Full Version: CMCers in cold weather climates ...
... what do you guys do to keep the coolant from freezing in the shop, in transit and at the track?
Not sure about in transit and at the track, but water stays in the car during the season and gets swapped out for antifreeze for storage once the colder months hit and doesn't get switched back to water until it's ready to run. The car is stored in an attached garage, so it stays warm enough for water until it's about 20-25* outside.
At Road America in October it was cold enough to snow outside and the cars survived the night with water in them, FWIW.
At Road America in October it was cold enough to snow outside and the cars survived the night with water in them, FWIW.
Not a CMCer 
, but I drained the water out around Thanksgiving before it got too cold and swapped in anti-freeze. May be too cold still for my first track day in April to swap, but will swap back to water with water wetter by May.
, but I drained the water out around Thanksgiving before it got too cold and swapped in anti-freeze. May be too cold still for my first track day in April to swap, but will swap back to water with water wetter by May.
QUOTE (nape @ Feb 5 2007, 09:30 PM) 
but water stays in the car during the season and gets swapped out for antifreeze for storage once the colder months hit and doesn't get switched back to water until it's ready to run. The car is stored in a [detached] garage, so it stays warm enough for water until it's about 15* outside.
...what he said...
Towing - if you have an open trailer and see temperatures below about 31* while towing, you have to have antifreeze in there. The air moving across the car at highway speed ensures that the car is at ambient temperature very quickly. In those instances, a measured amount antifreeze is in the cooling system. NASA tends to look the other way, especially when they have the track mostly cleared of snow so that you can run...
Mitch - I sent you an e-mail. Did you get it?
QUOTE (nape @ Feb 5 2007, 08:30 PM)
Not sure about in transit and at the track, but water stays in the car during the season and gets swapped out for antifreeze for storage once the colder months hit and doesn't get switched back to water until it's ready to run. The car is stored in an attached garage, so it stays warm enough for water until it's about 20-25* outside.
At Road America in October it was cold enough to snow outside and the cars survived the night with water in them, FWIW.
At Road America in October it was cold enough to snow outside and the cars survived the night with water in them, FWIW.
That is what I did. I figured it would be easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission from Nasa. I just couldn't take the chance for the first event and having it freeze up.
For the next event it will have just plain old water and Purple Ice.
QUOTE (AllZWay @ Feb 7 2007, 10:06 AM)
That is what I did. I figured it would be easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission from Nasa. I just couldn't take the chance for the first event and having it freeze up.
For the next event it will have just plain old water and Purple Ice.
For the next event it will have just plain old water and Purple Ice.
I agree with that.
The new (race) car is inside and the old (HPDE) car is outside with the motor still in it and I just realized last night that it's been getting down to -10 to -15 at night here and the antifreeze in the car was only good to 0 when I tested it back in October. I'm going to check it out this weekend. It wasn't a bullet, but a motor isn't in the budget if this one didn't survive...
Just a heads up to anyone else dealing with the arctic conditions here in the Midwest...
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