This may be obvious to some so go easy on me! Why must you dilute anti-freeze and why dont they make it pre diluted. I know in colder climates
you need a stronger mixture but why wont the same also work in warmer climates? :uh:
They do. Engine Ice comes in ready mix bottle, as does some other motorcycle specific coolants. Dex-cool also comes in a prediluted mixture (50/50). If you are diluting your own you need to be using at least distilled water, preferably deionized water for your aluminum parts.
Coolant as in ethylene glycol or propylene glycol is a less effective cooling medium than is water. Water is not a very good water pump lubricant, and tends to freeze which can cause the engine to crack. The coolant is added to lube the water pump and lower the freeze point.
As mentioned, premixed coolant is readily available in most places, so I'm not sure how you missed it. You should be able to find it at any automotive or powersports store. Make sure it is safe for aluminum engines.
You don't really need to dilute antifreez -there's actually quite a bit of water in all commercial antifreezes. Water has a somewhat higher heat carrying capacity than does the ethylene glycol so the more water in the mix, the more heat that mix can transport --that is if everything goes right. Out here in the west we have very dry [low humidity] and very thin [high altitude] air -both which markedly affect the air's abillity to carry heat out of the radiator. KDX 220s have undersized radiators and tend to overheat easily. The water/glycol mix quickly boils inside the cylinder's cooling passages which further slows down heat transfer from cylinder to coolant. It's a mess. There are 3 solutions 1. Ride your 220 near sea level. 2. Buy oversized radiators or 3. Install Evans NPG+ [ethylene-propylene glycol blend which is completely water free] Boiling point is around 375F. Yes the engine runs a bit hotter but will never boil whereas a boiling engine will run dangerously hot. And, to a point, a hotter running engine produces more power
Funny I don't see this mentioned 'round here, but Redline Water Wetter makes a good incremental difference as well - it's a surfactant that prevents microbubbles and hot spots. A higher pressure rad cap (within reason of course) means the boiling point is a bit higher as well. Finally, jetting correctly (half a hair fat) helps. All of these together cured my XR of Locomotive Disease at high altitude (most days), guess I'll get to try them on the KDX.
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