Water Wetter - recommendations?

[Notso Swift]

Oil cooled motors, it will never work.

I actually know a dyno man who uses this for own cars (Grp A Dolly Sprint and a Ralliart Mirage RS) but never been something I have needed to pursue. I can't help thinking that if it worked so well that the cooling system could be smaller then manufactures would do it.

[GORDON STREETER]

My thoughts on this are if the cooling system is "on the edge" then you should design a better system that is capable of working under all conditions.
Bigger radiators/more airflow/blanking bypass systems off etc should all be done if you want to protect your "expense"under the bonnet.
You can always blank off the frontal area for most of the year in the UK !

[JamieStewart9]

"Like different sized waterway holes from front to back in a head gasket, been done from the year dot !" Gordon Streeter

Yes, kind of like that (although that is a fairly primative example). I was referring to recessed swirl cavities such as the ones used in the 800cc Moto GP era Yamahas.

Making a bigger cooling system is also fairly basic, although in car racing that might be the cheapest and easiest option given the all up weight of the whole machine. Sometimes simple solutions are the best though and if the car is already fairly heavy that's probably a sensible solution.

In motorcycles every extra kilo is to be avoided at all costs though, so adding a couple of extra pints to the cooling system capacity would be an engineers last resort. A Moto GP 1000cc bike only weighs 157 kg ready to race and you can see the difference on performance that of fe kilos extra weight makes if you just watch Dani Pedrosa against the other 'normal' sized riders on the longer straights.

[GORDON STREETER]

A good mate of mine used to race in BSB and would spend a fortune on a lightweight part to save next to f all that cost an arm and a leg, however as he weighed 15 stone the easiest cheapest weight saving was down to him
Agreed that Pedrosa is a lightweight having seen him close up, also what helps is that he can hide behind the fairing easier as he is like a matchstick !

[Nortad]

Originally Posted by Notso Swift

I also use Water Wetter on the other side of the world here it actually gets hot enough to use it

I believe it actually decreases surface tension and allows better heat transference, both from the motor to the water and the water to the radiator.
Further, because of this there is less localised boiling (like in the head) where air bubbles are formed, it helps. Those bubbles work a bit like an insualtor so in normal situations they are circular and the temp raises a lot quicker, with WW the temp is lower and it also holds on longer

Run it in a normal pressurised system, and as above you will drop about 5 degC, maybe a little more, on operating temp. Also, unless you need antifreeze then the best be its to run it with distilled water (WW is an anti-corrosive/conditioner)

I was advised to use distilled water over antifreeze or regular water, but I dont know the reasoning behind destilled water as coolant. Antifreeze isnt really needed has it doesnt get cold enough here to be necessary.

And what about cleaning the water ways? Does antifreeze help?

[Notso Swift]

"Pure" water transfers heat faster than glycol mixes. tap water also has stuff in it, effecting its ability to transfer heat (though realistically not much, bit of dirt, calcium, fluoride, no double some heavy metals, but in trace amounts)

Water Wetter has a conditioning agent in it so it is anti-corrosive anyway, so you are doubling up with that part

[Nortad]

Originally Posted by Notso Swift

"Pure" water transfers heat faster than glycol mixes. tap water also has stuff in it, effecting its ability to transfer heat (though realistically not much, bit of dirt, calcium, fluoride, no double some heavy metals, but in trace amounts)

Water Wetter has a conditioning agent in it so it is anti-corrosive anyway, so you are doubling up with that part

Thanks

[Trikes]

Bit late but I thought I might play catch up here.
In a 6 cylinder Holden Engine in Speedway we dropped temp by 10 degrees and gained 9hp atrw on the Dyno using Redline Water-Wetter. It was very pleasing to get such results with such a simple mod.

More on Redline's Water-Wetter. I'm been brought on board to develop the Suspension and Engine power with another Speedway Team now (2014) in a different category using a Ford 4.0lt engine.

I can tell you this years dyno numbers were up, especially good gains in torque but the engine had a new Exhaust (same spec) with new slightly longer reach NGK LPG Plugs, Splitfire Leads.

Adding Water Wetter was the first thing I did when I arrived.

I have tried Purple Ice but had problems with getting things up to temperature. Probably could have should have continued with the PI but time is short and this Team doesn't have a large budget where I could just throw things like new smaller Radiator and dollars at the car.