So I found this product the other day, thought it was interesting. Jay Leno uses it in his cars. What are your thoughts and concerns with it?

http://www.evanscooling.com/products/coolants/

 

i considered this product about a year ago. very interesting idea, and very good for a car that sits. after a loooooot of discussion and debate though, i think the general consensus is, for a car u actually drive, it's not worth it. for cars that sit, like most of leno's, probably not a bad idea at all.

 

+1

Agreed!!

IF you track your car...and would go to a track that makes you use plain water as a coolant...this stuff is great...
or if you plan on keeping a car for life...then the conversion MIGHT make sense, especially if you do your own repairs....
But IMO it is still a nitch product....still not ideal due to the conversion process unless it is installed by the OEM...

BUT for SOME applications (like heavy trucks that use diesel fuel) there ARE performance gains (documented MPG gain, a few Tenths of a MPG..(but when one drives 100,000 miles a year and 1.8 million miles in the life of a motor..it adds up)..those engines LIKE to run hot (compression ignition)..and cooling and the BUBBLES that form when ir boils/steam forms is the limiting factor...the bubbles form on hot spots and with vibration can ACTUALLY cause wear..that is WHY coolant that is used in HD motors have different chemicals...like SILICATES...

 

Was thinking this would also be applicable for drivers who sit in traffic a lot (build up of heat etc etc).

 

Well, I can lay out the problems in a little more detail. While it's true that it would be acceptable on the track, it would most definitely overheat the engine if anything. Thus, you'd want to (and almost all do) go with water + something like redline water wetter. This defeats the purpose of using this stuff, as you have to completely dry out the entire block (per their instructions) to use it.

The reason engines pick up MPG when running this coolant is because they run hotter. It took a long time for me to wrap my head around this (still don't fully get it), because it's my understanding that the thermostat controls the temperature. When the temp reaches a certain point, coolant goes through the block to cool the engine. So if the thermostat is controlling the temperature, how can the temp be hotter, unless the coolant is totally failing? Anyway, regardless of my lack of understanding, it seems true that engines in general do run hotter with this coolant. Hotter engines = more efficient engines. However for me, it just isn't worth the concern of the engine running hotter all the time (though it will still be in the operating temperature range).

The reason Leno uses it is, as all of his cars sit, having water in the coolant is obviously a problem, as it leads to corrosion - and that is Evans' #1 draw. No water, no corrosion. This was why I was looking into it, as my evo sits for months at a time.

The ultimate conclusion was that the best thing to do is simply flush the coolant each year.

 

The stuff is VERY popular in trucking...that is Evens MAJOR customers right now...just remember....Diesel motors are VERY different than gas engines in different ways...heat with a diesel is a plus...but with a gas motor..NOT SO MUCH...
I've spent a few miles driving a heavy truck (between my "real" job" as needed)...and I can tell you..when theat HUGE fan kicks in...you can FEEL the truck loose HALF a gear on a hill....an over-sized cooling system helps delay the fan turning on...and you hope it turns on on the downhill...but the .2 MPG gain when you get a 6.5- (pretty average)MPG in a truck is a big gain...in a car I doubt it would be ANYTHING cause the engines are VERY different.
For a car that sits....I'd do it..just need an air compressor and blow out the cooling system...and the flush/Dryer solution.......
payback is likely 3 changes or more for a daily driver if you follow the 3-4 year flush/changes on older MINI's.....
of note...MINI/BMW very quietly changed the labeling on their coolant a few years ago...they went from a (bmw)white bottle that listed 3 year life to a silver bottle that lists it as "lifetime"...just drain and discard coolant used in repais, fill with new...unless new "aluminum components"are used...then they say use a COMPLETE FRESH FILL...(MINI coolant is the same spec..but for me BMW dealer is closer..and cheaper.
Current MINI/BMW coolant is a HOAT..typical life on other brands is about 5 or 6 years and 100,000-150,000 miles......
But for me...I have a cast Iron block gen1...so I still do the 36-48 month change..
Scary thing is...in the last few months there have been TONS of posts of folks with BLOCKED heater cores (gen1 cars).....all from corrosion from the block..collects in the heater core...so many folks are neglecting their cars...

 

The thermostat does not open to allow coolant to flow through the engine when the block reaches a certain temperature. It opens to allow coolant to flow through the radiator when the coolant reaches a certain temperature.

In effect, the thermostat can not limit how hot the coolant gets, only how cool it gets. Once the thermostat reaches its threshold temperature, opens up and allows coolant to circulate through the radiatior, it has done all it can to regulate high temperature. The rest is up to the efficiency of the cooling system under the operating conditions.

I am guessing the engine runs hotter with the waterless coolant because the fluid is not as good at absorbing and releasing heat as water. Or perhaps the low operating pressure makes it less efficient. Or both.

 

I just converted to this fluid. Haven't had it on track or course yet. Will report back findings later in the season.

 

If you don't have an issue with regular coolant... why change?

 

any update?

Thanks

 

Old thread but just saw the same Jay Leno video and was wondering if anyone was using this and what their experience was?