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Bearing in mind that water cools better than antifreeze, what %age of antifreeze do we need to run in Melbourne to be on the safe side of avoiding, well, freezing, while maximising the amount of water for maximum cooling?

Opinions on using tap water or other types?

Use distilled water rather than tapwater, tapwater has calcium and crap in it which builds up on the water pump.
My old pump was clogged pretty hard from it.

as for coolant, just use what the bottle says.

The mix isn't that important, I just tip in a bottle of concentrate then fill the system with water.

How often do you start your car in sub zero temperatures?

Absolutely distilled water.


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sailaholic wrote:How often do you start your car in sub zero temperatures?

Never

sailaholic wrote:Absolutely distilled water.

Ok

For coolant purposes is demineralised the same as distilled?

Yep same same. If you don't start the car in sub zero temperatures then you probably don't need antifreeze.

If you don't run antifreeze be sure to run something to prevent corrosion. Redline water should handle that problem.


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Yep, if you are never in sub zero temps, no need for anti freeze. Use Nulon Ultra Cool (non glycol corrosion inhibitor) or Redline water wetter (same sort of thing but better and more pricey) with distilled water.

If your car is EVER in sub zero temps though, use a 20-30% glycol to distilled water mix. No need for any more than that in Australia, unless you live in Thredbo or something.

It's not just a question of starting it sub-zero temps. Leaving it sub-zero temps freezes the water in the radiator. The expanding ice causes dozens of tiny splits in the core, turning it into a spray mister. Don't ask me how I know this.

The car has a re-route and an oversized radiator and took 5100ml of demineralised water, a 355ml of Redline Water Wetter and 550ml of Nulon 100% Concentrated Long Life Coolant, totaling only just over the 6L I saw stated as the total capacity.

So that's just over 9% coolant for this climate:

Bureau of Meteorology, Climate statistics for Australian Locations (Melbourne)
Season Average maximum Average minimum
Summer (December–February): warm to hot 25°C (77°F) 14°C (57°F)
Autumn (March–May): mild 20°C (68°F) 11°C (52°F)
Winter (June–August): cool to brisk 14°C (57°F) 7°C (45°F)
Spring (September–November): cool to mild 20°C (68°F) 10°C (50°F)

Should be ok?

Everybody is making this really complicated.

Fill the system with water, pour in enough coolant until it looks green.

yes, water is more efficient at removing heat than water/coolant mix, BUT, if your engine is running hot enough that it needs straight water to not overheat then you've got much bigger problems there than the coolant.

A decent radiator will actually make an engine run too cold, that's why it needs a thermostat to slow/stop the coolant flow. (among other reasons)



I can't think of any reason to not run coolant it a road car, no downsides and it means you don't need to worry about having the radiator core split when the odd cold night happens.

Its being made complicated, because it is complicated. I went on a tour at Penrite and one thing discussed was radiator fluid. A few tips were stated.
Firstly do not mix different types of inhibitor, I.e. green and pink.
Secondly you must mix the inhibitor at the correct dosage. This is not only for it to work correctly, but an incorrect mix can cause damage, (acidity possibly from memory)

Since the visit, I now only use a premixed inhibitor so that I know its correct and can top up without upsetting things.

hks_kansei wrote:Everybody is making this really complicated.

Fill the system with water, pour in enough coolant until it looks green.

yes, water is more efficient at removing heat than water/coolant mix, BUT, if your engine is running hot enough that it needs straight water to not overheat then you've got much bigger problems there than the coolant.

A decent radiator will actually make an engine run too cold, that's why it needs a thermostat to slow/stop the coolant flow. (among other reasons)

I can't think of any reason to not run coolant it a road car, no downsides and it means you don't need to worry about having the radiator core split when the odd cold night happens.

It is my overheating history which makes me wants to cool the car properly.

It does have a thermostat, which will do the job you suggest.

It is only partially a road car.

There is 9% coolant in it, as scientifically measured as a car salesman can measure anything.

If I were to take your advice and fill the system with water then pour in enough coolant until it looks green, where would the coolant go, bearing in mind I've already filled the system with water?

davekmoore wrote:If I were to take your advice and fill the system with water then pour in enough coolant until it looks green, where would the coolant go, bearing in mind I've already filled the system with water?

I normally fill it to a bit below the radiator cap, maybe an inch below?, then tip in the coolant.
Then as I bleed the air out I just add more coolant.

I know my way is pretty rough and ready, but I've never had an issue.

If you are concerned about getting the ratio spot on, I'd just go by what the bottle says, since the manufacturer of the coolant will have done the research to work out what the best mix is for cooling/corrosion/freeze/boil protection.

I'm happy to aim for getting it spot on. 9% is good for -4 degrees. Happy with that, especially as the car is always garaged overnight, and in a climate where average low winter temps are +7 degrees.

Distilled water and this for me: http://www.nulon.com.au/products/Coolin ... ltra_Cool/