Durango_Boy

Okay, stopped of at the parts store for a new product. I have been using coolant and distilled for the last few years and wanted to try just water and an additive. Supposedly this combination can earn you a temp drop of 5 - 10 degrees. Great for summer.

I saw two big names. Water Wetter and Royal Purple Purple Ice.

Watter Wetter is half the price, and makes the same claims.

Is there something specific about the Purple Ice that makes it worth the extra $8? Will it work better? Anyone tried it and liked it better?

Thoughts?

MotorHead

I tried them both, Water Wetter actually works, never saw anything with the Royal Purple stuff. Use two bottles.

And who is trying to soak you for 8 bucks more, they are both about the same price maybe 2 bucks difference

in2fun

I too have used Water Wetter and noticed a drop in temp.

GaryS

I am usuallly extremely suspicious of products that make unsubstantiated claims like this. My arguement is that, if these products actually work, why don't any major manufacturers require them? There are some pretty potent cars out there that produce huge amounts of heat. Yet they all call for water and antifreeze.

I would need to see an independent lab, doing a non-supported test (meaning the seller isn't paying the lab to "verify" that their product works), come up with information that proves that these products work.

Gary

MotorHead

Because you are supposed to get a rad and electric fans and basically a cooling system designed to handle the HP of your specific motor.

If you can't afford that at any given time then Water Wetter is a band aid that helps

Maco Shark

I have used water wetter in both my 72 and my 94.
Honestly, I haven't seen any difference at all.
Not starting a coolant war, just telling you guys what happened to me.
I used 2 bottles in each car.

baxsom

i race motorcycles. on the track regular coolant is not allowed so water and water wetter are all that you can use. I havent noticed a substantial difference in running temp however the water stays right at the degree rating of my thermostat. i would guess that if it got cooler than my thermostat is rated for the thermo would start to close and reheat the water. however i can definitely tell that after sitting in the grid and the temp starts to go up (no fan) once i do finally get moving it cools off back to the thermostat rated temp a lot faster than it used to when it was a street only bike with regular coolant.


biggest problem with water wetter however is that it will not protect your block from freezing.

yellow 72

I've ran nothing but distilled water with two bottles of Water Wetter since running the blower motor. Combined with a BeCool rad, a 160* stat and a single 16" elec. fan, I can drive this thing anywhere in any temp with no fear of overheating........
How's that for a WW testimonial

DEMITRISTYLES

I'm ordering a BeCool rad with dual electric fans. It's for cars up to 1000hp. I'll take the advice of using distilled water and 2 bottles of water wetter. So, after a final tune up I hope my 406 runs cool.

wombvette

Can you say SNAKE OIL.

Ron R

Never used any purple stuff, but I run water wetter in all of my cars. Started using it back when the 427 would overheat and it really did keep the temperature down - I don't think it was quite the 20 degrees advertised on the bottle, but I noticed it never went over 190 even when sitting idle so there is something to be said about the product.

As for the others, I'm going to put it in the new 383 this weekend if I get around to flushing out the coolant. WW only works if it's mixed with water, doesn't really do any good if it's mixed with coolant.

DRIVESHAFT

Water Wetter works.
From what I have been told, it breaks the surface tension of the water
allowing it to contact the metal better thus transferring more heat.

Durango_Boy

It's enough of a testimonial that I'll trust a pair of bottles of WW when I fill the system up tomorrow. I think I'll stick with a 180 degree stat, use the WW and distilled water.

I'm also installing the correct 1982 sender to match the gauge and replacing the lower radiator hose which i suspect is collapsing. I should get good results from any one of the changes...great results from all of them combined.

knodty

Is there any advantage to using distilled water as opposed to ordinary water?
Or should i use evian ...................only joking!
Peter

yellow 72

Distilled (I use deionized) water is minus the minerals contained in some tap waters.....

baxsom

tap water will leave all those trace minerals in your cooling system clogging it up.
ever see water spots on your car or your dishes from hard water.
same principle.

Jud Chapin

I tried Water Wetter a few years ago and didn't notice any difference in operating temp. I'm a firm believer in that if the original cooling system is in proper order, you don't need this kind of stuff, if in fact it actually does what is claimed.

Kid Vette

From Stewart Components Tech Tips.

"UNEQUIVOCALLY WATER IS THE BEST COOLANT! We recommend using a corrosion inhibitor comparable to Prestone Super Anti-Rust when using pure water. If freezing is a concern, use the minimum amount of antifreeze required for your climate. Stewart Components has extensively tested all of the popular "magic" cooling system additives, and found that none work better than water. In fact, some additives have been found to swell the water pumps seals and contribute to pump failures.

In static cooling situations, such as quenching metal during heat treating, softening agents (sometimes referred to as water wetting agents) will allow the water to cool the quenched part more evenly and quickly. The part will cool quicker, and the water will heat up faster. However, an automotive cooling system is not static. In fact, the velocities inside a cooling system are comparable to a fire hose forcing coolant against the walls of the engine's water jackets. If the softening agents actually aided in cooling the engine, the temperature of the coolant as it exited the engine would have to be higher because it would have absorbed more heat."

FB007

Physics. Gotta love it.

Jims79

Not sure if you can mix water wetter w/antifreeze but I did in a few cars and it does seem, maybe drop the running temp a few * However I used sub-zero mixed w/50/50 antifreeze and I did see a full 10* drop. The sub-zero is $25. a pint and sold through the vendors.