General Maintenance & Repairs Leaks | Squeaks | Clunks | Rattles | Grinds
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by: CARiD

You guys use this?

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Aug 18, 2007 | 09:06 PM
  #1  
Medic/Z28's Avatar
Thread Starter
TECH Enthusiast
iTrader: (9)
 
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 699
Likes: 0
From: Central TX
Default You guys use this?

Any of you guys use the purple ice additve for the coolant?
Reply
Old Aug 18, 2007 | 10:30 PM
  #2  
mcamarols1's Avatar
TECH Resident
15 Year Member
iTrader: (9)
 
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 989
Likes: 0
From: TEXAS
Default

i have used the redline version, its all the same
Reply
Old Aug 19, 2007 | 09:06 AM
  #3  
Medic/Z28's Avatar
Thread Starter
TECH Enthusiast
iTrader: (9)
 
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 699
Likes: 0
From: Central TX
Default

Ok. Does it seem to keep your coolant cooler? Days are getting pretty hot and being stuck in traffic gets me nervous as to think my car might over heat. Thanks for responding.
Reply
Old Aug 19, 2007 | 11:25 AM
  #4  
CRAGER's Avatar
Administrator
20 Year Member
Photogenic
Photoriffic
 
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 29,404
Likes: 0
From: Houston, TX
Default

It does help a little, thats why mcamarols1 mentioned that he uses it. Otherwise he just blew about $8 for nothing.

I also use Water Wetter (Redline) like what mcamarols1 has used, and I use it in both of my cars.

Peace,
Craig.
Reply
Old Aug 20, 2007 | 11:26 AM
  #5  
FastB's Avatar
Launching!
iTrader: (11)
 
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 231
Likes: 0
From: Houston, TX
Default

Never used any of that stuff. I am always skeptical of things like that. I don't know why. I just am.
Reply
Old Aug 22, 2007 | 11:20 PM
  #6  
mcamarols1's Avatar
TECH Resident
15 Year Member
iTrader: (9)
 
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 989
Likes: 0
From: TEXAS
Default

well the guage on my car is never acurate,(well in any post 01 i think) but when i did my coolant flush, i used distilled water and dex-cool at a 60/40 mix with a bottle of the Redline Water-Wetter, i dont kno if it helped, but i see 100+ F* weather often, so i said f#ck it
Reply
Old Aug 23, 2007 | 02:02 AM
  #7  
ae13291's Avatar
Banned
iTrader: (8)
 
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 3,093
Likes: 1
From: san fernando valley, california
Default

yup i recently added that stuff well the only problem with the stuff i think it my car now takes longer to warm up to operating temps i use distilled water and green coolent i use a bit more water then coolent
Reply
Old Aug 23, 2007 | 04:39 AM
  #8  
1QUIKWS6's Avatar
TECH Addict
20 Year Member
Photogenic
Photoriffic
Active Streak: 30 Days
iTrader: (64)
 
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 2,382
Likes: 19
From: USA
Default

I use RL Water Wetter also - as a M.E. and quite familiar with Heat Transfer; I totally understand the claims of the products inventor - without going into great technical discussion:

First thing: "Water Wetter" is not designed to lower your car's bulk coolant temperature. So if you put it in your car hoping to see lower operational coolant temp's, then you're gonna probably be disappointed.

"Water Wetter" is designed to reduce hot spots in your cylinder head. It does this by reducing the build-up of water vapor in any superheated areas. The bad thing about having hot spots in your cylinder head (i.e. combustion chamber) is that they can promote pre-ignition - definitely a bad thing. Any sharp edges in your combustion chamber (around valve seats for example) may tend to get very hot (even red hot) during operation. These areas of the combustion chamber can then form local hot spots in the cooling passages. So, even though your bulk coolant temperature is well below its boiling point (i.e. your gauge reads just fine), there may be localized boiling in some areas of the coolant system.

This localized boiling can cause a layer of water vapor to form over the hot spot. This vapor forms an insulative blanket and prevents heat from leaving this area, thus making the hot spot even worse. But reducing the surface tension of the water makes it easier for vapor bubbles to leave the surface of the cylinder head and allows the bubbles to convect heat away from the area. Something that changes the surface tension of a liquid is called a "surfactant". It does not take very much surfactant to significantly change the surface tension of water. Hence, you do not need to add very much "Water Wetter" in order for it to do its job.

