Heat Issue

I am a new ST1300 owner and have read a fair amount of articles speaking about the
heat issue on the ST1300. But I have not yet seen any articles referring to the use
of Engine Ice ( a coolant substitute ) which is supposed to make the bike run cooler to
begin with.

Has anyone used this type of product to see if a cooler running bike helps with the
heat issue ?

JimC

The thermostat controls temperature, not the coolant. Common coolants are not insufficient at removing heat. I just read the wonderful claims at the Engine enables Ice website.... My opinion, Save your money.

tgsguitar said:

I am a new ST1300 owner and have read a fair amount of articles speaking about the
heat issue on the ST1300. But I have not yet seen any articles referring to the use
of Engine Ice ( a coolant substitute ) which is supposed to make the bike run cooler to
begin with.

Has anyone used this type of product to see if a cooler running bike helps with the
heat issue ?

JimC

Click to expand...

Never used (or heard of) this product.

Your bike will run at a given temperature based on the thermostat in the cooling system. It (the stat) stays closed until the coolant temp rises to a certain temp and then it opens, allowing hot coolant into the radiator where the heat is given off to the atmosphere. Changing the coolant (engine ice or standard anti freeze) won't make the engine run cooler. I watched the Engine Ice video and read their FAQ - nowhere does it say why EI is better than the factory recommended coolant.

The threads discussing heat issues on the ST have more to do with the design of the body work, the engine itself, and the flow of cooling air/hot air around the engine and under the tupperware. Nobody, to my knowledge, has said changing the coolant will make the engine run at a different temperature. Iirc, infernal combustion engines are designed to run at a given temperature, and unless you radically change the cooling system and re-engineer the entire engine, simply changing the fluid from water to antifreeze to EI won't make much difference at all. Wait a minute - I'd be willing to bet if you use EI your wallet will be significantly lighter and carrying that much less weight around (less work) will allow you to remain cooler.

A cooler running bike would absolutely help with a heat issue. But as BakerBoy says it's the thermostat that keeps the bike's coolant at a minimum temperature.

Redline makes a similar coolant treatment product. These could possibly help where there's an over-heating problem. The thermostat opens to let radiator-cooled coolant flow but that might not be enough to bring the engine temp down to the prescribed operating range.

Overheating is most often caused by degradation of the cooling system in one or more points or by lack of airflow through the radiator (as in stuck in slow traffic) or both. Maybe it will drop the coolant temp a few degrees and maybe that may make a different in the heating issue and maybe you'll be able to tell the difference. That's a lot of maybes vs whatever the treatment costs.

These additives strike me as treating symptoms more than anything else and if they work it's in over-heating situations. They won't help anybody who's feeling too much heat from an engine with a properly maintained cooling system.