June 1, 201511 yr Hi, Can anyone inform me of the special coolant that is supposed to run a lot more cooler than standard antifreeze? I carn't remember what is was called. Ice or something? Does it work? Ian.
June 1, 201511 yr Anything based on propylene glycol such as Engine Ice or Silkolene Pro Cool or the stuff pointed to above. The old style automotive types based on ethylene glycol aren't recommeded mostly for their toxicity but also because mixing them with tap water like we all used to do turns out to eat engine cases because of ionic contaminents. The propylene glycol ones are all premixed with deionized water.
June 1, 201511 yr Hi, When I was road racing we looked into every possible variant to help cooling. Tried most things on the market. They all promise better cooling. We then came upon some testing that some scientists at a University had carried out on most of the brands available. Basically, water is best. Some cooled quick but also heated quick. I'll have a look see if I can find the reports, if I do I'll post them or link to them. I would recommend an additive to prevent corrosion though. I agree with Dan, Pro Cool works fine. Tom
June 2, 201511 yr Pure (distilled) water is probably the best coolant because of its high specific heat capacity (4200J/kg/degreeC) but you can't use it pure or your engine will corrode. Anitfreeze, in addition to stop the water freezing contains additives to prevent corrosion and prevent the formation of insulating micro bubbles on hot surfaces, this improves heat transfer / heat flow. A product called "Water Wetter" improved this wetting action and improved cooling, The products like putoline Ice probably contain similar additives. OAT (orange) Organic Acid Technology antifreeze contains these additives and is very effective at preventing corrosion. Its also a lot cheaper than these specialist coolants. Do not mix different coolant types, and I would even go as far as to advise against mixing brands (except BS6580 ethylene glycol). Mixing incompatible coolant can form gums and sludge and wreck your engine.
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