Redline water wetter....anyone seen/tried this?
- Thread starter TiGeo
- Start date
- Status
Living in a climate with freezing temperatures in the winter months, I have never ran a car without coolant/antifreeze in the coolant system, so I've never had a need. My understanding is products like Redline WaterWetter is intended for a coolant system that is running water only.
I've seen other threads where some will use it in their race cars. They seem to give it positive reviews.
I don't think it would do anything for you, if you plan on adding it to a coolant system where you are running a normal 50/50 dilution of water/coolant.
I've seen other threads where some will use it in their race cars. They seem to give it positive reviews.
I don't think it would do anything for you, if you plan on adding it to a coolant system where you are running a normal 50/50 dilution of water/coolant.
That's really the question isn't it?
There are many instances in racing where antifreeze is forbidden. I think this is a perfect fit for WaterWetter, adding lubricity to back straight water that is lost when moving from a coolant mixture without the risk of spilling antifreeze on a racing surface. That along with corrosion protection are ideal in a racing application.
"Improves heat transfer and reduces cylinder head temperature" is the hard part to quantify. Without strict scientific measurement, you're never going to show an improvement in either of those area.
Also: So what? What does a reduction in cylinder head temperature provide? I understand you can get into theoretical benefits and probably even prove them in those scientific measurements, but in a practical application, like the engine in my truck right now, what benefit will it provide? Going to the example provided by Redline, they saw an 8 degree decrease in stabilized engine temperature after running an engine at 7,200 RPM for 3 hours. That's hardly a practical scenario.
CleanSump
Site Donor 2026
I use it in everything. It does work in my experience. Not the advertising text of 10 deg cooler or whatever. However, it does help the cars and trucks I've put it in stay at at a steady temp when running A/C in hot, stop and go rush hour traffic.
Several brands are pretty much the same. It's supposed to stop microbubbles on the cylinders, allowing better heat transfer to the coolant. I like it, but it probably is one of those things that makes no difference in some applications.
Several brands are pretty much the same. It's supposed to stop microbubbles on the cylinders, allowing better heat transfer to the coolant. I like it, but it probably is one of those things that makes no difference in some applications.
With plain water in a cooling system it has a use. But when used along with coolant it is useless. That is kind of the little secret about these products.
One always wonders how an additive such as this can affect the setpoint of the thermostat.
I use it in drag racing where anti-freeze isn't allowed. I blend it with distilled water. It's a surfactant which should reduce the surface tension between the coolant and the metal surfaces in the block and the radiator. This is thought to improve heat transfer. That said, having a clean metal surface for the coolant to flow across is a much bigger factor in that. RL WW (or any other surfactant) won't help much if the cooling system is full of rust or buildup.
It works if you're running straight water, it has some anti-corrosive additives in it, I believe it also has surfactant in it to help drop the surface tension of the water and help get the small bubbles out that normally get trapped in pure water.
I've used it years ago in Maserati Biturbos and it did help lower the gauge temperatures noticeably. It helps improve heat transfer from the coolant to the radiator.
Turns G13 doo-doo brown.
Has no place in a fully formulated coolant IMO.
Has no place in a fully formulated coolant IMO.
I use it. It does work. There are a lot of products along the same lines. They're very common out here in the desert. From the way I understand it, somehow it allows more of the water / coolant molecules to come into contact with the surface of the radiator..... Or some such. Thereby dissipating heat more efficiently.
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2006
- Messages
- 29,558
I've been running it in my 300ZX since the day I brought her home.
- Joined
- Dec 30, 2006
- Messages
- 29,558
Next radiator spill and fill I do on my Accord Water Wetter will be going in.
Compounds that lower the surface tension of a liquid are called surfactants.
What makes you think that coolant doesn't have surfactants in it already? Again, great for straight water but nothing added that's not already in a coolant.
If these are such miracle products, don't you think coolant manufacturers would have incorporated them by now? I mean, we've gone from ethylene glycol to any number of a dozen different coolants over the past few decades. Surely if there's a chemical additive that can not only help engine warm up (this is an Amsoil claim for their version of the product) but also accelerate heat transfer at high temperatures, it'd had been included by now?
What makes you think that coolant doesn't have surfactants in it already? Again, great for straight water but nothing added that's not already in a coolant.
If these are such miracle products, don't you think coolant manufacturers would have incorporated them by now? I mean, we've gone from ethylene glycol to any number of a dozen different coolants over the past few decades. Surely if there's a chemical additive that can not only help engine warm up (this is an Amsoil claim for their version of the product) but also accelerate heat transfer at high temperatures, it'd had been included by now?
Don't forget that cost is a bigger driver than performance in common markets. If one additive/chemical can provide sufficient performance for the vast majority at a lower cost, that's what they'll use. There's others that my do the job better for more harsh environments, but they are the exception outside of their market.
If cost wasn't a factor, every shelf oil would be formulated like HPL.
That said, I agree that it's not necessary for the vast majority using common 30-70% anti-freeze concentration in street vehicles. For the ones that can't use anti-freeze such as race cars, or those who live in year around warm climates where it never gets below freezing and don't want the reduced cooling efficiency of anti-freeze, products like RL-WW will provide the pump lubrication and anti-corrosion properties they need.
lol did you try it with G13? that's hilarious.
I might use this with water instead of anti-freeze because of where I live, temperatures do not go below 60.
Pump lubrication? If coolant gets into the pump bearings the game is over, water wetter or not.
Modern water pumps don't need it, but a lot of older pumps need something for the seal.
- Status
Similar threads
- Locked
