*Split* Engine coolant temperature and optimum working condition on track

Hugo, What are you opinions on Laminova coolers vs Air coolers? - IF you can get the water temps down to 70-80 degress, even without a stat in place (Which I have tried in race conditions) that water temps (taken from rad top hose) are still circa 90 degrees, with OEM cowling and larger 8v radiator. Oil temps of around 110 degrees with a 19row 235mm air cooler.

If you can manage/maintain a lower coolent temp (70-80 degrees) with a laminova then surely this is a better option? - Not only for reliablity sake!

 

The oil / water heat exchangers as the Laminova have imo their purpose in certain fields, like in a rallycar where you have more cold warm cold situations due the rallystages and driving to / from the stages ... and the same we see now in roadcars were the engine get sooner up temperature and once hot oil get cooled by the water..

For circuit use the water get heated by the oil, which is to avoid and then we need a bigger radiator.... for this reason i prefer air to oil coolers. 19 row coolers can do for some track use , but once its more serious track use / racing i would go for atleast 25 rows as you can tune your temps by blanking them off on cold days while at hot days its no luxury

110C for modern oils is fine

We used a diesel radiator and no thermostat and ran most of the time ca 70 C ( N.A engine)

 

my radical has a laminova about a foot and a half long, sat right on the floor for low weight, and dogwoods polo has one too. they are a really good idea imo, stabilise the whole engine temp giving quicker warm up (a big problem on my radical) and also cooling capacity when hot, theres no other engine oil cooler but the car does have two big water rads and a gearbox oil rad. other thing to consider is that they give cooling with no aero/ drag disadvantage.

 

Rob, I'd agree,

Endurance racing for example. The e46 we currently have 'in build' had laminova coolers for the gearbox and engine, and only an oil/air cooler for the rear diff ( which takes it's air source from a naca duct in the rear window to the spare wheel well where the face of the cooler is away from debris/damage...

Packaging another reason. Space is at a premium once properly ducting the intake and radiator..

 

Anyone tried ... http://www.evanscooling.com/questions-and-answers/science-of-evans-coolant/how-it-works/ ?

 

Its flammable!?

 

And slippery like oil if spilt, and doesnt evaporate... - On those limiations alone, I dont care if its a percentage or 2 more efficient at cooling.

Never had any issues with distilled water and water wetter in the summer, and 50/50 coolant added in winter.

 

As is G12 and G13 coolant thats run in almost all modern VAGS.
I'm running evans waterless coolant in my LCR and it dropped my coolant temps 2-3degrees. Its stupid expensive though

 

Normal coolant isnt flammable until 115 degrees. Once diluted with water (which im pretty sure isnt flammable!) - It wouldn't ever be an issue.

Ive never seen coolant go up in smoke after a road or race accident!?

Evans is quite a different kettle of fish.. Its banned by quite a few motorsport governing bodies and racetracks - Which Evans dont tell you when you fork out all that money!

 

I have. Pinhole leak spraying coolant onto a hot exhaust manifold and caught fire

 

Either way, the coolant doesn't control the temperature your engine runs at. The thermostat does. - How have you come to the conclusion its running colder?

 

I've come to that conclusion, because it is.
G12 coolant 50/50 mix (aircon off) The car settled at 92deg on the move (sustained periods at 60mph).
Same mix, with water wetter, 90-91 deg.
Cooler running thermostat, 50/50 mix plus watter wetter, 87deg.
cooler thermostat with evans waterless coolant, 84deg.

All readings logged with vcds (I actually use a liquid gauge but same thing), over thousands of miles.
I've had a lot of issues with coolant temp on track so have spent the last year trying to fix it.

 

Again, for the few percentage of gains.

It's use for track/race cars is massivley prohibited by bans..

Hence why race teams done use it.

 

WTF!

The thermostat controls when the cooling system starts to work

 

It is just a friendly discussion honest

My understanding is, in the internal combustion engine, the wax type thermostat is used to maintain the optimum engine temperature, by regulating the flow of coolant and thus heat transfer to an air cooled radiator.
I read your comment as starts to flow from the radiator?

 

No offence was intended, I was defending against misinformation.
The thermostat allows the temperature to get to an operational temp, it then opens to regulate that temperature at the level, if it gets too cool, it closes, however, if there is more energy (heat) in the motor than can be expelled the temperature will rise, and that is regardless of the existane of a thermo or not. Hence the radiator starts when the thermostat opens, but the energy being expelled is nothing to do with it.
Water wetter allows better heat transfer and run a motor to expel more energy than normal. Evans has a higher tolerance for the amount of energy it can hold, (so it doesnt micro boil) neither of these things has anything to do with the minimum running tem, just the maximum

 

Then if what you are saying is correct, and more energy from the engine is being transferred to the coolant. The coolant temp will be hotter, as the sensors/temp reading will be pre radiator?

 

If engine coolant becomes hotter faster than brand X due to increased heat transfer, then the stat will start to regulate earlier.

 

http://www.evanscoolants.co.uk/technical/questions-&-answers/38

Interesting contradiction in the answer to the second question in the 'Operation' section about whether it will cause the engine to run at a higher temperature.

My understanding of physics says that for a given radiator size, and coolant flow rate, the only way to increase maximum heat-flow out of the engine is to increase the temperature of the coolant entering the radiator.

 

B****x to all that, it's flammable!