Water has twice the heat transfer capability whencompared to 50% glycol antifreeze/coolant in water.
Most passenger automobiles have a cooling systemdesigned to reject sufficient heat under normal operating conditions using a 50/50 glycol solution inwater. However, in racing applications, the use ofwater and WaterWetter® will enable the use of smaller radiator systems, which means less frontal drag,and it will also reduce cylinder head temperatures,
even when compared to water alone, which means
more spark advance may be used to improve engine
torque.
BENEFIT SUMMARY
Doubles the wetting ability of water
Improves heat transfer
Reduces cylinder head temperatures
May allow more spark advance for increased
torqueReduces rust, corrosion and electrolysis
Provides long term corrosion protection
Cleans and lubricates water pump seals
Prevents foaming
Reduces cavitation corrosion
Complexes with hard water to reduce scale

•
••
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

Combustion Heat Distribution
100

Incomplete Combustion
9080

Exhaust Heat

70
60
50

Coolant Heating

4030
20Brake Power

100202530

3540

4550

556065MPH

THERMAL PROPERTIES
Water has amazingly superior heat transfer properties compared to virtually any other liquid coolingmedium - far superior to glycol-based coolants. As
shown in Table 1, water has almost 2.5 times greater
thermal conductivity compared to glycol coolants.
Mixtures of glycol and water have nearly proportional
improvement due to the addition of water. Most heatis transferred in a cooling system by convection fromhot metal to a cooler liquid as in the engine block orfrom a hot liquid to cooler metal surfaces, as in theradiator. The convection coefficient of liquids in a
tube is a complicated relationship between the thermal conductivity, viscosity of the liquid, and the tube

Table 1
Thermal Properties of Cooling System Materials

Removal of Heat from Aluminum @ 304°F
Beginning Coolant Temperature 214°F
305

Material

Density
3g/cm

Water
Glycol50/50

ThermalThermalHeat
Heat ofConductivity Convection Capacity Vaporization
2Watt/m•°C Watt/m •°C cal/g•°Ccal/g

1.000
1.114
1.059

0.60
0.25
0.41

Aluminum 2.70
Cast Iron 7.25
Copper
8.93
Brass
8.40
Ceramics
Air.0013

15558
384
113
1-10.026

1829----8971.000
0.5730.836

539
226
374

0.225
0.119
0.093
0.091
0.240

300
295

Aluminum Block Temperature, °F

COOLING SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
The conventional spark ignition gasoline engine is
not a very efficient powerplant. A considerable
amount of the available fuel energy must be rejectedfrom the metal combustion chamber parts by thecoolant and dispersed to the atmosphere through theradiator. This heat rejection is necessary in order toprevent thermal fatigue of the pistons, cylinder walls,
and the cylinder head. Another problem is that thecombustion chamber must be cooled enough to prevent preignition and detonation. The higher the combustion chamber temperatures, the higher theoctane number required to prevent preignition anddetonation. Since the octane of the available fuel islimited, increasing temperatures in the combustion
chamber require retarding the spark timing which
reduces the peak torque available. Higher inlet temperatures also reduce the density of the fuel/air mixture, reducing available torque further. For these reasons reducing the flow of heat to the coolant usuallyreduces the efficiency of the engine. Figure 1 showsa typical heat balance diagram for a spark ignitionengine. This diagram demonstrates that the coolant
in an automobile engine must absorb and rejectthrough the radiator 2 to 3 times the amount of energy which is converted to brake power.

% Heating Value of Fuel

Red Line WaterWetter® is designed to provide
improved metal wetting and excellent corrosion inhibition when added to plain water or a glycol coolant.
The most poorly maintained system in an automobile
is usually the cooling system. Maintenance is quite
simple and only required once each year, but mostvehicle owners never routinely change the coolant orreplenish the corrosion inhibitors which are required
for trouble-free operation. Proper cooling system
maintenance is very critical for most modern engines
which utilize more aluminum. Aluminum has a very
high corrosion potential, even higher than zinc, which
is very widely used as a sacrificial anode. The only
property which enables aluminum to be used in acooling system is that it will form protective films
under the proper conditions which will prevent theuncontrolled corrosive attack of acids or bases. Poor
aluminum corrosion inhibition will cause the dissolution of aluminum at the heat rejection surfaces,
weakening the cooling system walls and water pumpcasing and weakening the head gasket mating surfaces. These corrosion products will then form
deposits on the lower temperature surfaces such as
in radiator tubes which have very poor heat transfer
properties, causing a significant reduction in the cooling ability of the entire system. Red Line
WaterWetter® will provide the proper corrosion inhibition for all common cooling system metals, including aluminum, cast iron, steel, copper, brass, andlead.

