Saw the following in the May 98 issue of Car Craft and have been meaning to
post it. The recent postings reminded me to go dig the mag out and send
this along. The article was entitled the "25 Lies Car Magazines Have Told
For Years".
"Lie Number 9: Glycol-based antifreeze is the best engine coolant. The
Truth: Plain water is the best coolant. Water has 2.4 times greater thermal
conductivity than conventional ethylene-glycol-based coolants. Glycol is
also much more viscous than water, and the more viscous the medium, the less
the heat transfer rate. Glycol has a higher boiling point than water, but
even when using a 50/50 water/glycol mixture with a 15-psi radiator cap,
glycol's boiling point is only 15 degrees more than plain water. If you
have a marginal cooling street car, try reducing the amount of glycol
antifreeze in the system and increasing the water content. A 33 percent
glycol/water mix won't freeze until 0 degrees F. On a race car or street
car not subjected to freezing temperatures, consider running only water as a
coolant."
They go on to mention how ordinary tap water is extremely corrosive and try
to use distilled water.
Dave
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