Anti-Freeze???

[airspeed]

Hi Guys:

I have a 1971 Datsun 240Z track car that I use in Driving Events around Texas. The car has a 110 octane burning, high compression engine. I bought the car out of California this past Spring and it had no need for anti-freeze. It runs distilled on water with "water wetter" added. This summer I was impressed to find the water temperature hovering around 190 degrees on hot Texas tracks even when running it pretty hard.

Here is my question. I keep the car in an unheated garage that is 35 miles from where I live. I feel like I need to add anti-freeze to protect the engine from freezing temperatures this winter. The only other option might be to heat the garage, but that does not take into account the potential utility failures which are fairly common in that area. Will that degree the cars ability to run cool at track speeds?

All opinions welcome.

Thanks,
Jerry

[DaveS53]

It's not wise to use plain water in any car. Antifreeze cools better and protects against corrosion.

[NAZ]

I'm with Dave -- a 50% mixture of anti-freeze has anti-corrosion properties, boils at 225F vs. water's 212F (sea level std pressure), and cools better than water. I like the 50/50 mix as our water here is harder than diamonds.

[Chuck Sloggett]

50/50 mix and use distilled water. -- Chuck

[flynntuna]

Thought I read somewhere that some tracks don't allow antifreeze and that those that do require a special type. Can someone confirm this?

[scottiec]

Anti freeze does not cool better than water. It actually lowers the boiling point of water. Distilled water with the proper amount of water wetter is the best way to go. That said, antifreeze is a better “lubricant” for your water pump. However, that is taken care of by the water wetter.

Running antifreeze in a track dedicated car is a bad idea. Most tracks or sanctions frown upon it because it is a hazard when on track due to how slick it is.

When storing the car in the winter, drain out some water and put some antifreeze in. Run the car and make sure the thermostat opens. If it still has a heater, turn the heat on as well so circulate through the heater core. When it’s time to go racing, but water and water wetter Back in.

EDIT: I stand corrected. Antifreeze also does raise the boiling point. Sorry for the mis info. https://seeburgservicecenter.com/how-does-antifreeze-work/