water/coolant ratio in Aluminum radiator

[dandyZ]

Should it be 50% distilled water to 50% coolant? Less than 50% coolant? I want to have optimal cooling and not damage a new radiator.

 

Thanks

[JMortensen]

I would just run 50/50 for corrosion. If you can't cool it down with that, go get a bigger radiator.

[hoov100]

Coolant mixture isn't going to damage a radiator. If you park the car permanently during the winter I would just fill it with strait water for the time being and drain it before it starts getting freezing outside.

[mario_82_ZXT]

If you're that worried about corrosion maybe you should get an anode.

[chris280z]

Tap water depending on where you live has it's own bag of chemicals to add to your cooling system. Anti-freeze/coolant has many properties that water does'nt. It helps prevent premature corrossion & also has a higher boiling point than water. I have always run a 50/50 combo& have never encountered a coolant related issue. Red Line & others offer a line of additives that make the water "wetter" and claim to be able to reduce coolant/water temps down by as much as 20 degrees. Im not a big snake oil kinda guy but a lot of gearheads use such a product. I plan on putting some in my new build, what the heck!

[goodoldjam]

The mixture will be more about the climate then corrosion. Pay attention to the minimum temperature, the most important thing is freeze protection.

If it corrodes then it's because you didn't change it.

I like 50/50 because it's overkill and if I dump a little coolant I don't worry about thinning it a bit. The bottle will point you to the correct mixture.

If 50/50 was to effect my cooling that much, it probably isn't adequate anyway.

[Zzeal]

Antifreeze REDUCES cooling efficiency.

Antifreeze has a high viscosity so its flow rate is less than water and it doesn't transfer heat as well either.

A 50/50 mix is just a compromise between cooling efficiency and frozen engine blocks.

If you dilute the mix from 50/50 to 25/75 or even 20/80 you'll probably get a 10-15 degree drop and corrosion protection too.

 

Steve

[zero2sixtyin3]

I would just run 50/50 for corrosion. If you can't cool it down with that, go get a bigger radiator.

 

not at all trying say you are wrong but from what i have learned and been told by guys in the radiator business a bigger aluminum radiator isn't "better".

to the OP: if the car is being used for street use or is your DD(daily driver) then as long as you have a well made 2 core radiator you should be fine and mixture wont affect cooling too much though Zzeal is correct.

 

to make this simple i will post a link to a very helpful site belonging to bill of cap-a-radiator in NY. makes the most sense and is simple and easy to understand. this link is in response to JMortensen. http://www.caparadiator.com/aluminumvscopper.html

Edited December 9, 2010 by zero2sixtyin3

[Zzeal]

In the summer, I'd dump the antifreeze and just run a "water wetter".

 

http://www.turbomagazine.com/features/0703_turp_cooling_system_additives/test_results.html

[Matt K]

I ran 70% distilled water, 30% antifireeze, with a bottle of Redline Water Wetter in my Mustang's setup with Ford Racing aluminum radiator, Edelbrock heads on an iron block...for the past 18 years! No issues with temps ranging from 10-110 degrees F outside. If anything, too cool, even with a 195 degree thermostat! In winter, I had to run a piece of cardboard in front of the radiator to keep operating temps comfortable.

[mace]

You should take advantage of the red antifreeze if your components are majority aluminum. The days of green were used due to older radiators using "tin/copper", but these days more aluminum is in the works.

 

http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/how-to/products/1272436