What type COOLANT to use for 308 QV?

Exactly....who would put just H2O in their rad system?? You need corrosion control additives, increased boiling point, and lubrication properties.

 

Hate to say it mike, but I am guessing those people behind the counter are not the ones that would have the faintest idea what we are discussing here......Maybe if you ask them for the MSDS to review.........

 

Respectfully, DI water (deionized) is for our purposes here, exactly the same as distilled. It has EVERYTHING to do with being free of minerals/etc etc etc. If not, then what is deionized water?? It is free if IONS. positive or negative, metals or anions/cations, organics, silica, chlorine, sediment, on and on, I dont want to go any further or I will make everyone here so tired of tech talk. And I can go on , if necessary...........

DI/distilled are both good , pure, water for cooling systems.

 

Distilled water is boiled to a vapor and cooled. Alot of the minerals and salts don't make it thru the process and get left behind making a cleaner water.

Deionized water is a more advanced process where ions are removed by passing the water through different positively and negatively charged screens to remove specific elements from the water.

Don't know what specific minerals and salts are better handled by which process but would guess deionization is better otherwise they'd just stick with distilling which is easier.

 

Pretty much it, Stuart. DI requires more tech apparatuses, where distilled uses a boiler/condensor setup. Nevertheless, dont mistake distilled for "lower" quality water. They are both good methods for purification, just different means.

DI uses pressure/chemical adsorption surfaces, and distilled uses heat/condensation. BOTH can produce, depending on quality of system, very very high purity water , each type which can measure upwards of 10-18 megaohms of resistivity. That is REALLY pure stuff. WAAAAAAY purer than what us guys really
would need for our radiators(LOL)!!!!!!

But hey, we like our cars and care for them, nothing wrong with that, eh?

 

Thanks Joe! I was aware of this - that's what I meant when I said BMW coolant = Zerex. Zerex does not have phosphates/nitrates. Mercedes dealerships also use this formula. Forget BMW and just use Zerex - you should be fine.

Thanks,

Anthony

 

The normal pressure of the system alone will increase the boiling point of water enough to prevent any problem. Coolant is not necessary for at least that one property.

I have never had a boil over issue ever in 9 years of doing this and I have every possible boil scenario to contend with:

I live in Alabama
I track in the summer, including Aug.
My car is an 84 308
It is a black 308.
It has a stock radiator
It has the stock fans

 

....I believe Prestone is now only making their Extended Life and phased out their 'standard' as it is no longer listed on their website under products - I also have not seen it in stores this year - so they are also going the phosphate-free path, probably for simplicity in their product line....

Anthony

 

OK, Doc...but dont you worry about corrosion? Man, just water??

 

"for europeans"?? What is it , Europeans are ahead of the US in automotive tech, and it is them who dont have the common sense to use only DI water with their anti freeze??? I tasted tap water in Italy....North and South, and it is pretty hard and tough tasting!! but full of nutrients, LOL. But car guys in , at least, Italy, do have it together more than the typical American citizen car owner(which doesnt include us here at FChat !!!). Prestone should put together a better line than this one. Thanks for the search, Miketuason.

Look man, this niche is not reaaaaaly my field, so I give up, LOL.

PS: I like the new 5 yr life coolants, and use them.

 

I have never before known anyone with any make of car that doesn't run coolant in it.

 

I don't just put in water out of a hose by itself. I use distilled water only (that I make in my office most of the time) with the appropriate amount of Water Wetter.
Additionally, I only use this during the Spring/Summer. During the Fall/Winter in goes the antifreeze again so basically there is antifreeze in the car "half the time".

As I posted earlier this has been my cooling system Rx for about 9 trouble free years. I let you guys know if a problem ever develops.

 

There are more of us out there than you think, I know several and it was not my idea to begin with. It's just not the sort of thing that comes up in conversation most of the time. When I am standing around at the track between sessions I don't ever think to mention it to anyone when they ask me about things I have done to my car (and most do since it is a Ferrari). I just don't even think about it.

 

Water is a coolant, a very good coolant. Antifreeze is just that, antifreeze plus some anti-corrosives and lubricants.

 

Antifreeze actually reduces water's thermal capacity. It actually makes it less effective when cooling the engine. That's why I skip it in the summer.

 

I suspect it is a rather small difference but my point was that water IS coolant and I'll add, dollar for dollar it is a very good coolant.

 

Mike, you can get DI or distilled (same purity level) at the grocery store, believe it or not!! should be about 70 cents a gallon. Get the store brand cuz name brands are just an advertised product with same quality. Have fun!!

Goin to Norway with Fam., guys, for a few weeks...Going to miss you all til I get back(wiping a tear from corner of left eye, sniff)

 

If you run straight water make sure that it never gets cold enough to freeze (even in the Summer). In Colorado, I could never run straight water. It can be 85-90 degrees in Denver and cold enough to snow in the mountains. I'm not sure if that's also true in Calif , AZ or not, but be sure to error on the side of caution, a 75/25 water/antifreeze maybe. Always use distilled water when diluting antifreeze or using all water.

 

Ok guys, and chemists.....
What should I use as coolant for here in hot and sunny Florida, where the average Ferrari wont see a freeze, but might drive to Atlanta for a Christmas party and see 20 degree weather?

 

Water Wetter helps but I have changed to Royal Purple "Purple Ice" it does much the same thing....

and a 50/50 mix......

...and some air trapped in the system usually! LOL!

 

I was wondering the same thing Doug. I don't think the climate is too different on your side of town.

I was thinking of a 80/20 split of Distilled water and coolant with a bottle of water wetter and a dash of tobasco and some of my favorite belgian beer.

Wonder what the capacity of the system is so i'll know how much brew to make????????????