290
285

100% Glycol

280275
270Boiling Point 50% Glycol @ 15 psig

265
260

50% Glycol / 50% Water

255
250
245

Boiling Point Red Line + Water @ 15 psig

240

50 / 50 with WaterWetter™

235
230
225

Water
Water Treated With WaterWetter™

220

diameter which determines the amount of turbulent
flow. Since 50/50 glycol solution has about 4 times
the viscosity and only 70% of the thermal conductivity of water, the thermal convection coefficient for a50/50 glycol solution is approximately 50% of thecoefficient for water. Water in the cooling system iscapable of transferring twice as much heat out of thesame system as compared to a 50/50 glycol coolant
and water solution. In order for a 50/50 glycol mixture
to reject as much heat as water (amount of heatrejected is independent of the coolant), the temperature differentials at the heat transfer surface must be
twice as great, which means higher cylinder headtemperatures.
HEAT TRANSFERRed Line WaterWetter® can reduce cooling systemtemperatures compared to glycol solutions and evenplain water. Water has excellent heat transfer properties in its liquid state, but very high surface tension
makes it difficult to release water vapor from themetal surface. Under heavy load conditions, much of
the heat in the cylinder head is transferred by localized boiling at hot spots, even though the bulk of thecooling solution is below the boiling point. Red Line's
unique WaterWetter® reduces the surface tension ofwater by a factor of two, which means that muchsmaller vapor bubbles will be formed. Vapor bubbles
on the metal surface create an insulating layer which
impedes heat transfer. Releasing these vapor bubbles from the metal surface can improve the heattransfer properties in this localized boiling region by
as much as 15% as shown in Figure 2. This figure
demonstrates the removal of heat from an aluminum
bar at 304°F by quenching the bar in different
coolants at 214°F under 15 psi pressure. Compare
the time required to reduce the temperature of thealuminum to 250°F, or the boiling point of water at 15psi. Red Line with WaterWetter® required 3.2 seconds, water alone 3.7 sec, 50/50 glycol in waterrequired 10.2 sec, and 100% glycol required 21 sec.
Water alone required 15% longer, 50/50 glycol 220%
longer, and 100% glycol required 550% longer.

024681012141618Seconds

DYNO TEST RESULTS
Dynomometer tests performed by Malcolm Garrett
Racing Engines showed significant improvements incoolant temperatures using WaterWetter®. Thesetests were performed with a Chevrolet 350 V-8 with acast iron block and aluminum cylinder heads. The
thermostat temperature was 160°F. The engine operated at 7200 rpm for three hours and the stabilized
cooling system temperature was recorded and tabulated below:
Cooling System Fluid
Stabilized Temperature
50% Glycol/ 50% Water
228°F
50/50 with WaterWetter® 220°F
Water
220°F
Water with WaterWetter® 202°F
These numbers are similar to the temperatures
recorded in track use and heavy-duty street use.
COOLANT EFFECTS ON PERFORMANCE
Under moderate load conditions, each percent glycol
raises cylinder head temperatures by 1°F. 50% glycol
raises head temperatures by 45°F. This increase intemperature will raise the octane required for trace
knock levels by typically 3.5 octane numbers. A carequipped with a knock sensor will retard the timing tocompensate for the increase in octane requirement
by approximately 5°, which will reduce the maximum
brake torque by about 2.1%. Racing vehicles not
equipped with knock sensors can advance timing forincreased torque.

Performance Properties of Coolants
SAE 880266

Water
Increase in Cylinder
Head Temperature
Baseline
Increase in Octane(RON) Requirement
Baseline
Change in Spark Timingfor Trace Knock
Baseline
Change in Torque
Baseline

50%
Glycol70%
Glycol

+45°F

+65°F

+3.5

+5.0

-5.2°
-2.1%

-7.5°
-3.1%

BOILING POINT ELEVATIONRed Line WaterWetter® does not significantly
increase the boiling point of water; however, increasing pressure will raise the boiling point. The boilingpoint of water treated with Red Line using a 15 psi
cap is 250°F compared to 265°F at 15 psi for 50%
glycol. Increasing the pressure by 50% to 23 psi will
increase the boiling point of water to 265°F. Becauseof the doubling of the ability of the radiator to transfer
heat, boilover using Red Line treated water is not a
problem as long as the engine is circulating coolant
through the head and the fan is circulating air.
Sudden shutdown after very hard driving may causeboilover.
FREEZING POINT DEPRESSIONRed Line WaterWetter® does not significantly reduce
the freezing point of water. If the vehicle will see
freezing temperatures, an antifreeze must be used.
Water expands approximately 9% upon freezing
which can cause severe engine damage. Even insummertime, the use of air-conditioning can blow
freezing air through the heater and cause freezing ofthe heater core unless approximately 20% antifreeze
is used.
CORROSION PROTECTION
Modern automotive engines now use aluminum forheads, radiators, water pump housings, and nearly
all hose fittings. These engines require significantly
greater corrosion protection than their cast iron counterparts of the past. Aluminum is such an electroactive metal that it requires an impenetrable corrosion
inhibitor film to prevent rapid corrosion. Acid neutralization capability is very important. Coolant which
has been left in a cooling system for several years
has probably become acidic from the oxidation of theglycol to acids. Also, keeping the glycol concentrationin the cooling system below 50% will help stability.
Red Line also provides excellent protection from cavitation erosion in the water pump and cylinder head.
Localized boiling in the cylinder head forms vapor
bubbles which collapse when they come in contact
with cooler liquids. This collapse creates tremendous
shock waves which removes the inhibitor film fromthe aluminum surface and can cause catastrophic
erosion of the aluminum if the inhibitor does notreform the film quickly. Another problem created bycavitation erosion is the deposition of the removed
aluminum as a salt with poor heat transfer properties
in the lower temperature radiator tubes. Red Lineprevents this corrosion through effective film formation and smaller vapor bubble formation, which has aless violent collapse. Foam control is equally important since entrained air will cause cavitation erosion
due to the collapse of foam bubbles. Red Line provides excellent control of foam with water alone andglycol solutions.