An additional benefit of using "Water Wetter" (in conjunction with 100% water) in you cooling system is that water has an extremely high heat capacity. So a gallon of 100% water can carry more heat away from your engine than an equivalent gallon of 50/50 water and coolant. Water also has a high thermal conductivity which increases the convection of heat away from the coolant passage walls and into the free stream of the liquid flowing through the passages.

"Water Wetter" does not increase the boiling point of water. Standard automotive coolant does increase the boiling point of the mixture above that of 100% water. But remember that if your cooling system is operating properly, it should never get hot enough to boil (I mean BOIL, not just localized boiling). Raising the boiling point of the coolant in passenger cars is mostly a safety measure, so that if the cooling system is over-taxed (climbing a hill on a hot day with AC on), it will not boil over. On performance cars the primary duty of the cooling system is to keep the engine in its optimum temperature range. This is best accomplished with 100% water, because its high heat capacity makes it very efficient at transferring heat.

Performance cars often run relatively high cooling system pressures. This also raises the boiling point of the coolant. But the high system pressure is not used to avoid boiling so much as to allow the engine to operate at a higher temperature for reasons of efficiency. A higher cooling system bulk temperature also allows the use of a smaller radiator (there is a greater driving force to transfer heat from the coolant to the free stream air).
Reply
LS1 Tech Stories

The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time

story-0

Amazing '71 Camaro Restomod Is Modern Muscle Car Under the Skin

 Verdad Gallardo
story-1

6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-2

Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph

 Verdad Gallardo
story-3

Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked

 Pouria Savadkouei
story-4

Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!

 
story-5

Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP

 Verdad Gallardo
story-6

Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes

 Verdad Gallardo
story-7

Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power

 Verdad Gallardo
story-8

10 Camaros You Should Never Buy

 
story-9

10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die

 Verdad Gallardo
Old Aug 23, 2007 | 05:11 AM
  #9  
SpaZMaN's Avatar
10 Second Club
iTrader: (5)
 
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 1,373
Likes: 1
From: Chi-Town
Default

Great info 1QUIKWS6!!!
Reply




All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:24 PM.

story-0
Amazing '71 Camaro Restomod Is Modern Muscle Car Under the Skin

Slideshow: This heavily modified 1971 Camaro mixes classic muscle car styling with a fifth-generation Camaro interior and modern LS3 power.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-12 18:06:42


VIEW MORE
story-1
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them

Slideshow: From wobbling harmonic balancers to failed EBCMs, these are the issues that define long-term C5 ownership and what repairs typically involve.

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-05-07 18:44:57


VIEW MORE
story-2
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph

Slideshow: A modern Camaro transformed into a retro icon, this limited-run "Bandit" build blends nostalgia with brute force in a way few revivals manage.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-04-21 13:57:02


VIEW MORE
story-3
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked

Slideshow: Cadillac didn't just crash the high-performance luxury vehicle party, it showed up loud, supercharged, and occasionally a little unhinged...

By Pouria Savadkouei | 2026-04-16 10:05:15


VIEW MORE
story-4
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!

Slideshow: Top ten most powerful Chevy trucks ever made

By | 2026-03-25 09:22:26


VIEW MORE
story-5
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP

Slideshow: Hennessey has turned the Silverado ZR2 into a 700-hp off-road monster with supercharged V8 power and a limited production run.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-24 18:57:52


VIEW MORE
story-6
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes

Slideshow: A one-off sports car that looks like a vintage Italian exotic-but hides a C6 Corvette underneath-just sold for the price of a new mid-engine Corvette.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-23 18:53:41


VIEW MORE
story-7
Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power

Slideshow: A heavily reworked 1972 K5 Blazer swaps its off-road roots for a low-slung street-focused build with modern V8 power.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-03-09 18:08:45


VIEW MORE
story-8
10 Camaros You Should Never Buy

Slideshow: There are thousands of used Camaros on the market but we think you should avoid these 10

By | 2026-02-17 17:09:30


VIEW MORE
story-9
10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die

Slideshows: Which one of these myths do you believe?

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-01-28 18:10:11


VIEW MORE