Most motorists don't give their engine coolant a second thought -until they end up stuck on the side of the road with steam billowing up from the bonnet.
But a new waterless coolant on the market claims to prevent overheating as well as corrosion. Called Evans Waterless Engine Coolant, the product won't boil and operates at significantly lower pressure than regular antifreeze due to the absence of water, reducing the strain on engine components. It has an operating range of -40ºC to 191ºC - a significantly higher boiling point than water.
It costs about 20 percent more than water-based coolants and you also need to buy a “prep” fluid for about R125 to purge the cooling system of all water.
NEVER FLUSH YOUR RADIATOR AGAIN
However, the manufacturer claims that once the cooling system is filled with Evans it never has to be filled again as long as it's not contaminated with water, compared to water-based antifreezes which should be changed every one to three years.
Evans says its coolants are widely used in the US, UK, EU and China.
It claims that certain vehicles overseas have been running on the same coolant for 22 years with no corrosion.
Although no car manufacturers use Evans as original fitment, it is an approved Rotax coolant for its light aircraft engines, and is used by the US Army, as well as by US talk-show host and car buff Jay Leno in his classic car collection.
Silverton Radiators are South Africa's authorised fitment centres and stockists for the products. - Star Motoring