does water in rad work better

L

lenmissy

Senior Member
does water make flatheads run cooler then antfreeze in canada we use only antfreeze because of the weather never heard about water wetter wher do i buy it len 40 ford and 31 a
 
water dissapates heat better than anything else.I use distilled water in my flathead.Antifreeze retains the heat.I have never overheated with water in my ride and i live in so cal and drive that thing in all temps
 
But what about corrosion? Also, what about in New England and other cold places when the temperatures go down? There is always a risk of "forgetting" - especially as we get older. Sometimes people die unexpectently - it's unsettling, but a fact. Then the block freezes up. (you could argue that you don't care after you're gone, but I want to leave my cars to my sons). My father always ran a 50-50 mixture of antifreeze and water year round in the Model As that he left me. He died unexpectently at age 57 from a massive heart attack, and I was a 14 year old kid who never thought to check the antifreeze in those old Fords. Thankfully, my father thought ahead. I never saw a real reason to change this practice from my father after 40 + years. We did live in Maine, where it gets pretty cold in the winter. I never drove my Model As hard though. They seem pretty comfortable at 42 miles per hour. I never really understood why people drive them 60 mph or more. You can get a Toyota if you want to do that. Yes, I know I sound like an old curmugion. That's cause I am one. No high compression heads for me. I like 'em just like they are. Forty two miles per hour. Just right. Happy.

ed
 
There are other liquids that transfer heat better than water but they are either combustible or deadly to humans when released to the air plus the expense and sealing qualities are bad. Ethylene glycol raises the boiling point of the coolant about as much as straight water will lower it and maybe a little more if actually tested.

We had four flathead V8 Ford vehicles on the farm when I was growing up in Kansas. We ran them in the summer heat and never had a problem with them overheating. If I had put anything in there other than glycol and water, my dad would have kicked my butt. Even following that practice one of the F1s still froze up during a harsh winter and cracked the block. To me it's just not worth the hassle of changing the fluids twice a year.

Kerby
 
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