16 replies to this topic

[Hughes]

The stuff works for me.

Way I look at is this. Thermostat opens when the engine reaches operating temperature. 10 mins sitting in traffic on a hot day and the auxiliary fan cuts in because the temp has exceed manufacturers maximum limit. With water wetter in it staves off the auxiliary fan for longer, but if it does cut in will no doubt switch it off faster as the heat dissipates faster.

Its a win for me.

[Czar]

Nobody has said a water wetter additive agent is (snake oil) what I have said it has no benefit gain in a thermostatically temperature controlled cooling system, the best place it really comes into it's own is, in a cooling system which has no thermostat to regulate coolant temperature. EG; a race engine.

We are not convincing each other and I suspect we are talking at cross-purposes. My point remains that when a cooling system is being asked to work beyond its initial design due to environment or equipment condition, Water Wetter does improve the heat transfer capability of water and therefore can lower the max water temperature... temperatures above the set point of the thermostat.

We have both got our different opinions, and it would be a very dull world if we all thought the same way! however the fact remains that it's not the water wetter additive agent that is helping reduce the coolant temperature in a thermostatically controlled coolant system, if you have a cooling system 50/50 mix of water/anti-freeze then add your water wetter additive agent, you wont get any better results than if you were to run a 60/40 water/anti-freeze mix, the simple fact is the more water you can run in your cooling system (without freezing in cold climes) then the better, as just plain old water has excellent heat dissipation properties in a pressurised cooling system.

As for race engines and high-performance engines, the Mini is the first car I've been around where it is common to remove the thermostat. Why remove the thermostat for a road going car? simply replace with a lower temperature value! Somewhere in the region of 78 -83 degrees C. For high power output you do not want a cold engine (as is often the case with no thermostat), you won't get a cold running engine temperature with no thermostat in a high performance or race engine. you want a high operating temperature where the upper temperature is kept below where there is a risk of coolant boil over Cooling system boiling point is controlled by the increase in raising the system pressure generally above atmospheric, via the radiator/expansion tank cap with values ranging from 10 - 20 psi applications. or damage to the lubricating oil. Engines are heat pumps and they deliver the most power when the temperature differential between the incoming air charge and engine operating temperature is at a max.

I guess you know all that anyway, interesting topic never the less.