100% water vs antifreeze mix

[lonesouth]

As I don't have any concerns about freezing, living in florida, am I better off running straight water, or is there still an advantage to running a mix of water and antifreeze?

 

[Bronco Junkie]

No or much less rust if you mix with anti-freeze...plus I believe it works as a lubricant too. I live in LA (no need to worry about freezing as well) and run a 50-50 mix.

 

[broncoken]

water vs. antifreeze

I know a couple people who use "water wetter" with good results. Their website recommends using some antifreeze for street applications. "Even in summertime, the use of air-conditioning can blow freezing air through the heater and cause freezing of the heater core unless approximately 20% antifreeze is used." http://www.redlineoil.com/product.aspx?product=80204

 

[BoureeOne]

We ran this exact experiment in Chemistry in College. A 50/50 mixture gave both the highest boiling point and the lowest freezing point. That is why you will see many companies selling in 50/50 premix.

 

[Apogee]

Your water pump will thank you for the added lubricity of anti-freeze, even if it is a marginal lubricant at best. Corrosion and fouling is the other concern as whatever you gain from a heat transfer aspect with water over water/coolant mix, you'll soon lose due to deposits and fouling inside the water jacket of your block, heads and intake.

 

[xcntrk]

We ran this exact experiment in Chemistry in College. A 50/50 mixture gave both the highest boiling point and the lowest freezing point. That is why you will see many companies selling in 50/50 premix.

Agreed! I think it's well know that coolant mixtures do both protect against freezing temperatures, and provide greater cooling capabilities than straight water...

 

[blubuckaroo]

Antifreeze also has a higher boiling point than water. In SOCAL I have run the Bronco with only one gallon of antif reeze and it cools better than 50-50, however the coolant needs to be changed more often to maintain the anti-corrosion protection. Antifreeze is really important especially if you have aluminum engine components or radiator.

 

[broncosbybart]

The reasons that racers use straight water is that it sheds heat quicker than the mix does. It also has no negative impacts on the environment due to radiator damage or leakage. That said, if overheating is an issue on a driver, something is wrong. I run water in the racer, but change it to antifreeze mix in the winter.

 

[Broncobowsher]

Anti-corrosion additives
Water pump lubricant
Higher boiling point
Slightly slower heat transfer rate
What a coolant mix adds.

Here in AZ I still add a little bit of coolant/antifreeze to the water. Corrosion of the passages and waterpump life are my reasons. A frost that won't hurt an engine can still kill a radiator if the water freezes.

 

[cldonley]

Anti-freeze helps eliminate corrosion, lubes the pump, lowers freezing point below that of water and increases boiling point. No advantage to straight water unless you're racing, especially in hot environments with lots of stop and go (traffic or trail).

 

[lilwill12]

I think you should use antifreeze no mater where you are, it helps with the above mentioned but also increases heat absorption by reducing surface tension.

Take it a step further and use distilled water. The lack of minerals will greatly reduce the amount of corrosion later. For sure do not use well water, it will get ugly.

 

[73azbronco]

Actually, distilled water can hurt aluminum parts in a cooling system, lack of minerals cause parts to leach minerals into water. You should use some type of sacrificial anode if u have an aluminum radiator

 

[bknbronco]

just dont be mad when you get a freek freeze down there like texas did a few winters ago. I bet that freeze destroyed alot of shit down there.

50/50 always! and use distilled or R.O. water

 

[MarkH@Wildhorse]

I stole this from my notes...

Anti-freeze (ethylene glycol) has several functions as a heat exchange medium in an automobile engine. One is, as you point out, to reduce the freezing point of the heat exchange fluid. But the freezing point of pure ethylene glycol is -13 C. (which is only 8.6 F.) so at first this does not seem like a very likely candidate for an "anti-freeze". But the process is more subtle. Mixtures of ethylene glycol and water freeze at temperatures less than either component. In addition, both ethylene glycol and ethylene glycol / water mixtures tend not to freeze but rather form a viscous glass instead. As an aside, glycerol has a melting point of 17.8 C., but few people have ever seen crystals of glycerol, because it too tends to form a glass rather than crystallizing as the temperature is lowered.

The boiling point of ethylene glycol is about 198 C. -- much higher than the boiling point of water -- so mixtures of the two can be used as a heat exchange fluid at temperatures significantly greater than 100 C. at significantly lower pressures than water alone (in a closed system). In principle, water alone could be used as a heat exchange fluid, but its vapor pressure doubles from 1 to 2 atmospheres at a temperature just over 120 C. So the problem becomes one of engineering hoses, fittings, etc. that could withstand high pressures if water alone were used as a heat exchange fluid.

When the term "boiling over" is used in the context of a heat exchange medium what is meant, as I am sure you know, is that the pressure of the fluid is greater than atmospheric pressure and the fluid evaporates until the pressures are equal.

In the "real world" there are a number of other factors that need to be taken into account, such as corrosion, and viscosity.

 

[asinor]

The only reason I can see for not using Anti-freeze if if you are racing, and then only for environmental/track conditions. Blown radiator hose or ruptured radiator on the track screws everyone if you get antifreeze on the asphalt or rocks.

There is no downside, it raises the boiling point and lowers the freezing point. I'm also a big fan of Water Wetter.

 

[patterdale]

Don't let anybody fool you. The 50/50 pre mix is for people who are lazy or can't figure out how to mix their own. It also makes the company money as they get to charge you for water that you could provide yourself for next to nothing.

 

[John Marinan]

A little known, and really good to know fact, about ethelyne glycol. It is a tremendous anti fungicide. If you put it on rotting wood, such as soft spot in a deck it will stop the rot completely for five years. If you have a rotton spot on that fascia, paint it on, it will absorb through paint. The fungicide qualities of ethelyne glycol have been well known in the boat restoration field for years, not sure why it isn't more widely known. I have used it for many projects, and it works just as described.

 

[lilwill12]

Actually, distilled water can hurt aluminum parts in a cooling system, lack of minerals cause parts to leach minerals into water. You should use some type of sacrificial anode if u have an aluminum radiator

Did not know that about aluminum. Good to know, thanks!

 

[76Broncofromhell]

Actually, distilled water can hurt aluminum parts in a cooling system, lack of minerals cause parts to leach minerals into water. You should use some type of sacrificial anode if u have an aluminum radiator

Sort of, that's not really what's going on with aluminum in a cooling system but it does play into cooling system issues. The issue you have is if the radiator is grounded to the chassis, it (like all Aluminum) has a high tendency towards electrolysis when grounded with less reactive metals like cast iron. What this means is that aluminum will tend to ionize and be carried away to the negatively charged iron block in the system.

Ionized water vs straight water is a wash as the electrolysis takes place with either. If your radiator is not grounded, you can get away without a sacrificial anode, although it's very rare.

Here's more about why that's the case if you're bored and feel like reading more about chemistry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanic_anode).

As for the anti-freeze - run 50-50 or some derivative of slightly lower dilution of antifreeze and forget about it.

 

[broncnaz]

The reason for using distilled water is so you dont add any other minerals into the system. So you get less scale build up from the get go. Some tap water has a lot of minerals and other things added that tend to build up on your radiator tubes.