Generations of weekend racers would beg to differ.
Oh and a few physical Chemists too.
Water Wetter
- Thread starter jerseyguy123
- Start date
Oh and a few physical Chemists too.
self deleted, too snarky 
Whether it’s on the track or just a shade tree project, many people have modified their engines and thereby pushed the limits of the stock cooling system beyond its original designed capacity.
Then there are the numerous cases in the vintage car world where the stock cooling system does not have much of a safety margin for cooling capacity like modern cars enjoy.
In these cases the difference between a coolant temperature of 225 F and 235 F is going to be where a product like water wetter is beneficial, if not essential.
Saying it’s a waste of money is merely assuming one size fits all. We all don’t drive the same cookie-cutter cars.
Condemning the usefulness of these specialized products is exposing a very narrow viewpoint. One which over assumes and under thinks.
Z
Then there are the numerous cases in the vintage car world where the stock cooling system does not have much of a safety margin for cooling capacity like modern cars enjoy.
In these cases the difference between a coolant temperature of 225 F and 235 F is going to be where a product like water wetter is beneficial, if not essential.
Saying it’s a waste of money is merely assuming one size fits all. We all don’t drive the same cookie-cutter cars.
Condemning the usefulness of these specialized products is exposing a very narrow viewpoint. One which over assumes and under thinks.
Z
Amsoil also makes something similar called Dominator Coolant Boost which claims to decrease warmup time, reduce peak operating temperature, help protect the various metals in the cooling system, and can be used with water alone or with the coolant mixture.
https://amsoilcontent.com/ams/lit/databulletins/g2785.pdf
One comparison between WW and DCB is here:
https://www.oildepot.ca/interesting...nator-coolant-boost-vs-red-line-water-wetter/
I have been using DCB in my 03 Toyota for a few years now and have not had any issues. I do recall that after a few heat cycles of adding it to the system, it did seem to warm up to operating temperature a little quicker.
https://amsoilcontent.com/ams/lit/databulletins/g2785.pdf
One comparison between WW and DCB is here:
https://www.oildepot.ca/interesting...nator-coolant-boost-vs-red-line-water-wetter/
I have been using DCB in my 03 Toyota for a few years now and have not had any issues. I do recall that after a few heat cycles of adding it to the system, it did seem to warm up to operating temperature a little quicker.
None of which applies directly to the question being asked in this thread. The cooling system under consideration is not out of bounds as the one you describe. The product is a waste of money in this scenario, as it is for anyone who has a properly functioning cooling system.
If your cooling system is operating properly there is no way of product like this can lower the operating temperature. It’s impossible.
An easier and much more effective means of increasing heat transfer would be to lower your coolant concentration down to the minimum that’s acceptable for your ambient temperature. But even here, unless there’s something wrong with your cooling system or it’s poorly designed there’s no reason to do that either.
Wrong.
Not only possible, but happens repeatedly. Most ICE’s have an operating temp above the thermostat opening point to varying degrees. WaterWetter can lower the coolant temp down closer to the rating of the thermostat opening point, more effectively in engines runnning less than 50% antifreeze; a qualifier that has been stated repeatedly.
I don’t see anyone suggesting that the product will lower the temp below the opening point of the thermostat.
BTW, Here is the first post. All replies I’ve made are relevant, as are the anecdotal accounts of others who have used the product:
Same thing to me
What I have learned from this thread:
1 WW reduces surface tension resulting in fewer bubbles thus effecting greater heat transfer in cooling systems.
2 The vast majority of vehicles will see no benefit from this effect.
3 There is a risk of gelling coolant.
4 'Chemically cleaning' the engine + cooling system could be all that many applications need. (I like that one)
5 The 5 to 10 degree change (nobody argued this number) can help very few racers and very few classic car owners.
Nobody mentioned the increased efficiency of aluminum radiator cores.
Isn't this why cooling system capacities are 1/3 that of yesteryear's cars?
So, the very few people who pare down the size of their cooling system hardware for weight gain and those who push the limits of their knock sensors with engine tuning etc. are already masters of measuring.....all 1,000 of them...worldwide.
1 WW reduces surface tension resulting in fewer bubbles thus effecting greater heat transfer in cooling systems.
2 The vast majority of vehicles will see no benefit from this effect.
3 There is a risk of gelling coolant.
4 'Chemically cleaning' the engine + cooling system could be all that many applications need. (I like that one)
5 The 5 to 10 degree change (nobody argued this number) can help very few racers and very few classic car owners.
Nobody mentioned the increased efficiency of aluminum radiator cores.
