Running without antifreeze

[scottj]

Turk,
Not an authority here either, though some say I’m a know-it-all if that counts for anything.

My “tests” were nothing scientific. I’ve run plain water, water with Water Wetter and water with Prestone Anti-Rust in both my pseudo-Cobra and my dirt Late Model racecars.

Can my “tests” prove anything about Water Wetter? No. My intentions were never to evaluate Water Wetter anyway, I used it as a pump lubricant. All I can say is that when I run the Late Model I keep records of weather conditions, track conditions, lap times, gearing, RPMs turned, oil temps, and coolant temps, among other things. For two years I ran Water Wetter and water and for the last 3 years I’ve run Prestone’s or Zerex’s anti-corrosion/lubricant products and water. Nothing in my records suggests that any of the products have any bearing on coolant temps. Nor have I seen anything on the temp gage in the Cobra that would alter my opinion.

I switched from Water Wetter to Prestone or Zerex on the advise I received from a Stewart engineer at the PRI show that, based on their tests, “some” of the water wetting products actually caused pump seal problems. As you pointed out Stewart sells cooling products, most notably water pumps. It could be argued that they could increase their sales by endorsing water wetting products, due to pump seal failures.

My point is this; I’m not inclined (nor do I have the means) to scientifically test Water Wetter anymore than I’d be inclined to become a doctor if I get sick. What I would do is search out a doctor with the highest recommendations. The fact that the CUP teams (Ford, Chevy, and Dodge) as well as many other forms of motor sports recognize Stewart, and not Hot Rod or any other magazine, is high enough recommendation for me.

Woodz,
I think your thinking of Evan’s Coolant.

The Cobra has a Stewart stage 4 pump, no thermostat or restrictor, a 28-32# cap on top of a surge tank (as described on Stewart’s site), and an electric fan. This configuration is right off Stewart's sight. With over 625 hp, only on the hottest of days does it reach 200 deg. in traffic.

The Late Models have engines with aluminum blocks, Edelbrock Victor series circle track pumps, no thermostat or restrictor, and a 28-32# cap. The only airflow through the radiator comes from the shrouded mechanical fan; there are no openings for air in the nose. This is typical of the sport and in line with Stewart's recommendations. Temps are 190-205 under race conditions.

Scott

[Don]

In case you missed the thread, reference the thoughts on the same subject at:

Coolant Mixture

[Woodz428]

scottj you are correct. One customer had the Stewart water pump literature and Evans cooler at the same time and they were either cross promoting or the way the literature was together,appeared to be.I married the two because of that, thinking Stewart was the parent company and then posted Stewart instead of Evans. But it was Evans coolant. I think it is propylene glycol and is apparently used in a lot of over the road semis. By the way I still use a good grade coolant with distilled water.The water wetter was specifically in racing applications which, I have posted before, doesn't imply it is suitable for long term street usage.

[decooney]

I started with Water Wetter in karting and noticed a big difference there where motors are stressed to the guilds. Then a few friends tried it with off-road Motorcycles and it worked well there on hot summer days. I used it exclusively in my previous Hot Rods and both of my Cobras. It works to take the edge off a bit, sometimes a reduction of about 10 degrees in my cars.

My general practice, including WW is..

- Distilled Water (i.e. help against corrosion)
- Water Wetter (1-2 bottles)
- Absolutely no antifreeze (none, no more!)
- Flush it out every six months and replace it, just because
- Frequently chainging my oil way before it gets dark in color

On several occassions where I did not use it in the past, I notice it does take a bit longer for the temperature to climb, which can help in just getting out of unexpected traffic situations. However, Water Wetter does not fix motors overheating for other reasons or in situations where no fans or poor fans and poor fan shrouding is used.

I've concluded that really good fans and Water Wetter are essential for me. Works.

[wboss429]

it gets real cold here ,but when we put our stuff up for winter we put in ant, othere wise we only run water,water ( with out being to deatiled) soaks up more heat then any ant,the old timers run a shot glass of type f in there water,and drain the water 2 or 3 times during the summer, they have had no corision show up,water weter works cause it to soaks up heat,and desplaces it at the rad,it will drop temp,all thermastats should be tested in hot water befor installing,ud be suprized i had a 180 once that almost opened at 220,yes almost