Quote:
Originally Posted by 30 Closed Cab PU
Additional alternatives.
You could always run antifreeze in the cooler/cold weather and once it warms up drain it/save it for reuse, and run your water/waterwetter in warmer weather. This would give you cold weather protection all winter. It is so easy to drain, not much trouble. Plus you have anticorrosion protection all winter, if not in a heated garage you can get some condensation from temperature swings.
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This is what I do. It does not take long to swap from winter coolant to summer coolant in the spring, and back in the fall. The anti-rust and waterpump lube additive in the water is important.
I also do a radiator and cooling system flush each fall when I change over to antifreeze, to keep everything clean, and put a thermostat in for the winter.
Without getting into opinions (everybody has one) it is a fact that a pound of 50-50 antifreeze has about 60% of the heat capacity (how many BTUs it will store per degree of temperature increase) than plain water has. In warmer weather, when working an engine hard (eg. climbing grade in 3rd gear) plain water will carry away the heat load better than 50-50 antifreeze, all other things equal. YMMV.
I like to drive the car in the winter on a clear, dry day, even if it's cold, and the 50-50 antifreeze lets me do that. I don't want to have the car locked up until all chance of a freeze is behind me. I would lose too much of the prime Model A driving season! (This is also why I use a modern multi-viscosity oil in the engine, so that it is not too thick when cold in the winter. Let's not go there!
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My garage is insulated but not heated. I have an outdoor wireless thermometer out there that I read from in the house. It also captures the min and max temperatures in the last 24 hours. I never see temperatures out there in the building below freezing, even when outside temperatures are in the teens. But I still use antifreeze.
The most important thing is that you have fun!