Coolant additives

[67Boomer]

Luckily, I haven't had a cooling problem since I got my 67 big block back out on the road last fall (finally!). But, I plan on getting more use out of it this summer and have been considering the use of a coolant additive as insurance against overheating.

I've been reading about one particular product called "40 Below" made by a company called Pro-Blend (I think). Has anyone in the forum had any experience with this product? Are there better products available? I would like to hear your comments/opinions.


Thanks!!

 

[JohnZ]

Solutions to cooling problems don't come in bottles, although the marketing guys from "Water-Wetter" and "40-Below" would dispute that. Without going into a lot of gory detail, cooling is purely a function of your radiator's ability to reject/transfer the coolant's heat to the air through the fins and tubes, and the amount of airflow through the radiator to carry off the heat. These cars didn't overheat when they were new, and if your radiator, shroud, seals, fan, and clutch are in good shape (and your thermostat is working and the lower radiator hose isn't collapsing due to the spring corroding away), you shouldn't have any cooling problems; if you do, the solution isn't in a bottle - it's the replacement of a tired or deteriorated component that's inhibiting either heat transfer or airflow.

 

[67Boomer]

John:
Thanks for your reply. All of the mentioned components have been rebuilt or replaced during my restoration. Perhaps that's why I haven't had an overheating problem...hmmmm
Thanks!

 

[twiget]

Cooling solutions may not be the holy grail when it comes to keeping your car running cool, but they are part of the equation. The coolant has to be able to get the heat to the radiator for it to radiate it out into the atmosphere, right?

I know of several guys that have used Red Line's water wetter in an otherwise stock C4 and the car runs noticebly cooler.

I'm going to be flushing the radiator in my GS next weekend, and I'm going to put some water wetter in with the fresh coolant. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Jason

 

[Tuna]

This is one area that I use additives - specifically Red Line Water Wetter. In my experience, this does appear to lower the maximum tempertures reached.