??? About Thermostats in Race Bikes. Remove? yay or nay?

Okay, I think we ave ventured away from helping the original person. There are many different variables, so like I said in my first post, try different things but watch it closely at first. It may be fine. :up:

 

just talked to a motor builder buddy, and he contends the design of the t-stat itself (take a look at the little bugger some time) inherenty resticts flow when open so that the coolant does not flow through the rad too fast. The coolant does need time in the rad to cool.

perhaps my bikes doing only sprint stuff never had time to overheat when i did not have a t-stat. But, this gets back to just the single example thing. My bikes are tuned well, i run "engine ice" that seems to cool a bit more tan water wetter, and they are not overbuilt.

 

The coolant also needs time in the engine to pick up heat.

Ying and Yang man...ying and yang.

 

bottom line? IMO, unless you really know what your doing and have a specific reason for removal.. better leave it in

 

^ i don't think it needs much time to pick up heat (Mr. Sunshine). in other words, i don't think the ying is exactly proportional to the yang. or, at least it would seem based on the evidence that ying and yang are not equal.

 

So you are saying coolant/water absorbs heat faster than it can dissipate it? Doesn't make sense to me or that is the source of global warming.

 

^ no, not necessarily. i, in fact, have no idea about how fast water picks up vs. dissipates. i think it has more to do with the system (plumbing), the flow of the system, that causes the disparity vs. ying and yang. it's the only explanation and the reason why different bikes (cooling systems), get different results.

 

What takes longer, boil water or freeze water? Not trying to argue, but like I have said, there are many variables. If water cooled as quick as it heated there would be no need for products such as water wetter or engine ice, IMO.

 

^ here we go on another issue, but there really isn't any NEED for those products. many people run straight water with no ill effects. the engine ice and water wetter deal is about keeping seals lubricated and also acting as a surfactant to increase the heat dissipation properties of the water. in addition, they supposedly help prevent rust and corrosion, but as long as you change the water every few months, there wont be any corrosion. i know a guy with 49,000 miles on his r6, and he's run straight water, changed every 6 months-1 year since the beginning with no probs whatsoever.

 

I was not trying to start another topic, just going along with his line of questioning. Those products do have heat dissipation properties but I dont know of any product that helps them heat up faster. That was my point.

 

^ antifreeze

 

As with everything in the world I suspect there is a balance that needs to be achieved between flow, pressure and surface area to make it work properly.

 

Put as many therms into cooling the water as you do to boil it and I'm sure it'll be the same.

 

I get what your saying, but antifreeze/COOLANT, either ethylene glycol or propylene glycol acts as a coolant and and antifreeze. It does not help raise the temp of the fluid, it lowers than freezing point. I am sure you knew that but thought I would continue to type. I am bored out of my skull. I am in a hospital room and my wife is in her 14th hour of labor.

 

FYI....

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/overall-heat-transfer-coefficient-d_434.html

 

But that's not the BBS way....it has to be only one answer so only one of us right, first!

 

^^ LMFAO. i'm bored at work myself waiting for 5:30 to roll around, hehehe... but no, seriously, antifreeze does not dissipate heat as well as water, but i dunno if it heats up faster from a given temperature.

 

Er...glycol antifreeze mixture also boils at a higher temp than plain water. So it does more than provide just freeze protection.

I got nuked by this by a friend one day....