Isn't this why cooling system capacities are 1/3 that of yesteryear's cars?
So, the very few people who pare down the size of their cooling system hardware for weight gain and those who push the limits of their knock sensors with engine tuning etc. are already masters of measuring.....all 1,000 of them...worldwide.
There are tens of thousands of racers concerned with weight and where it is located on the vehicle. Hollow Titanium bolts? Aluminum Heim joints, Magnesium castings, thin sheet metal valve/oil pan covers...the list expands constantly? You will find these materials on vehicles that want to be competitive in just about all forms of racing.
When your ‘66 Shelby GT350 is traveling thru west Texas in August and the coolant is 235 F , you’ll be begging for a 10 degree Fahrenheit reduction, just like I was.
Z
Z
Mix
- Joined
- Apr 13, 2025
- Messages
- 279
Welp, I just added WW to (one of) my 1999 Dodge Grand Caravans. Took it on a 70 mile ride today with ambient around 92F
Here's what I noticed......
Overall, it most certainly stayed cooler than before the WW. Maybe 5-10F cooler but I noticed the difference. The vehicle has a two year old radiator. The radiators in these older Chrysler minivans are marginal and rather small for the vehicle weight. So around town on hot summer days the temp reported by OBDII can quickly climb to 224F or just slightly above pretty much any time I stop at a red light.
In other words, the fans MUST be on or I must be moving to keep the coolant temp down below 220F or so.
Today with WW, I found the OBDII temp only reached 221F one time, and remained at or below 219F most of the time even sitting in traffic at red lights with the AC on so that is a solid improvement.
It is suggested that if you live in a climate where temps never dip into freezing (as I do) then you only need 20% coolant and the rest water plus the recommended amount of Water Wetter.
That said, I ran WW in my sport bike, that I would sometimes take and race on track days, for 10 years. In that vehicle I never ran into any gelling or sludge issues. It will be interesting to see if it occurs in the 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan I just installed it into. I'll be watching. if it does develop sludge or gelling, it would have to be the WW because I have not had that in 2 years at all. So we'll see.
Here's what I noticed......
Overall, it most certainly stayed cooler than before the WW. Maybe 5-10F cooler but I noticed the difference. The vehicle has a two year old radiator. The radiators in these older Chrysler minivans are marginal and rather small for the vehicle weight. So around town on hot summer days the temp reported by OBDII can quickly climb to 224F or just slightly above pretty much any time I stop at a red light.
In other words, the fans MUST be on or I must be moving to keep the coolant temp down below 220F or so.
Today with WW, I found the OBDII temp only reached 221F one time, and remained at or below 219F most of the time even sitting in traffic at red lights with the AC on so that is a solid improvement.
It is suggested that if you live in a climate where temps never dip into freezing (as I do) then you only need 20% coolant and the rest water plus the recommended amount of Water Wetter.
That said, I ran WW in my sport bike, that I would sometimes take and race on track days, for 10 years. In that vehicle I never ran into any gelling or sludge issues. It will be interesting to see if it occurs in the 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan I just installed it into. I'll be watching. if it does develop sludge or gelling, it would have to be the WW because I have not had that in 2 years at all. So we'll see.
- Joined
- Apr 13, 2025
- Messages
- 279
The hotter the engine, the hotter the oil, hotter the oil the thinner the oil and with thinner oil comes lower oil pressure.
So Water Wetter and that 10F does help lower oil temp as well.
No? Evidence please?
Your coolant temperature is directly regulated by the thermostat, usually around 200 degrees Fahrenheit. So if Water Wetter did actually drop your coolant temp by 10 degrees, the thermostat would just close up such that it would keep that temp at 200, just the same as if there was some added heat that raised the coolant by 10 degrees, it would open up such that it would dissipate that heat and keep it at 200 degrees.
This is assuming that your cooling system is both in good repair and adequate for what you're doing, which is the case for the vast, vast majority of vehicles the vast, vast majority of the time. If for some reason, your cooling system isn't adequate, and your thermostat is wide open, and the temperature is above 200 somewhere, then Water Wetter might help by allowing that better heat transfer and dropping that coolant temp by 10 degrees.
But that's the kicker; you've got to be in some situation where your cooling system isn't keeping up and regulating the temperature. That's a track type thing, or maybe a towing in the mountains kind of thing.
Insofar as the oil temp is primarily a reflection of the engine temp, which is regulated by the cooling system, your oil temp is going to be pretty much stable as long as the cooling system is working properly, and Water Wetter isn't going to matter unless the cooling system isn't adequate.
