Date: Sun, 7 Jul 2013 05:41:51 -0700
Reply-To: Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Redline Water Wetter
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I recently put this product into my sportbike's cooling system. The
bike has a very accurate and reactive temperature LED readout. This bike,
a four cylinder 600 cc Honda four makes about the same HP as a Vanagon, but
of course, has less torque at just 46ft/lbs..(doesn't need torque at just
370lbs wet weight and a 14,500 rpm redline) still, enough power to push it
along to ~160mph.. at the track, of course.
These bikes run pretty hot, especially when ridden slowly in traffic.
They routinely run up to 230f..the cooling fan comes on at 217f. At
highway speeds they run at 180f, but just a mile or two in town will take
the temperature right up and the fan will come on, holding the readout at
about 220-230f....a little too hot, in my opinion.
So recently, before a track day at Oregon Raceway Park, I drained most of
the coolant (ethylene glycol antifreeze, when spilled on the racing
surface, makes for very poor traction and dangerous conditions, hard to
clean off, too) and replaced it with distilled water and Red Line Water
Wetter...I didn't flush the system, which leaves a little anti-freeze in
there to help lubricate things) Now, even in our recent triple digit
temperatures, my bike still runs at 180f on the highway but in town it
rarely goes above 212f and I haven't felt the fan come on in three sprirted
street rides....It did come on at the track after a session going flat out,
but only as I ran slowly into the paddock. I also used this product in
my race car with similar results to the coolant temperature...
My own Vanagon's inline VW motor doesn't run particularly hot but I see
some posts from people who're concerned about their vanagon's coolant
temps. This product works, just about how it says on the bottles....a
slight reduction in operating temperatures if you just add it to your
normal antifreeze mix and up to 20% cooler if you reduce the
anti-freeze/water ratio down and add the W.W. as directed.
I had three full racing seasons on my water cooled Porsche race car motor
and the coolant system looked perfect. One thing that is important is to
remember every fall that you have NO ANTIFREEZE! with Water Wetter. Don't
ask how I know this.
Don Hanson
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