[Shotimes] Smokey's take on engine cooling

[Ron Nottingham]

I read with interest the latest T-Stat thread, especially the part about
cooling and the thermodynamic physics, etc.  So, I pulled out some of
Smokey's words of wisdom (we all know Smokey Yunick, and he is still sadly
missed by yours truly).  If you have his book "Power Secrets" turn to page
121, if not, follow along....

"It is esay to see how overheating can be a problem, but I think some racers
overlook the fact that it is possible to 'overcool' the engine.  Some guys
go to great lengths to keep the temperature down to 180 deg.  And, though
the engine doesn't overheat, they don't realize that they're putting energy
(heat) into the cooling system that could be used to produce power at the
crankshaft.

Running an engine at 180 deg. will drop the overall horsepower by 2-3%.  For
max power the coolant temperature should be at least 200 deg., and you
should have at least 25 pounds of pressure in the system.  Actually, a
racing engine like the smallblock Chevy will produce more horsepower as the
opertaing temperature is increased, all the way up to a maximum limit of
about 220 deg.  This can be confirmed with dyno testing, but I would not
unconditionally recommend that any engine be raced at 220 deg.  This leaves
very little leeway for variations in the operating environment.  If the car
gets caught in a tight pack and air is blocked from the radiator opening or
if some trash gets caught up in the radiator, the temp will probably climb a
little, and at 220 deg. you're right on the edge.  Nonetheless, for max
power output, the coolant temperature in a racing engine should be in the
200-210 deg. range, measured at the point where the coolant is returned to
the radiator."

I know, this is for a smallblock Chevy, but you can take his pearls of
wisdom and apply it to virtually every engine out there.  Also, if you have
the book, take a look at his take on Cooling and Coolant Flow (a little more
than I care to type :-)  Very bright man to take advice from, and we can
thank ol' Smokey for most of the rules in Nascar, as he has bent every rule
out there :-)

Just thought I would throw this little tidbit out there :-)

Ron N. - Dalton, GA
90 SHO