Water Wetter effectiveness?

[Naja289]

I'm about ready to go to Water Wetter to help cool down my motor-gets pretty hot while sitting still (I know-don't sit still!)...can I get a collective bunch of input-straight forward and to the point-if water wetter seems to work...In CA...289 HiPo...5 core cross flow with fan...I know this motor runs hot anyway as it's built more for track...just want to know if this stuff works and how much of a degree reduction have you seen...hate to be crapping out - stuck in Laguna Seca traffic! Regards!

[Bobcat]

Naja289 ... Can you define hot ? 200 degrees or is it a bunch hotter .... does it cool down when you get moving ? Are you running straight water or a glycol/water mixture ?
I use the water wetter and it does work , but isn`t a cure-all if there is a problem in the cooling system ( stuck thermostat , fan not shrouded , bad radiator cap , air in system etc ) . I see 190 to 195 in traffic and stopped .... ambient here ( SC ) is in the 95 to 100 degree range now . Cools down to 180 to 185 above 35 mph . Can`t give you a specific reduction as I`ve never run a car without it .

[ksuchris2000]

Sounds like hogwash to me. .Source of Review

A few excerpts:

" Strangely, Redline’s own test results don’t square with their ad copy. Their technical literature only shows an eight degree Fahrenheit drop in a car with a 50/50 mix of water and coolant, and an eighteen degree Fahrenheit drop for a car running 100 percent water.

I used a VagCom system (reads sensor data directly from the ECU) for my tests. The pre-WaterWetter® installation delivered temperatures between 96 and 98 degrees centigrade (or 205 to 208 degrees Fahrenheit for the Americans). The post-installation temperature stayed steady at 96 degrees centigrade. Clearly, not the results advertised.

Other websites have tested WaterWetter® and also concluded that the overall decrease in coolant temperature is marginal. So WaterWetter®’s benefits either lie elsewhere (or nowhere). That assessment requires a certain level of trust with Redline products. In my experience, based on their oil products, they deserve this trust. "


*** EDIT: I read a bit more and this stuff does get some good reviews from users on Amazon. Some of them were bikes and some were Corvettes and a mix of other cars. I guess for the price, its worth a shot.

[Jamo]

Screw the written editorials...it works. My Ag clients here in the extremely hot San Joaquin Valley use it for fleets of trucks and equipment that sit idling or move along at slow speed and then haul great weights.

[1uzer]

It is really that good, most of our saloon race car series (AUS) run it without thermo fans and bonnet vents, using restrictive front bumpers and have no trouble. Some claim 18 degrees C benefit. Though they run straight water

[Naja289]

With water /gly mix it's been up to 210...fan will bring it back down...no shroud on the fan-cap is good and I burped the system... it always runs great and stays pretty cool on the highway...Hey Fresno-gonna take your word on this as it's where I grew up...frickin' hot and still mowing lawns and playing ball in 108!...those were the days and I'm glad that part is gone!...so is Water Wetter just to be mixed with distilled water or is ther any 'coolant' that stays in the system?...

[Jamo]

I only use water and WW. Stop and go on Blackstone Ave. in 108 is no problemo.

BTW...my go-to place for lodging for work in the area is the Seascape. We (Duane et al) used it as a base camp for a CH1 weekend a year or so ago.

[Naja289]

Perfect-Yeah Seascape is right around the corner-neat spot...just ask Pedro Sandoval(!)...Blackstone- OMG...now the thing that would be burned would be the top of my head!...thanks again for the info

[Paul F]

It cured my cooling issues.

[Bobcat]

Doesn`t matter if there is some anti freeze still in the system , it will mix ok . Just add it to your system . From where you live , sounds like you could use pure distilled water and water wetter only if you want to . It does get down to upper 20`s here in the winter , so some anti freeze is desirable .

[mln385]

It helps reduce the temps. another avenue as well is to seal up the front of the cowl where it meets the radiator. I used weather stripping to seal up the radiator support from the front, this forces all the air into the radiator not allowing some air to go through the cracks or seems.

[jhv48]

Shroud the fan to maximize cooling and you will be fine.

[jwd]

If you are running pure water, adding Water Wetter it will help. If you are running a water/anti-freeze mixture, it's a waste of money because anti-freeze already has a surfactant (reduces surface tension) in it.

[YerDugliness]

Originally Posted by jwd

If you are running pure water, adding Water Wetter it will help. If you are running a water/anti-freeze mixture, it's a waste of money because anti-freeze already has a surfactant (reduces surface tension) in it.

I agree.

I wish I had better results to report, but not so.

I was running up to 230* in Houston's stop 'n' go traffic, using my SPAL puller fan, with 50/50 glycol/water mix

I purchased the Water Wetter at an auto supply store and read the instructions. It was recommended that the best results would be achieved with less than 50/50 mix (recommended was 15% glycol/85% water), so I drained the radiator and replaced it with a glycol/water mixture in the 15/85% range (I figured that with the mixture still in the engine I would end up around 20/80, since it was still 50/50).

No improvement...still running at 230* during the afternoon on the hot Houston freeways in stop 'n' go traffic WITH the SPAL fan on, once at highway speeds it runs between 195* and 210* with the puller fan OFF...no better than with 50/50 glycol/water.

