[VegasG42]

Living in Vegas , we obviously have brutally hot summers.

I have never had a heat related issue in any vehicles over the years.

However, when it is summertime , a vehicle has to work a lot harder.

And also performance suffers.

My last vehicle - an Infiniti - was very noticeably slower during the summer.

I did finally add some Water Wetter to the coolant , and it really seemed to take the edge off. Unfortunately, the Infiniti didn't provide you with an exact temperature reading.

Anyone here use this in their BMWs to drop the temps a few degrees ?

[RockCrusher]

I've read claims by proponents of Water Wetter that it works miracles. But there are others who report no noticeable benefit and even some negatives: An increase in corrosion for one.

Best advice I got from auto techs was if it ain't broke don't fix it.

The T-stat will control temperature although there is almost certainly some radiator fan speed control that will under some conditions -- in congested traffic -- increase fan speed to pull more air through the radiators. (My 2002 Boxster/2003 Turbo had this feature.)

Engine reacts more to ambient air temperature. You probably experience it in Las Vegas when the temperature drops. After a hot summer -- even in northern CA, and now here in northwest Arkansas -- the first cool day after a prolonged heat wave can really perk up a car's engine. 'course, in Vegas you might have to wait until November or even December for the heat wave to break.

However, by my observation the coolant temperature is not reduced. Sure it starts out lower when the ambient temperature is lower but the T-stat ensures the desired coolant temperature is obtained as soon as is reasonably possible.

Another piece of advice I got was to change the coolant every so often. Every few (~4) years. The antifreeze additive package weakens over time and this can lead to premature water pump failure (seals deteriorate and leak), hoses "rot", even pinhole leaks in the radiator or heater core form.

[VegasG42]

Great reply, thank you.

Exactly some of my thoughts after doing a bit of research.

Some novice racecar drivers and quarter mile track drivers swear by the stuff , as evidenced by their real-time temperature readings.

I also wonder about the long term effect of introducing something outside of regular 50/50 coolant. Especially if I run the same coolant for a few years or more.