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Parts of this article (and the graphs) were quoted from our friends at RedLine.

So it's the middle of summer, it's boiling hot out and your bike is overheating because water just doesn't cut it. What to do?

Toss in some antifreeze (ethylene glycol) I have heard some say. My response to them is if they put in antifreeze and line their bike up to start a race I'll black flag them before it even starts.

Antifreeze does and admirable job of raising the boiling point of water, which means your bike can run longer. However in the case of an accident or malfunction, antifreeze can cause major accidents.

Antifreeze is slippery stuff, which can cause accidents. So what do you use if you can't use antifreeze? You get some water wetter.

Water wetter does not significantly increase the boiling point of water. Nor does it significally decrease the freezing point of water. So what does it do? It provides superior metal wetting which increases heat transfer from the metal to the water which can then be passed through the radiator to cool.



Cooling System Fluid Stabilized Temperature
50% Glycol/ 50% Water 228°F
50/50 with WaterWetter 220°F
Water 220°F
Water with WaterWetter 202°F

The info above shows us that water with water wetter will give better results than any combination. So why not stay cooler?

Water wetter also does not alter the frictional property of tire rubber and water on a pavement surface.



This article was written by Bruce Peresky for pocketbikeforum.com. Copying is permitted provided you give credit to http://www.pocketbikeforum.com

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