Engine Ice

Is anyone using Engine Ice? A friend of mine claims his fan was coming on a lot before using Engine Ice and it never comes on now. He is on a DRZ, and likes to bs, so I would prefer to hear from others before I run out and buy this stuff.

no, i have not heard of that stuff, sounds like for the hot desert it would be good stuff or for the ERZBERG? i will check it out.

SheWolf comments on Water Wetter in this thread, page 1, post #... oh wait, we don't do post numbers. I don't know if Water Wetter and Engine Ice are the same ingredient, but they seem to claim the same effect.

For what it's worth... a friend of my is a mechanic (for the city at that, AND a motorcycle mechanic), and he really likes Engine Ice. He put it in his VTX and it also reduced the amount of times his cooling fan came on. So, there may be something to it.

They are very similar in nature, both intended on helping keep the op temp cooler.

I think it's all the same stuff, it called a "surfactant" basically dishwasher detergent if I'm not mistaken
Keeps air bubbles from forming on the metal surfaces when it reaches boiling point
Amazing how well it works but you need to use the right amount, more is not better

Hrm... my understanding was that if/when switching to something like Engine Ice, you had to completely flush your cooling system of the regular fluid, wash it out (water), then fill it up with ONLY Engine Ice. It's not compatible with other types of coolants and should not be mixed. So wouldn't you just fill the "regular amount" that the bike needs?

0007onWR wrote:

I think it's all the same stuff, it called a "surfactant" basically dishwasher detergent if I'm not mistaken
Keeps air bubbles from forming on the metal surfaces when it reaches boiling point
Amazing how well it works but you need to use the right amount, more is not better

njbill wrote:

Is anyone using Engine Ice? A friend of mine claims his fan was coming on a lot before using Engine Ice and it never comes on now. He is on a DRZ, and likes to bs, so I would prefer to hear from others before I run out and buy this stuff.

DougZ73 ??

I have been using engine ice in my x since last September.
I switched to meet track requirements for track days.
No problems whatsoever with engine ice.
I never notice my fan coming on, never really paid attention to it though.

I use it in every bike in the garage (sans the air-cooled CRF230).

Symptoms on the (my) notoriously hot 2007 YZF-R1 are significantly reduced.

Flush and refill. You do not mix it.

There is discussion regarding it's longevity. Matters not to me, I'm going to R/R collant yearly regardless.

Do you need it ? Answer: Under general conditions; Probably not.

Tracking the bike ? Equivalent substitutes are usually required. Surely can't hurt.

Expensive ? Uh huh... So are engines.

Note that performance may not be measurable by incremental (summertime) fan turn-on observations. You'd need to normalize the observations somehow.

I've been using engine ice in mine since last summer when I had to switch for track purposes. as noted you need to flush out the old stuff and replace. I would say my fan comes on a little less now than it did before.

the difference between engine ice and water wetter is that engine ice will not freeze up to (negative something, can't remember exactly) and water wetter freezes the same as water which is why I went with engine ice instead. (it did not freeze in my uninsulated garage in MN last winter)

Never had a problem with Water Wetter, I run it in all my vehicles. You add it to your antifreeze. I know some ppl add it to just straight water, but when you live in an area that can drop to -40º you don't run it like that. I personally don't like running a stand alone product. I store mine in an open carport in such temperatures and nothing has ever frozen with the WW in it.

Tammy wrote:

DougZ73 ??

No, but your guess made me laugh. He is a real lightning rod.

Can anybody point me to (unbiased) scientific testing that shows these things work any better than traditional coolant? Or is it the placebo effect?

phroenips wrote:

Can anybody point me to (unbiased) scientific testing that shows these
things work any better than traditional coolant? Or is it the placebo
effect?

Placebo effect ? Right... Nothing against science. Science exists in laboratories.

A pretty girl on a bottle of engine coolant is not likely to drive a decision here.

What you have here is real (and honest) riders on real bikes under real and varying conditions with real experiences.

Given a choice between lab science and trail experience, I'll take the latter.

...otherwise I'd believe to try NOT to prove that I can actually live without water for three days.

Answer to the question: No. I've no comparison data. Just facts from use/experience. ...but you'll get the answer here at some point.

X-Racer wrote:

phroenips wrote:

Can anybody point me to (unbiased) scientific testing that shows these
things work any better than traditional coolant? Or is it the placebo
effect?

Placebo effect ? Right... Nothing against science. Science exists in laboratories.

A pretty girl on a bottle of engine coolant is not likely to drive a decision here.

What you have here is real (and honest) riders on real bikes under real and varying conditions with real experiences.

Given a choice between lab science and trail experience, I'll take the latter.

...otherwise I'd believe to try NOT to prove that I can actually live without water for three days.

Answer to the question: No. I've no comparison data. Just facts from use/experience. ...but you'll get the answer here at some point.

Science is not bound by laboratory walls. For instance, an experiment could take place on the trail by figuring out a way to monitor coolant temperatures on two identical bikes. One running traditional coolant (this would be the control), and the other running Engine Ice, or Water Wetter, etc. Have the same rider ride the same trails the same way. Get Results. Lather, Rinse, Repeat until you get a good sample size. Analyze the results. No labcoats here, and still 100% science.

The placebo effect is very real and has nothing to do with labeling. In this case, the manufacturer (who is trying to make money), says this product works better. I won't blindly give them my hard earned money. If they say it works better, I want to see it proven. Anecdotal evidence by consumers under uncontrolled circumstances does not equal scientific results. There are a multitude of variables that could affect the rider's experience, mostly weather conditions. It is possible, that somebody that has already spent this money wants to (subconsciously) feel they got a good value, and that's where the placebo effect could come into play. Making them think it actually works better than coolant.

But thank you for your response.

Will this do?
Radiator guards and Engine Ice linky

ramz wrote:

Will this do?
Radiator guards and Engine Ice linky

yep, thanks!

Quote :

One running traditional coolant (this would be
the control), and the other running Engine Ice, or Water Wetter, etc.
Have the same rider ride the same trails the same way. Get Results.
Lather, Rinse, Repeat until you get a good sample size. Analyze the
results. No labcoats here, and still 100% science.

Very true... Continuous monitoring would produce that desired data.

My non-scientific version is the same bike under the same conditions and visually monitoring the thermostat (on my R1) under very normalized temperatures. Engine ice showed improved performance.

I am using engine ice,,my fan still comes on in the single track trails...but not as often..

Okay...I ran the bike with the normal coolant, went to the same strip I always go to to get dirty, and have the Thermo Cap. Rode for 45 minutes, rad fan came on once and the cap read 200. Next time I hit the same run (same scenario, timing)after adding the WW (about an ounce to my rad), the fan never came on and the cap read 180. Weather was the same, no fluctuation in temperatures, humidity.