Ferrari Mailing List: Re: 512 temps

[Todd Walke (racertod]

Clyde wrote:

> Good call when I flush it clean I will refil with water wetter I use it on 
> my race bike and you know how much heat they put out ( Chernobyl )

        I believe Water Wetter is best used in cooling systems that must 
run straight water, like race cars where they are prohibited from using 
coolants other than water.

        This is a snippet of an email I kept from an old racing mailing 
list.  It came from an engineer that worked at GM designing cooling systems:

> Here's a response from someone who designs vehicle cooling systems for
> a living (that would be me): Strictly looking at the heat transfer
> coefficient, straight water is the way to go.  HOWEVER... straight water
> has its problems, notably a lack of certain additives that prevent
> cavitation of the water pump at high speeds, corrosion of the various
> metal bits present in all engine cooling systems, surfactants to lower
> the surface tension of the coolant (allowing it to "wet" the surfaces of
> the coolant passages better) and anti-foaming agents to keep the
> surfactants from making big bubbles.
>
> All these are present in antifreeze/coolant.  The surfactants and
> anti-foaming agents are present in Redline Water Wetter.
>
> Water Wetter has limited to no benefit in a system using a commercial
> coolant -- it's simply adding more of something already present in
> sufficient quantity.

Todd
Seattle,WA
'86 GTI, Red of course. (exciting racey car) 276,000 miles
'01 Golf TDI, silver.   (new work car)       520,000 miles
'87 Golf, Polar Silver. (retired work car)   654,000 miles <- Gone to a new 
home :(
http://www.pureluckdesign.com <-Ferrari & VW stuff