New LS1 Owners - Newbie Tech - Straight coolant?

Is putting straight coolant in your radiator a bad thing? Earlier my dad put some coolant in my car without putting water also, i told him you're supposed to put water also then he tells me hes been doing this for years and it doesnt make a difference.

water is a better source for cooling. the coolant is in there to stop the water from freezing, pitting the aluminum and other metals among other reasons. dont fill your radiator up with straight coolant. if your a lttle low you can put straight coolant in but the premix stuff is better.

depends if its straight or a mix.

straight coolant is not a mix

straight coolant is not a mix
no shit, i comes in the same kind of bottle.

except the mixed stuff says mix on it :loco:

everyone makes mastakes, maybe its the mix and he didnt know it.

good point

Read this:

http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=684333

It is straight coolant...

If you don't but the coolant mixed already you are going to want to do 50% antifreeze and 50% distilled water.

Straight coolant is not a good idea ..

Make sure you mix the coolant with DISTILLED WATER as listed above to eliminate corrosion in the system.

Is putting straight coolant in your radiator a bad thing? Earlier my dad put some coolant in my car without putting water also, i told him you're supposed to put water also then he tells me hes been doing this for years and it doesnt make a difference.
i really wouldn't worry about it the total coolant capacity of these cars is like 15 quarts nearly 4 gallons! if he was just topping it off it really doesn't make much of a difference because if thats the case its basically a piss in the ocean, if it gets low again add some water, if your really worried about it open the spigot on the radiator for a little while and add some water to top it off

but it is true pure water is a better at transferring heat that antifreeze but i really wouldn't lose any sleep over it

If the only consideration was taking heat away from the engine,straight water would be the way to go.Water does a great job of absorbing heat.
However,because of the boiling point and freezing point of water 32/212 degrees you would have a serious problem with your engine.Water also creates rust,and contains harmful mineral deposits.Anti-Freeze is mixed with distilled water to prevent the water from freezing and boiling.I would not go with straight coolant because of waters ability to absorb heat.50/50

Water is the cooling part, anti freeze keeps it from freezing as well as contains the anti-corrosives and lubricants for the water pump and stuff. Like has been mentioned already the cooling system holds quite a large amount of fluid so just topping it off with one or the other isn't gonna hurt. Obviously it's not a good idea to completely fill the sytem with one or the other. Also as a side note, NEVER mix green and red coolant as this will cause them to have a "reaction" and you will end up with a jelly like substance which cause you problems.

How old is the coolant in your cooling system? Check your nitrate levels. If the exsisting coolant in your system is old and outdated and you have a worry test the nitrate levels. If the exsisting coolant is out of spec you chould change it.