- Joined
- Apr 13, 2025
- Messages
- 279
Some vehicles, like my minivans, came with small, thin radiators. They really aren't big enough. These older minivans can run up to 224F pretty quickly in the Summer months with a new radiator. Many of them have transmission coolers built into the radiators. Now switch on the AC on a 98F day and the OEM cooling system can get overwhelmed especially in stop and go traffic. I think Water Wetter just increases the cooling capacity some what by making the coolant heat transfer more efficient.
Also, anti-freeze is somewhat an insulator. Water by itself is a much better coolant (except for corrosion problems and in cold weather).
If you drive only new or late model vehicles you probably are good for a while.
This whole discussion lies in dependencies.
How hot is the ambient temp?
How much load is the vehicle carrying?
How much " cooling capacity" was the vehicle designed for?
Level ground or steep grades?
What is the condition of the block cooling passages, the heads and radiator internally?
Are the fans working properly?
If you have a vehicle like mine that was not designed with a lot of cooling capacity, that's when water wetter might help.
It really seems to have helped in my vehicle today based on OBDII data.
Maybe I should have highlighted and bolded the "adequate" part of the cooling capacity commentary in my post.
All I was trying to say is that a cooling system that's big enough to shed the heat from a car in normal ambient temps wherever you are isn't going to be affected by Water Wetter. Your thermostat is going to close up a bit to keep your coolant from getting too cool if the Water Wetter works as advertised.
Where it does come into play is the situation where it's already wide open, and your temps are above your thermostat setting.
It sounds like your vehicle doesn't have any excess capacity, so your thermostat is constantly wide open and your coolant temperature probably moves all over the place based on what you're doing. Many (most?) vehicles don't do that because there's enough excess radiator capacity that their thermostats actually are opening/closing to keep their coolant at the set temp.
- Joined
- Apr 13, 2025
- Messages
- 279
Follow Up....I may have to say "Uncle".....
So after a bit more testing and dumping coolant and refilling with mostly distilled water and half a bottle of Risoline Super coolant I have to say I'm no longer sure if this stuff does anything. Like I was told, plain water may do just as much as any of these 'Water Wetter" solutions.
If it does anything at all (other than drain your wallet) it's very slight. And only while in motion. Once I'm stopped the temps seem to rise as they always do. A 5F drop would be generous.
Maybe I became a victim of my own confirmation bias. Maybe I just wanted the promised result too much?
Slightly different story when in motion. When moving, especially at highway speeds it does "seem" that it cools down a bit faster and runs maybe 10F cooler? Again, it's really hard to say without a very controlled experiment. I say "seems" to run cooler based on an observation that when moving, the OBDII temp stays at or slightly below the normal temps that I used to get at highway speeds.
I have a 95F thermostat and I've never seen it read 92F until today. draw your own conclusion but I think that points to more cooling while the thermostat is open than normal. So, "maybe" a slight benefit at highway speeds (or..was it JUST the fact that the solution is more plain water than before?) (Likely)
Anyway, I'm not seeing any noticeable or significant temperature drops from using it tooling around in the city, light to light and only a modest (maybe 10F?) drop at highway speeds. All subjective with too many variables to be sure.
Verdict is still out. But I've changed from a true believer to a skeptic.
So after a bit more testing and dumping coolant and refilling with mostly distilled water and half a bottle of Risoline Super coolant I have to say I'm no longer sure if this stuff does anything. Like I was told, plain water may do just as much as any of these 'Water Wetter" solutions.
If it does anything at all (other than drain your wallet) it's very slight. And only while in motion. Once I'm stopped the temps seem to rise as they always do. A 5F drop would be generous.
Maybe I became a victim of my own confirmation bias. Maybe I just wanted the promised result too much?
Slightly different story when in motion. When moving, especially at highway speeds it does "seem" that it cools down a bit faster and runs maybe 10F cooler? Again, it's really hard to say without a very controlled experiment. I say "seems" to run cooler based on an observation that when moving, the OBDII temp stays at or slightly below the normal temps that I used to get at highway speeds.
I have a 95F thermostat and I've never seen it read 92F until today. draw your own conclusion but I think that points to more cooling while the thermostat is open than normal. So, "maybe" a slight benefit at highway speeds (or..was it JUST the fact that the solution is more plain water than before?) (Likely)
Anyway, I'm not seeing any noticeable or significant temperature drops from using it tooling around in the city, light to light and only a modest (maybe 10F?) drop at highway speeds. All subjective with too many variables to be sure.
Verdict is still out. But I've changed from a true believer to a skeptic.
Last edited:
Similar threads
- Locked