Most coolants additives on the market provide only
protection for iron and perhaps moderate protection
for aluminum. The milky soluble oil types can actually
impede heat transfer by wetting the metal surface
with oil and this oil can swell and soften rubbercoolant hoses. Table 3 shows the many tests which
the Red Line formula will satisfy and how it compares
to a standard antifreeze.

Table 3Comparison of Corrosion Inhibition Properties
PROPERTYRED LINEpH
8.6
Boiling Point @ 15 psig
250°F
Freezing Point
31°F
Foaming Height, ml
75
ColorPink
Ash, %
0.5
Surface Tension @ 100°C,
Dynes/cm2
28.3
ASTM D4340 Heat Transfer
Corrosion Test, Aluminum
0.21
Weight loss, mg/cm2/wk
ASTM D1384 Corrosion,
Weight loss, mg/specimen
Copper
1Solder
6Brass2
Steel
1
Cast Iron
0Aluminum
16SPEC
7.5 - 11-35°F(50%)
150green/blue
5, maxCOOLANT A
9.8
265°F (50%)-35°F
50green158.9 (water)

1 max

0.45

USE DIRECTIONS
One 12 ounce bottle treats 12-16 quarts of water or a
50% ethylene or propylene glycol solution. In smaller
cooling systems, use 4-5 caps per quart. Add directly
through the cooling system fill cap into the radiator orinto the overflow tank. Do not open a cooling system
while hot. For best protection for aluminum, replenish
or replace every 15,000 miles. The anti-scaling ingredients in Red Line WaterWetter® allow its use withordinary tap water. However, using with distilled ordeionized water will accomplish some scale removal
in the cylinder head area. Plain water with or without
WaterWetter® should not be used in cooling systems
containing magnesium - antifreeze should be used with WaterWetter®. For maximum temperature
reductions use the most water and the least
antifreeze possible to prevent freezing in your climate. Even in summertime the use of air-conditioning
can blow freezing air through the heater and cause
freezing of the heater core unless approximately 20%
antifreeze is used. Red Line WaterWetter® is available in 12 ounce containers.

DESIGNED FOR PERFORMANCE
10 max30
10101030

5756330SLIPPERINESS OF COOLANTS
Red Line WaterWetter® does not alter the frictional
property of tire rubber and water on a pavement surface. The chart below shows the static and dynamic
friction of pavement wetted with different coolant
types. Higher friction indicates less slipperiness. The
dynamic friction indicates the increase in slipping
which occurs after the tire begins to break loose.
Water and water with Waterwetter® reduce the frictionrelative to dry pavement about 50%, but it is muchless than the reduction in friction caused by ethylene
glycol and even more slippery is propylene glycol.
Friction - Tire Rubber on Pavement
Dry Pavement

Plain Water

Red Line Synthetic Oil Corporation is the leader inlubricant and fuel system chemistry. Red Line manufactures a full line of automotive products which aredesigned to provide noticeable improvements in performance. Other Red Line products are:Diesel Fuel Catalyst - with Fuel Lubricant
85 Plus Diesel Fuel Additive - with Fuel Lubricant
Diesel Fuel Biostat - Antimicrobial AgentSI-1 Fuel Injector & Intake Valve Cleaner
Lead Substitute
Motor Oils - 5W30, 10W30, 10W40, 15W50, 20W50
Diesel Engine Oil - 15W40
Race Oils - SAE 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70
High-Performance Two-cycle LubricantsGear Oils - Lightweight, 75W90, 75W90NS, 80W140
ShockProof™ Gear Oils
MTL- Manual Transmission/Manual Transaxle Lube
ATF - Synthetic Dexron II, High-Temp ATF,
D4 ATF, and Racing ATF
CV-2 CV-Joint and Wheel Bearing Grease
Assembly Lubricant
Synthetic Compressor Lubricants
Synthetic Suspension Fluids
For further information please contact:WATERWETTER®

SUPERCOOLANT
withRust & Corrosion
Inhibitor

TECHNICALINFORMATION

3% WaterWetter (Liquid) / Water
50% EG Antifreeze / Water

Red Line Synthetic Oil Corp.

100% Ethylene Glycol

Dynamic Friction

100% Propylene Glycol
00.1

0.2

6100 Egret Court,
Benicia, CA 94510 USA(707) 745-6100 www.redlineoil.com

Static Friction

50% PG / Water

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

0.8

Relative Friction Coefficient

0.91© 1989, 1997, 1999 Red Line Synthetic Oil Corp.