The Race-Ready Coolant from VP Racing Fuels Is Water-Based and Safe for Track Use
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Competitors are always seeking that extra edge. There’s an easy one available to racers and drivers of high-performance street vehicles alike through the Stay Frosty line of engine coolants produced by IMSA partner VP Racing Fuels.
Engine coolants are designed to do just that: help limit the temperature of the engine from rising to dangerous levels, especially under the stress of race conditions. In its simplest terms, the coolant absorbs heat building in the engine cylinder heads and disburses it away through the radiator.
The problem with most engine coolants is that they are glycol-based, a slippery liquid that poses a danger if it leaks and is banned from racetracks. The only other previous option to use in the radiator was plain water, which has no engine corrosion protection qualities.
Enter VP Racing Fuels chemists, who developed water-based Stay Frosty Race-Ready Coolant. With no glycol, it’s safe for the racetrack – or even for those who prefer added security in their high-performance engine on the street – while still meeting ASTM (American Society of the International Association for Testing and Materials) corrosion protection standards.
Duane Minazzi, chief chemist at VP Racing Fuels, takes pride in the efforts of the team that developed Stay Frosty Race-Ready Coolant.
“It allows us to provide drivers the ability to meet every single racetrack prohibition on the use of glycol-based engine coolant,” Minazzi said, “while at the same time having full corrosion protection and getting the absolute most heat transfer out of that engine coolant possible. It kind of allows the racers to have the best of all worlds, so to speak.”
The Stay Frosty line was developed through existing technologies, but Minazzi is proud to add that it “was the first product to apply those technologies into an engine race coolant.” A key component of the Stay Frosty coolant is its wetting agent.
“A wetting agent reduces the surface tension of the water-based engine coolant and allows it to make better contact with the liquid-to-metal interfaces inside the engine cylinder head,” explained Minazzi. “That liquid is able to absorb heat more efficiently and, once it absorbs that heat from the engine cylinder head, it’s able to more efficiently transfer that heat to the outside environment via the radiator. The net effect is a cooler operating engine.”
Because Stay Frosty Race-Ready is water-based, it has almost twice the specific heat capacity (the ability to absorb heat) of glycol, Minazzi added, giving the VP coolant another advantage.
“Typically,” he said, “if someone were to convert to Stay Frosty Race-Ready from a standard 50/50 mix of water to coolant, they will see engine coolant temperature reductions anywhere from 10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit. If you were to aim an infrared laser pointer temperature sensor at the cylinder head, you’ll often see temperature reductions of 50 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s pretty meaningful.”
For high-performance engine drivers who don’t necessarily need all the benefits of a water-based coolant and prefer better freeze protection, there’s Stay Frosty High-Performance Coolant – which uses a 30 percent mix of propylene glycol to 70 percent water. Unlike ethylene glycol used in many other coolants, propylene glycol is non-toxic. The 70/30 mix also reduces viscosity.
“The lower the viscosity in an engine coolant, the better it flows through the radiator tubes,” Minazzi said. “It translates into a greater coolant velocity through the radiator and allows it transfer heat more efficiently. You may also be able to run a lower-octane fuel and save money.”
VP Racing Fuels has been in the business of helping racers and enthusiasts run their vehicles at higher, more efficient levels. The Stay Frosty line of engine coolants is among the company’s newer products to further that endeavor.
For a limited time, head over to VPRacingFuels.com for a special buy 2 Get 1 Free offer on VP’s Stay Frosty Performance Coolants using code VPCOOL. Offer ends October 9, 2021.