My fan is shrouded on the top only, the next job will be to make side shrouds. That will happen when it is put up for the winter.

BTW, my radiator is a HUGE aluminum Griffin unit, reported to be able to cool up to 600 horsepower, and my engine is a box-stock 5.0HO out of a 1989 Mustang GT, just converted to carb (includes Edelbrock Performer manifold...not the Performer RPM, Edelbrock Thunder carb, and standard 4 into 1 headers/sidepipes), NOT a high performance unit with a lot of go-fast goodies.

Cheers!

Dugly

[Shelby Cobra]

I vintage road race a Corvette and thats what we all run in our race cars - distilled water and Water Wetter. No antifreeze/coolant allowed in the cars in case of a spill on the track. It does work.

[Jamo]

Originally Posted by YerDugliness

I agree.

I wish I had better results to report, but not so.

I was running up to 230* in Houston's stop 'n' go traffic, using my SPAL puller fan, with 50/50 glycol/water mix

I purchased the Water Wetter at an auto supply store and read the instructions. It was recommended that the best results would be achieved with less than 50/50 mix (recommended was 15% glycol/85% water), so I drained the radiator and replaced it with a glycol/water mixture in the 15/85% range (I figured that with the mixture still in the engine I would end up around 20/80, since it was still 50/50).

No improvement...still running at 230* during the afternoon on the hot Houston freeways in stop 'n' go traffic WITH the SPAL fan on, once at highway speeds it runs between 195* and 210* with the puller fan OFF...no better than with 50/50 glycol/water.

My fan is shrouded on the top only, the next job will be to make side shrouds. That will happen when it is put up for the winter.

BTW, my radiator is a HUGE aluminum Griffin unit, reported to be able to cool up to 600 horsepower, and my engine is a box-stock 5.0HO out of a 1989 Mustang GT, just converted to carb (includes Edelbrock Performer manifold...not the Performer RPM, Edelbrock Thunder carb, and standard 4 into 1 headers/sidepipes), NOT a high performance unit with a lot of go-fast goodies.

Cheers!

Dugly

Seems to me that all this means is that you have some other issue going on...probably the shrouding as you say. too many other examples of it working, and it does best only with water. As noted...you can sneak by with it on the track, but you can't use anti-freeze/coolant.

Box stock 5.0? What thermostat? I run a 180 and I run the fan when it gets to about 75-80C...easier to keep something cool when it's already cool.

[xlr8or]

I've had good results with it as well. Ran it with just water when I was out in Phoenix a while back in 115 degree heat. Never went over 205 even with the AC on in my coupe.

[mdross1]

When first started running the 460 in our car was really concerned how fast the temps rose to 190f in stop and go traffic,when it got over 200 a few times tried a can of WW in 50/50 mix and saw no results.My solution was to close all gaps around rad with aluminum at first was anal about watching temp gauge.Now know it is normal for this setup to work the way it does.

[YerDugliness]

Originally Posted by Shelby Cobra

I vintage road race a Corvette and thats what we all run in our race cars - distilled water and Water Wetter. No antifreeze/coolant allowed in the cars in case of a spill on the track. It does work.

I think the issue is antifreeze. The Water Wetter packaging says it will work best without any antifreeze, but also says a street engine should run at least 15% glycol in the coolant. If I had an aluminum block/heads/water pump I would run straight water with the Water Wetter, but rust would be an issue for my iron block/heads/water pump.

I know there are radiator additives out there that will control rust...perhaps that is the answer for a street car, straight water, an anti-rust additive, and Water Wetter?

Originally Posted by Jamo

Seems to me that all this means is that you have some other issue going on...probably the shrouding as you say. too many other examples of it working, and it does best only with water. As noted...you can sneak by with it on the track, but you can't use anti-freeze/coolant.

Box stock 5.0? What thermostat? I run a 180 and I run the fan when it gets to about 75-80C...easier to keep something cool when it's already cool.

I've never pulled the thermostat, Jamo...that's next on the list. I suspect it is an 185* unit, as on cool days the coolant temperature never exceeds 185* once the engine is warmed up. Driving in this hot, humid environment, with all the stop 'n' go traffic on the hot multi-lane freeways, HAS to be hard on a cooling system. I notice that once I am up to road speed, not running the fan, that I have to be careful about how closely I follow the vehicle in front of me, and particularly if that vehicle is large and blocks the free airflow into the fishmouth/radiator opening. Once I see the temp hit 200* I switch the fan on, but without the fan I have seen the engine run at 210*-220* on the highway at freeway speeds, even without a large vehicle in front disturbing the airflow into the radiator.

I worry about being stranded with a burst radiator hose once the temp gauge hits 230*....

The shrouding is number one on the list for upgrades during the winter storage season!!!

Cheers! Great discussion about a topic I had planned on posting anyway

Dugly

[jhv48]

If you converted a FI engine to a carbed engine, did you also change the thermostat? FI engines usually run a 190 degree thermostat. Carbed engines normally run 180 degree thermostats. Set the fan to come on at 200 degrees. That could account for some of the higher temps. Verify your timing is spot on while you're at it also.

Install a 180 degree thermostat and fully shroud the radiator and check the timing That engine should run 180 degrees at freeway speeds in 100 degree weather all day long. Forget the water wetter for now. There is something else going on here. Something is definitely not performing up to par.