Anyone used Engine Ice Coolant?

Anyone used Engine Ice Coolant? I've seen the notes to stay away from any with silica in it.

I'm looking for a good coolant for bike use that's biodegradeable and not ethylene glycol (so no problems with pets and such trying to drink it).

 

Engine ice is propylene glycol. FYI.
I use water wetter out here in the hot country. But it is a coolant NOT an antifreeze! No glycols of any type, not slippery and track legal.

 

I've been kicking around using just distilled water and WW. I don't plan to run in below freezing temps, and while the garage isn't heated, it's attached to the house, and here in the SCruz Mtns freezing temps are pretty rare (although this last winter it hit freezing every night for most of January).

I'll probably just go with an antifreeze mix for the boil-over protection. My 700 gets HOT, and it's still cool out, let alone when in stop-n-go traffic on a 100+ degree day.

 

I switched the vfr to Engine Ice on Thrusday last week.

Drained the radiator (like how the front cylinder drain bolts are in-line with the headers...)

refilled with 50/50 white vinegar/distilled water, and ran to hot enough to open the thermostat, then drained (as soon as it cooled enough to not burn me in doing so). I poured about 2 qts of distilled water through from the radiator cap to the water-pump drain to help flush out the vinegar.

Then filled with Engine Ice, and ran until hot.

The vinegar flush was surprising. The coolant had drained looking very clean. It's an 86 700, with 17K miles on it, so I had no idea what the coolant would be like. But the flush picked up a lot of "crap" from the system. Having previously had vehicles where they've been scaled in the cooling system, I was hoping this would help clean the cooling system of any scale insulating the coolant from the heads/block.

Yesterday I ran it until the fan kicked on (just idling) trying to get the air purged out of the cooling system.

Today I rode to breakfast (lunch-time) with my wife (she on her Hawk). The bike stayed surprisingly cool during the ride. Definitely cooler than it has been running. Coming up our road, though, I got it hot enough to kick on the fan (10-20% grade in places, 700' elevation gain in less than half a mile).

Shutting it down in the garage, I could hear the coolant bubbling into the overflow bottle, so it's still purging air.

So far, I'm definitely happy with the coolant. Between that and upping the idle to specs, it's running MUCH happier than it has.

 

............hey woody!...welcome to the forums....glad that the coolant situation is working out.....just thought i`d mention that i once lived in your area for a couple years.....i lived right in ben lommond in a pretty large house with a cuppola on top..next to the bridge on the way to boulder creek...across the street was a weird mini castle..do u know where i mean?....anyway i remember how nice that area is/was.....i will be getting back on the road TODAY!!!!!....altho its rainy here.....

 

Yep, I know exactly where that is. The "castle" is quite the landmark. I live up in Boulder Creek (about 5 miles north of town).

 

Has anyone ever used the Evans coolant in their VFR? I have a 2k VFR that I
bought as semi wrecked and have never ridden. I have read all the horror stories about how VFR'S have traditionally poor cooling systems. I started to read about all the various good racing coolants and have decided to try this Evans stuff. From what I understand this stuff may not wow anyone with lower coolant temps, however it is supposed to be a highly efficient coolant that resists steaming and bubbling, this is usually very prevalent in the combustion chamber area.The theory behind the stuff is not necessarly to try and lower coolant temps but keep the hottest areas of the engine from steaming ,vapor pockets and bubbling therefore reducing the possibility of
damage in those areas. With all that said the bike is getting close to finish so I am looking forward to riding this machine that I have read so much about!

 

I know of someone using it in their truck, but not of anyone using it in their bike. It's expensive (not that the engine ice was cheap, though).

The way I look at it, my bike is my secondary transportation, and it takes a tiny amount of coolant, so why not experiment some?

 

Just filled my 04 with Engine Ice last week, didn't get to ride it yet and of course, the temps dropped here, dramatically! My bike ran ok temps even when it was hot, as long as I was rolling down the road at hwy speed. As soon as I get off the hwy and the ambient temps are up, the fan kicks on within minutes. Am looking fwd to lower temps for both the bike and me! Used to live in that area as well. I wrecked my 86, 700 on Hwy 17, southbound on Big Moody curve. Someone puked anti-freeze out of their car and I was the lucky one to hit it. Happened back in July of 93. Had some great runs on Hwy 9 and 35, good times.

 

Wut I do, is that I add 2 ounces of water-wetter to my 50/50 anti-freeze...I have a lazer thermometer but use it for cooking on the grill outside and on my AC vents (not on the bike) The V-four motor duz get hot as frick, I gota tell yah. Wouldnt wana rest my weiner on it.

 

I added Engine Ice to my 85 VF1000R hoping to help her run cooler. No joy. It doesn't run hotter, but I don't think any cooling gains justified the price. I can't tell any difference, but I don't have any before/after measurements.

I've been all thru the bike and she still roasts my butt.

If I ever tear it down far enough I'm sending the pipes out to be Jet Coated. Maybe that will help.

ß!

 

I switched to Engine Ice when I moved from Seattle to NYC (never had any heat issues in Seattle). the difference was dramatic. It isn't simply a matter of the engine running x degrees cooler. Rather, in very high heat indexes, what with NY's high humidity, the bike was unable to maintain any temperature in stop and go traffic. That is to say, the temp was always generally rising until the bike was turned off, giving me about 30-40 minutes in stop and go traffic before overheating (this is 105+ heat index mind you). With Engine Ice, in a similar heat index, I now go steadily up to 220, and then when the fan comes on the bike is able to maintain a temp of about 210-220 regardless of traffic. So for me, Engine Ice made a critical difference in my rate of heat dissipation. I'm riding a 2009.

 

I too live in NYC and switched to Engine Ice this summer on my 06 and saw a definite improvement. The temps still reach 220 in stop and go but cool down quicky when the fan kicks in or I begin moving. It is rated to -26F so it can sit through our winters with no problems.

 

I flushed the system on my Gen 5 2K yesterday.
I refilled with 10% Water Wetter, 5% standard antifreeze coolant, 85% distilled water.
Temps were fairly low today, in the 60's F, in N. Ga so my results may be a bit skewed. I am anxious to see what happens when we get into our normal spring temperatures of 85F - 90F +.
I was pleasantly surprised with the results today, I rode on the order of 250 miles mostly highway speeds and some heavy 2nd and 3rd gear mountain twisties with heavy engine breaking. On the slab averaging 85 mph the display settled in at between 155 and 162! It normally runs 175 -190 on the freeway. Once I got into the mountain roads and was on and off the throttle, engine braking, roll-ons, pinning the throttle, in 2nd, 3rd, and some 4th gear twisties and alternating straightaways ambient temperature near 64F the display never once topped 200F.
I would have expected to see it run easily in the 220 - 230 range before I flushed the system. The only time the fan even kicked on that I knew of was when I stopped to fool with my ipod on the side of the road for 5 minutes but within 2 miles the temp was back down in the 180's and dropping.

I flushed the system using PEAK cooling system flush. I used a whole 10 oz bottle of Water Wetter, Target brand distilled water, and autozone non-dilluted coolant / antifreeze.
Yes I know that's way more than water wetter than recommended.

The real test will be this week when I get back to Atlanta traffic commutes.

I will update.