Question:

What is everybody runnin for coolant in their 650's? Anyone running distilled water with water wetter? or just straight water for the summer months? 50/50 or 25/75 anti-freeze/water mix?

Looking to run a cooler mixture than the antifreeze the dealer put in. Any suggestions?

 

I just read that water/water-wetter w/out anti-freeze is not good at all. Anti-freeze provides lubrication for the water pump and anti-corrosion properties for the cooling system. The anti-freeze also raises the coolant's boiling point and lowers it's freezing point.

So from what I can gather, the best ratio (optimum) would be 25-30% antifreeze, 70-75% water with the water-wetter additive.

 

I think NYROC did some damage to his buy using a coolant additive you need to ask him.

 

just don't mix it stronger than 75%, and water is bad, like you said, antifreeze does a lot more than keeping the fluid from freezing

 

I agree with Rincon, If you use too much antifreeze (ethylene glycol based) you will likely have gelling problems. With your water, just be sure to at least use distilled. Distilled/deionized is better. I get it from my laboratory, I am not sure where you would get it commercially.

 

I use Spectro Year Round. It is premixed.

 

Antifreeze and water over about 66% antifreeze(I think) turns to gel instead of freezing when it gets too cold. If it is close to 90%, it gels at much warmer temperatures.

Water carries a whole lot more heat to the radiator than ethylene glycol. This is why 66% antifreeze is really dumb. I try to hit 40 to 50%. I could almost use 25%, cuz my quad doesn't get that cold in the winter.

At 14 psi, water and water wetter boils at nearly the same temp as 50/50 antifreeze, according to redline.

According to redline, water with water wetter does inhibit corrosion and lubricate the pump, but not quite as well as antifreeze.

The kawasaki antifreeze is formulated to protect aluminum parts better than auto antifreeze.

Not using distilled water greatly reduces the cooling system efficiency due to scaling of deposits on engine parts.

I can't prove it, but something destroyed my pump seal, my fill neck (plastic), and my coolant strainer (plastic). It was either water, kawasaki coolant, or water wetter, because nothing else was in there. Redline told me it was not water wetter (of course), but it obviously was not water or coolant since all you 650 owners have not had the cooling system parts turn to mush like mine did.

 

Make sure it is for the motor cycles there is a difference between auto motive antifreeze and motor cylce. The Car one has silicate the cycles do not.

 

Have you guys ever read about Evans NPG coolant? It's benefits look awesome. It comes without silicates for motorcycles, uses no water, can transfer a lot more heat from the engine than ethylene glycol and water. Looks like we could ride through more mud holes without overheating.

It doesn't boil out if your radiator is clogged, so you don't loose it on the trail (boils at 350, freezes at -70. It has 50/50 water ethgly beaten. Your engine light will still tell you when to clean the mud from the radiator.

It can take water if you ever do loose some, but you need to replace it afterwards.

It can last 400000 miles before it needs changing, and has far better corrosion protection (water is what corrodes the engine anyway, this stuff uses no water).

see http://www.evanscooling.com/html/npgben1.htm#review

the only drawback is cost, and I have only found it for $25 per gallon so far. I think I'm gonna do it. I bet it stops the fan from goin so much better than high lifter additives, water wetter, or the premixed stuff.

 

nyroc,
Is it good to use with alluminum parts? Sounds interesting.