Bob,
You are obviously very knowledgeable. I understand your counterpoints and was going to add something about distilled water becoming un-distilled upon entry into a very non-sterile environment (ionically speaking).
Allow me to respectfully counterpoint back, one more time, though...
The Evans website talks a lot about drag racing - more so than any other use. I assumed, therefore, that drag racing was the initial developing and proving ground.
"a engine with a properly sized cooling system using Evans coolant and a quality
synthetic oil will last much longer than an engine using straight water with an additive"
I disagree with that and don't know what basis you have for that. Certainly your basis is your expertise as a diesel mechanic. Fine. But, in what terms are you talking about the engine lasting longer? Water jackets being free of scale?
Yes, modern
synthetic oils can run hotter without experiencing viscocity breakdown or flashing, but are hotter bearing surface temps really better? Are hotter cyl head temps really better? According to your drag racing days, no.
You made a good point though, about properly sized cooling systems. I am sure a big enough radiator with strong enough puller fans could probably keep an Evans cooled engine as cool as a water cooled engine.
I'm not being a smartass here, I'm trying to take in an opinion from an obviously knowledgeable mechanic, and file it away in the "things worth thinking about" folder. Would I be incorrect in saying you think that.....
"Evans Coolant, in terms of chemical makeup, and the resultant effects on engine block and accessories, is the most ideal coolant out there. Due to its lesser specific heat capacity, a 'proper' sized cooling system must become larger. The ideal setup, then, is an oversized cooling system running Evans Coolant."
Oversized becomes a relative term. Many of us are indeed bandaiding a cooling problem...The problem of running a big, high performance engine in a car with limited space for a radiator sets a new standard for cooling system capacity. In general, that capacity is reduced on a Cobra/Cobra replica. Perhaps oversized in a Cobra is really just the right size.
But the reality of it all is that we all have somewhat diminished cooling capacities, although I believe that the newer SPF cars and their radiators (and I'm sure other mfr's, too...i'm only familiar with my radiator) don't really have a diminished cooling capacity.
If you are talking about 500,000 mile diesel motors experiencing breakdown due to water coolant, OK. But I think most of us are talking about engines that are not intended to last 20 years.
I just think that for our typical use, the stresses put on an engine will be less when running water and pumping more heat out of the engine. I don't think (regardless of the
oil properties) that it's healthy to run 240F
oil temps consistently. I saw 200 cruising and 240 running hard - with Evans. I see 160 cruising and 180 running hard - with water.
Thanks for the insight into your personal knowledge, though, and I mean it. Filed away....
