Hi, OK, what's is your favorite coolant? I'm thinking about the regular green coolant but is there a better and safe alternative for the 328? I like the Toyota red coolant too. I've just started the 30K service on my 328 and really excited about the wrenching my Ferrari for 1st time, I, I keep telling myself to treat it like a fine watch unlike my '75 Land Cruiser...Oh btw, I found out that an oil fillter for my 2F engine on the Land Cruiser will fit perfectly with the 328 engine but I will stick with red Balwin filter for the Ferrari. This forum is great! Thanks very much. /td
Are you sure that water wetter provides the appropriate chemistry to protect the engine from corrosion in the complete absence of antifreeze or other additive package? Water wetter was designed for competition engines that routinely have all the coolant replaced so I'm wondering if it's suitable for extended use with nothing else added. Re brands of antifreeze - any antifreeze meeting ASTM spec D 3306 (automotive service) is appropriate. It will list the spec on the bottle. Probably every available brand in any parts store will meet that spec. Buy whatever they have when you decide to flush/replace every two years.
I would stick with the good old green (Etheline glycol) stuff. As far as the car is concerned I don't think anyone has found a problem with Etheline glycol. The primary complaint is that animals like the taste of it and it kills them. On the other hand there have been actual problems with some of the other color fluids including different products with the same color. There have been class action lawsuits and recalls and claims that they can cause actual damage to older systems.
I always buy it from Mercedes. I've always used it on my classic cars with very good results, and all my mechanic friends say it's very good
The VW - Audi one is very good and an excellent dis-similar metals corrosian inhibitor. I use it in my computers as well as cars, after participating in a testing regime on one of the best computer water-cooling forums.
Zerex G-05, which is the MB stuff. Use it in all of my cars with excellent results. Cheers, Aaron '82 GTSi
ethylene glycol is used as an antifreeze not primarily a coolant. it prevents the water from freezing. it's soluble in water and has a slightly higher boiling point, adding the pressure to system further increases the boiling point. however the Ferrari systems run about 0.9~1.1bar vs 2bar domestics systems run under. I use red-line and water since it doesn't get cold enough to freeze where I live, if you do live where it'll freeze then you'll need the EG, ratio depends upon temps seen. red-lines water wetter does protect the motor; from their site; "WaterWetter® is a unique wetting agent for cooling systems which reduces coolant temperatures by as much as 30ºF. This liquid product can be used to provide rust and corrosion protection in plain water for racing engines, which provides much better heat transfer properties than glycol-based antifreeze. Or it can be added to new or used antifreeze to improve the heat transfer of ethylene and propylene glycol systems. Designed for modern aluminum, cast iron, copper, brass and bronze systems." as an example, my Mondial will run 185* with the A/C on in stop and go traffic in 110* weather and with the supercharger stuffing even more heat into it. oil temps are 210*~220* I'll stick with the water wetter.
Ditto --- hands down the best AF out there. The only thing I don't like about it (for the Ferraris) is the color. It's hard to visually identify it when it leaks --- gotta play "guess that fluid" and do the taste test. I've often thought of trying to add some type of dye to it to make the color more obvious ---- anyone know of such a dye that could be used SAFELY?
"hands down the best AF out there" What evidence do you have to support this statement? It meets the same specs as everybody else's. Where is the proof that it is better than all other brands of antifreeze?
The experience, even with dyes marketed expressly for the purpose, of dyes with computer WC systems is that they all fall out of a water:zerox mix eventually and gum up any small passages. These systems are not pressurised to the same degree an automotive one is but the extensive tests I refered to earlier were well done and consistent in results.
The G-05 coolant mentioned above is what Mercedes has specced for 20 years. In the last few years Chryslerberus and Ford have adopted it. The fluorescent green stuff dates from the Detroit all cast iron engine days.
I use distilled water dilluted 50% with Prestone. Distilled water, once available at the auto stores, is now found almost exclusively at the green-grocers under $1/gal.
It's a pale yellow / amber color. When dilluted with water, it looks a lot like clean oil or hydraulic fluid so it's not always obvious when you have a leak.
That's strange because the bright "green" color of typical AF (like Prestone, etc.) comes from an added dye --- Ethylene glycol itself is clear.
You do realize that this entire thread is about getting people's "opinions" --- right? And no --- G-05 does not have the same specs and properties as the others. Perhaps you need another hobby...?
If you are going to make statements that some product is "hands down the best" I would expect you to explain your reasoning with some sort of factual data. Otherwise, it's just sounds like marketing. I spent years dealing with people making statements about engine mods and how they will add X HP when, in reality, most of them do the opposite, based on before/after dyno tests that I performed working with several performance companies in the Memphis, TN area. So maybe I'm too sensitive about "opinions." But I have seen folks waste a bunch of money because "some guy" said they should buy XYZ product. I apologize for perhaps being too antagonistic but here are some of my favorite examples that I personally tested on the dyno/track... "A brand exhaust system will add 30 HP" Oops, lost 2 HP "B brand cam will add 65 HP" OOps, added 12HP but produced a SLOWER time because no low end "C brand ignition system will add up to 12 HP." Oops, no change "D brand air filter will add 12-15 HP" Oops, no change "E brand spark plugs [with expensive metal electrodes] will increase power" Oops, no they won't - no change Again, I just don't like to see definitive statements without data. Then again, even with data they can be misleading. I once had to sign a non-disclosure agreement re engine work. Interestingly, it wasn't DIRECTLY related to engine work itself. Lets just say that when you see an add showing an NHRA or NASCAR (I can't speak for F1) crew chief or whoever pouring X brand additive or oil into the engine, even in the pits in a REAL race, it may NOT actually be what it says on the bottle...Advertising dollars, you know. Further, I once dynoed 8 different engines for an exhaust company before ONE of the engines showed an HP increase. That's the one that went into the add. The engines that LOST HP weren't mentioned... What ALSO wasn't mentioned was that the one that showed the increase (14HP) was DOWN around that same HP before changing the system. So the exh system brought the engine up to what the STOCK engines were making without the exh system... Frankly I don't believe anything I haven't personally seen on a dyno/track because there are too many ways to mess with the data. Sorry, I see I digressed rather dramatically. But I guess my point is - most of the coolant products mentioned meet the same performance specs. Therefore any of them are equally capable of providing the necessary service.
The opinion of several professional mechanics with more than 20 years experience rebuilding engines is enough "factual data" for me, but that's just me. Add to that the fact that none of them has any particular interest in advertising brand X or Z. The MB coolant is blue, which is great to spot a leak.
"The opinion of several professional mechanics with more than 20 years experience rebuilding engines is enough "factual data" for me" I agree. But it's worth noting that if a professional mechanic works in a shop and the shop provides antifreeze (or oil, or ATF, or brake fluid, whatever) they most certainly ARE interested in what antifreeze you buy. On the other hand, it doesn't really matter, usually... But I worked with a former shop manager for GM; At the time, GM recommended brand "X" oil and that's what all the dealer shops used. However, it was "common knowledge" that the oil was not the best choice for the engines, causing a lot of valve train sludge that was immediately obvious when the valve covers were removed. Privately, the mechs used a different brand of oil in their personal cars. And after a while, due to complaints about the sludge, GM changed to a different oil supplier. THe point is, if you had taken your GM car to a dealer then they would have told you that the oil to use was the oil they used which was NOT the oil to use!
Agreed. When I don't have the M/B antifreeze in the garage I go for the G-05. I pay $13.00 a gallon at my M/B dealer.
