Best Antifreeze??

[latham83]

Hey can somebody tell me whats the best antifreeze to run in their 5.0? what do u guys use???

 

[TwinTurbo93]

I just use straight water, I live in Florida and the car is an occasional driver. There is also nothing harder to clean off the dragstrip than antifreeze so I know if anything ever happens and I spill some water on the track everyone won't have to wait for hours to get it cleaned up. I don't think it really matters what you use though, I would imagine that one is just as good as another.

 

[noslow5_0]

I just use straight water, I live in Florida and the car is an occasional driver. There is also nothing harder to clean off the dragstrip than antifreeze so I know if anything ever happens and I spill some water on the track everyone won't have to wait for hours to get it cleaned up. I don't think it really matters what you use though, I would imagine that one is just as good as another.

ummm... depends on where you live, and the climate conditions.... They call it antifreeze for a reason, but basically for the winter....i believe water has the fastest heat transfer, but also tends to rust cast iron alot faster!!!! I just use the prestone green antifreeze.... I know others that have used the environmentaly safe kind, and have had mixed feelings about it.....

 

[The Communist]

Isn't antifreeze all the same?

 

[IndyBlk5.0]

if you use straight water, used distilled.
run about a 50/50 mix
make sure the antifreeze you use is safe for aluminum and other metals

 

[408stroker5.0]

Most Antifreeze's are the same. When it comes to there cooling efficiency there is pretty much no difference in any brand. The only difference you may find is the life span and freezing points. If your car isn't a full time drag strip car, it's good to use a 50/50 mix of distilled water and A/F, and throw in a bottle of Red Line Water Wetter. The A/F is especially good for blocks, as it will prevent rust and corrosion of the block. I highly recomend using a bottle of Red Line Watter Wetter. This stuff actually works when it comes to lowering your engine temp. It's not a big difference, but every little bit helps. I use this combination in my 87' Stang/ 408 Stroker with a Be Cool Rad and Dual fan Assy. with an Edelbrock Water Pump and it works quite well. It's all you need.
As for car's that see a majority of track time, it's best to throw 100% Distilled Water and a bottle of Red Line Water Wetter in. It's a huge pain when A/F is spilled on a drag strip and is actually quite dangerous to your self and fellow competitiors.

 

[Michael Yount]

Actually you have to be quite careful out there now. GM promoted a brand called Dex (something like that) that is orange in color as a long life product especially good with aluminum components. People have a mixed reaction to the product, however, when combined with even a small amount of the typical 'green' antifreezes, many owners have problems with sludge deposits fouling their cooling system. If your car came with Dex, there are many who recommend switching it for the green stuff -- but it takes a very careful flushing with lots of water to get rid of all the orange stuff before you put the green stuff in.

I'd use the green stuff if I were you. Antifreeze not only lowers the freeze point, it raises the boiling point of the mixture. If you're gonna run pure water (many racing bodies require it) - it should at least have a water pump lubricant added to it.

 

[YELLOWLXCOUPE]

i use dexcool ... .the orange stuff ... i havent had a problem yet .... 50/50 ... but ill tell ya what i dont like it in the newer gm cars ... seams to break down and turn colors and creates brown crap in the over flow tank.... just my 2cents

 

[cardudeusa]

Definatley use the green. The Dex Cool that Gm started using, Ive also seen in newer Jeeps, and Honda actually takes a pink one. Gm started using the Dex Cool because of the high energy ignition. When you put the green coolant in some of the newer Gm's I have heard of it eating headgaskets.

I live in FL and I use about a 50/50 mix. You can buy a gallon of pre mixed coolant w/ water for about $4. Otherwise straight coolant is like $6.50. Also like IndyBlk5.0 said use distilled water!!!

Oh, and if you cant use antifreeze Watter Wetter works great, and wont get slippery out there on the track. The cicrle trackers around here keep that company in buisness.

 

[BlackFox5.0]

Gm started using the Dex Cool because of the high energy ignition.

I thought that they use it because it lasts longer. I read a sticker on the overflow bottle on some GM, and it said it should be changed after 5 years, or 150,000 miles. It aslo said something about it lasting longer than conventional antifreeze

 

[cardudeusa]

I thought that they use it because it lasts longer. I read a sticker on the overflow bottle on some GM, and it said it should be changed after 5 years, or 150,000 miles. It aslo said something about it lasting longer than conventional antifreeze

Yeah, but I'm pretty sure thats not the only reason. One of the guys I used to work with worked for Gm, he's the one that told me about brand new cars eating head gaskets, when the owner changed the coolant to the green.

 

[Michael Yount]

If you want to read about Dexcool, check out the links below. Typical problems are not head gasket related, but related to "brown sludge" that forms in the system. This renders the cooling system ineffective, which frequently leads to overheating and blown head gaskets. The issue isn't a direct interaction between any of the antifreezes and the head gasket.

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/gm_dexcool.html
http://www.injuryboard.com/view.cfm/Topic=1095
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/news/7oys/072503_7oys_dexcool.html
http://www.cwcd.com/CM/MassTorts/MassTorts5.asp

Whenever class action suits are considered, it's safe to assume there is some problem with a product. In this case the problem is well documented, although I hadn't heard about any of this when I chose Dexcool for my car. I only had it in my car for a very short period of time before I heard about the problems, and I then flushed it completely out and replaced with traditional Prestone/distilled water. If you're using Dex, I'd switch as soon as you can - and be very careful with the flush. If it's been in your system for more than a year or two, I'd take a close look inside any parts of the system you can for the 'brown sludge'.

 

[ninety15.0]

I think i am actually running a touch over 50% green prestone antifreeze in my car right now....right before i put it away for the winter i got one of the flush kits and i was amazing at the amount of crap, and nasty colored A/F that came out of my radiator. I like that Micheal Yount mentioned that A/F actually rasies the boiling point of the solution and lowers the freezing point, and i also think that the green A/F helps to coat and protect the inside of your cooling system from rusting and corroding. Thats why im running a little more A/F in my solution. But to each his own

 

[Bone Racing]

i use some water, some of the "GM stuff", and some water wetter

the %'s change season to season

 

[lucas neil]

I am using PRESTONE AF2000 EXTENDED LIFE ANTIFREEZE . You would be hard pressed to find any better antifreeze products in the industry than those made by Prestone. The company name is so strong when it comes to coolant for your vehicle that the name itself is almost synonymous with antifreeze. This is a great product that will do a nice job cooling your engine even under the most extreme conditions . One of the best things about this product is how well it protects your cooling system from corrosion. With its built-in “cor-guard” technology it actually puts a protective layer of coating over you somewhat sensitive cooling system metals to keep them from breaking down under use.

 

[Mustang5L5]

Hmm...that almost sounded like a commercial.

 

[DSB88GT]

almost???

 

[Mustang5L5]

Wonder how much they got paid for that

 

[General karthief]

I'm sure the people in this thread appreciate his response, after all they've waited a long enough.
Did they have 'cor-guard' technology back in 2004?

 

[mikestang63]

I am using PRESTONE AF2000 EXTENDED LIFE ANTIFREEZE . You would be hard pressed to find any better antifreeze products in the industry than those made by Prestone. The company name is so strong when it comes to coolant for your vehicle that the name itself is almost synonymous with antifreeze. This is a great product that will do a nice job cooling your engine even under the most extreme conditions . One of the best things about this product is how well it protects your cooling system from corrosion. With its built-in “cor-guard” technology it actually puts a protective layer of coating over you somewhat sensitive cooling system metals to keep them from breaking down under use.