shop and tell em what I’m doing. Those guys send me a radiator based on GVW, cubic inches, HP, accessories, any power adders……
So far, so good.
It’s not the cheapest route at first but I’m not diagnosing issues or second guessing later.
So it probably pays off in the end.

 

Ran it in my drag car and several circle track cars. No antifreeze is allowed at the tracks. It works but is no substitute for a well thought out cooling system (including oil coolers).

 

I use "water wetter" in both my transporting trucks! (Duramax Diesels) I also use an Edge Evolution programmer in both trucks which uses digital gauges. I see a 8-10 degree difference in water temperature on both trucks. I also used it in the race car for as long as I can remember. Regardless if you believe in it or not, it does not hurt & the amount of money out is so SMALL....why not!

God bless
Bill
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...ar-transport-hauling-open-or-enclosed.614419/

 

PFFFFT!

 

I have tried a couple of different cooling aid products over the years and have not noticed anything different in the normal operating temp.

 

Your chosen brand of "Anti-freeze"...period.

Mike

 

We use W/W in our circle car, with straight water, improves heat transfer only. Not to raise boil point,if engine is running hot, it's affects may help a marginal amount with straight water. Antifreeze slows heat transfer. Wetter additives with A/F are diminished greatly. If you're too hot , fix the problem, better water pump, larger aluminum radiator, etc. period.

 

Just as Blues4U stated, Water Wetter lowers the surface tension, which improves heat transfer to the metal of the engine and radiator. Straight water does have better cooling than mix with antifreeze.

Back around 30 years ago, I used Potassium Dichromate in the cooling water of my OT 70 Camaro drag car. The PD is a corrosion inhibitor, and is cheap. Especially since i got it from the lab guy at work for free. Back to my story, as many have said tracks do not allow antifreeze. So the PD provided the corrosion inhibitor in my iron BBC and brass radiator. Long before Water Wetter was a product. I had sufficient cooling that i didn't need the lower surface tension.

Because it's a chromate with hexavalent chromium, which is the active ingredient part, it is considered carcinogenic now. So if you use it, don't drink the stuff.

 

I've used water wetter in a couple of my cars over the years; never made any difference that I could tell...

 

Used to have to small a radiator in the bracket car, Tryed Hy-Per coolant water wetter to help cool if winning and running round robin.
In fall would drain the radiator and refill with antifreeze for the Wisconsin winters, switch back for 1st race in spring.
In a few years there was a chemical reaction, probably from the residual mix always left in the block that attacked the head gaskets
1st the Chevy orange paint started to fade and peel around the head gaskets, when pulling heads the head bolt torque was noticeably less.
Have not tryed it again

 

If your car is overheating, it’s overheating. Better try flush, then thermostat, maybe a 6 blade steel fan, also a good shroud.
I used this stuff in an old engine. Kind of worked but total bandaid fix.

 

I realize this is a self cancelling phrase, but I used to road race a V8-60. I tortured that little bugger. I did a number of things to enhance the cooling system, including using a product named (40 Below). I can't say that it was the additive that did it, but it always ran cool.....

 

My car doesn’t overheat but gets to where I don’t want it to get any hotter, that’s why I asked about some of the cooling products.