65Sickster

Thanks for all your help! Much appreciated. I think I'll try the 50/50 and only add water to top it off since i live in LA. Thanks again!

JMD

You are talking apples and oranges,,,,, or as it would be antifreze and pepsi,,, (or maybe I should just drink the antifreze )

As far as the price goes, if a person needs four gallons to fill a cooling system he could buy 4 gallons of diluted for antifreze for $24.00, or 2 gallons of undiluted for $22.00. Yea it is only a buck or two, but I think it sucks on principle, makes me feel like the marketers are mocking me or somthing, "ok, get this, we will only fill the the jug halfway with antifreze, and the rest with watter, and some sucker will but it for 60% of the cost of a complete jug.

I never have used distilled water in a radiator, and probably never will, so the convenience issue is moot to me. (Kind of like thecomedian who makes fun of the peanut butter and jelly in the same jar, "I would like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but I have to open two jars,,, nah,, it's too hard."

I usually top off with antifreze when I am at home. If I am somewhere else I usually top off with water, so thing kind of even themselvs out for me.

Brandontyler65

well ya if you are topping off its good but i agree when you refil the whole system that it is cheaper to get the concentrate

Soaring

JMD, if you lived where the ground water has a lot of alkali and minerals in it you would be using distilled water or your radiator would need to be replaced in a matter of a few years. You must live in a part of the country where the water right out of the ground is pretty pure.

Lumbergh

Running more antifreeze than water won't depress the freezing point once you pass the optimal mixture which occurs at, I believe, 57% antifreeze ( it might be slightly more or less, it's been a while). Adding any more antifreeze beyond this point will actually raise the freezing point. I agree thatincreasing theehtylene glycol in the cooling system reduces the capacity of the system to cool the engine. However, since most of us don't change our coolant with the seasons, the 50:50 mixture offers pretty good protection against freezing without sacrificing that much in terms of cooling ability, ~15% versus pure water at an operating temperature of 160 F.

mikethebike

If you run straight water and you have any aluminum you are going to ruin the aluminum through electrolysis.

Soaring

Yeah Lumbergh I didn't remember the maximum amount of antifreeze you can use before you start going the opposite direction. 57% sounds about right. Like I said, most folks will be using a 50/50 mixture. The heat in the Arizona desert can get wicked high into the 100's and absolutely no humidity and very little air. If I lived there, I would be changing my fluid twice a year.

longlive289s

or u can just get prestone.....makes ppl like me lazy, already pre mixed 50/50

Brandontyler65

thats what we were talking about

67SuperSnake

I had heard that you have to run the correct type of anti freeze (for aluminum). Anybody else heard of this?What type would that be?