Thermal and Fluids Engineer here. I have to give props to Engine Ice's Marketing department. They are very good at misleading people into believing they have a better performing coolant, and are making millions off pure marketing and consumer ignorance. The cooling performance increase of engine ice vs regular coolant is just due to it being ~60% water, 40% Propylene glycol (PG), where normal coolants are 50/50 Ethylene Glycol (EG)/water. Water is a better coolant than both PG and EG, and pretty much any other liquid. So with these coolants, the higher the water concentration, the better the coolant mixture. Engine Ice is just a watered down coolant. A 40/60 mix of EG/water would actually be slightly better than 40/60 PG/water (Engine Ice). The boiling point of these coolant mixtures is only a few degrees above just water. That 256F they advertise is not at atmospheric pressure, where water boils at 212F, but instead this 256F is under pressure of a radiator cap, likely around 1 barG. Straight water at that pressure would have a boiling point of 250F (@ 30 psia), so really not much difference there, Tricked you! Equal mixtures of EG would have a slightly lower freezing point than PG mixtures, making them slightly better; or you could say, for the same freezing point, you could have a slightly greater water concentration using EG, and a better coolant. The biggest difference between EG and PG is the viscosity, where PG is higher viscosity (thicker), taking more energy to pump through the system, and providing a lower heat transfer coefficient than equal EG mixes. EG is also a non-polar molecule, which makes it slippery and a good lubricant, where PG is polar and not slippery. This is one reason PG mixes like engine ice became popular as they are polar molecules like water. When EG (non-polar) spills on the track, it is a slippery hazard, where PG will not be so slippery. For spill safety, some tracks only allowed PG, (or pure water) so people began to associate PG coolants like Engine Ice with: race tracks, racing, and high performance, when really it was only about slippery spills on the track, not anything to do with performance of the coolant, which is actually lower for the same mixture ratios. As far as Deionized (DI) water, that makes zero difference vs distilled. I have DI water systems for power supply coolants, and you have to constantly de-ionize the water by flowing it through DI resin beds, else it becomes regular ionized water within minutes. So that De-ionized water becomes ionized in no time, which is actually good because DI is also very corrosive as it steals ions from the piping walls/radiator etc. So the marketing of DI water in Engine Ice being a better water than other waters is just BS, they tricked you again! The real benefits of PG coolants like Engine Ice are 1.) It is non-toxic. 2.) Spills on the track with PG are less slippery than EG. But in every other way, EG and PG and quite indistinguishable, with EG having a slight advantage in freezing point, and a clear advantage (besides price) in viscosity, meaning lower pumping power, and higher heat transfer coefficient. I use full strength automotive EG, and mix it with distilled water myself to achieve the desired freeze protection I need, where 40/60 EG/water gets down to -10F, and 40/60 PG/water (Engine Ice) would only be around -7F. At operating temp, the EG mixture would have about 15% lower viscosity than the PG mix. EG is the way to go unless you care about toxicity or spill slipperiness, don't get tricked by the Engine Ice marketing.
I know this video is a bit older, but just wanted to chime in. Recently I changed over to engine ice on my GSXR1000, and my normal operating temp was 170 on a 70 to 80 degree day. After engine ice, I'm running 161 F on the same temperature days. My thermostat opens at 180 F, and my fans kick on at 220 (which never happens anymore, unless hitting tons of stop lights on a warmer day) so my engine is staying cooler than before. Anyway, that's my experience with it.
Drunken Warthog thanks for the info my gsxr runs hot around 225 sometimes 230 when I’m in traffic or at lights. When I’m running it I’m usually at 190. Just purchased it can’t wait to put it into my bike
you have to let it run with distilled water until the thermostat opens up, which for most bikes is usually when the fan kicks on, for my zx6r it is at 214 degrees F. Running it for 30 seconds like you recommend doesnt do anything. The water will literally just sit there.
As you said. 'Propylene glycol used in Engine Ice has better heat transfer efficiency than ethylene glycol.' You should note however, that even though the two coolants have similar specific heats, boiling points and specific gravity (alone or mixed with water), that propylene glycol's viscosity is significantly (1.4 times) higher, particularly when cold (2.5 times). This means in a Ducati system - designed and sized for an ethylene glycol/water coolant - that a propylene glycol/water mixture will circulate slower and with higher pumping losses and stresses on the pump impeller and hoses .
JEB coolant isn’t like oil where if warm up it’s easier to drain situation ( though yes it is ) best way is to drain all coolant then add water let it run and let it cool and repeat process till all coolant is out then fill even though the engine is warm there still pressure in the radiator witch can get dangerous for you or engine
Yeah i was surprised the first thing he said was to warm your bike, that's literally the OPPOSITE of what you should do lol. You want it cold, reason being - hot block + cold coolant = cracked block.
I also thought the coolant in the radiator won't move until the thermostat opens, which it won't in 30 seconds (as he suggested at around 2:40). So a 30-second warmup would only circulate the coolant in the engine, right?
I have not used Engine Ice so I do not know if it makes the engine run cooler or not but if it does it is not because it contains propylene glycol. Propylene glycol actually has a bit lower thermal conductivity than ethylene glycol.
I have a rmz450 that’s set up as a supermoto, before engine ice it was running super hot, could cook bacon at the the top of the radiators, after engine ice the radiators are just barely warm I can tell a huge difference.
@@Overtorange I’m no super cross mechanic but when the radiator is getting hot enough to be dumping steaming water/coolant out of the over flow hose, and with engine ice the radiators are no where near as warm as that I think it’s working the way it should
@@twentyhundred3481 Actually YOU'RE wrong. Pure water has a higher specific heat capacity than any coolant. But coolant doesn't cause rust/corrosion and has a higher boiling point than water and won't freeze....but all that being said. Water is a superior means of transferring heat than any fancy antifreeze/coolant. Also....it's nothing similar to your comparison. wtf do electrolytes have to do with anything? Just google the shit and read a little before you start parroting your nonsense.
U never said if engine ice runs cooler than other coolants or not and also I have heard that engine ice changes temperature pretty quickly whereas a normal coolant will not change temperatures quickly, is it true?
Darn. I have this entire gallon of Prestone car coolant sitting right next to me. I'm going to guess that will not work with my R3. Guess Engine Ice it is 😔
No I didn't. I only have a "bar" digital read out of temps and not the actual temperature. That being said I dont think the bike technically runs cooler but I have noticed the bike doesnt get as hot in traffic as before. The fan runs less than before as well.
Hi, some people say that normal coolants have some kind of lubricants which help engine parts but engine ice dont have it and thats why they loose some degrees in temperature but it offers protection. whats your opinion about it.
@@alvinlesterdelosreyes3297 Don't worry too much about the Duke's cooling system because it is a very popular model in INDIA as well and it's really hot out here for most of the months every year! If Engine ICE is in general effective, it will also help in Duke 390. General consensus seems that it does reduce the frequency at which the coolant reaches a temperature that forces the radiator fan to kick in even though ultimately it might still reach the same max temperature as the OEM coolant - but it seems like it might be a better conductor of heat due to which it quickly carries away heat from the engine and also quickly dissipates through the radiator thus taking a longer time to heat up to the max temperature. I am definitely thinking of trying it next time...
How has a deer not strode out in front of you ? Perhaps a tad slower would work to keep you riding for years to come,,, or just get enhanced Life Insurance. Love the video. Thanks for posting it.