Whats goin on guys,

Alot's happened since Ive been online last....I moved to the Vegas desert and my truck is acting differently as to be expected. I have the S-blade Design 180 flexalite fan...pulls 3300 cfm. Awsome fan I'll reccomended this product to anybody. Before moving out to the desert I installed hood louvers (yes they're real) and not even those are helping with cooling that much. but what can I expect? when ambiant air temps reach 112 degrees...not counting what temps you would see coming off the blacktop with other cars around you might see 120-130?? maybe? Well down to the point, I called Flexalite and told them what I was expierencing, temp gauge is showing needle in middle of upper section while sitting in traffic with AC on. Towing is outta the question...on the way out here it was a solid 100 degrees crossing over passes in the mountains and I was pulling a uhaul dual axle moving trailer. I had to pull over 3 times to let the truck cool down..and then continue with the heater blowing in certain spots. anyway Flexalite came through, they sent me 2 bottles of their Flex-a-chill additive. we'll see what the results are. Im thinkin about another fan project...maybe adding up to two 6in "pusher" fans up in front only as an auxilary. no temp sensor, just a switch in the cab. Im waiting to see what the additive does of course...but I want another little project to

 

Hope that fixes your issue, My question would be did you change your coolant to water ratio when moving to a hotter climate. Also might want to look at a JMB water pump, not expensive and easy to install, and will move 20%-25% more fluid over stock. Most auto stores carry it in stock since it was used in 2 gen also.

Second... What size dick cepeks wheels do you have?

 

Yup, time to empty your coolant and do a higher water content in your anti-freeze/water mix.

The additives should help too. If they don't try the one made by Royal Purple. That worked wonders for my 2001 Ram when I had it.

 

Ahh I remember that post..the hood louvers were unique on this forum. I agree wth the guys about flushing your coolant and changing the water to antifreeze ratio and that water pump sounds like a reliable mod as well. Maybe you could swap the radiator too? Even if the only difference is that the fins allow more air flow. One of the new guys on here got a radiator that I believe was intended for a Chevy..maybe he will chime in

 

I have not flushed or done anyhing to the coolant. Flexalite gave me two bottles for that reason. I just put in the first bottle, see how it goes or improves... I only have 58K miles on my truck...I know the dex-cool (what these trucks came with) can go for a lot longer between changes.

The dick Cepek rims that I have are 16x8...with a -12mm offset. Theyre currently in my garage off the truck. Didnt wanna wear out my tsl's. Im currently running Ram 17's with Michelin tires

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what kind of ratio should I be using in hotter climate? normal is 50/50 mix right?

 

That is standard, yes. You could do 70/30 or even 65/35

 

There is no real advantage to go more water than 50/50 for hot climate temperatures.

More water actually is actually worse.

You really need to change your fluid by the years, not the millage. The stuff degrades overtime and gives less cooling protection.

Since you have a 06 it should have been at least twice by now. Every 2-3 years
2 years for high miles (over 15,000/year), 3 years for lower miles (under 15,000/year).


For the cost of a new engine vs the cost of flushing the system (properly) and refilling its worth it to just change it.

On a second thought, adding the cool additive to Dex-cool would make me nervous. It may cause the lifespan to reduce and reduce the anti-corrosive abilities.

 

I disagree. I have seen repeated stories online about people that overheat at 50/50 mix in very hot climates, and if they go 60/40 (I've even read about some extreme people doing 80/20 or 90/10), they do not.

You always want antifreeze in there somewhere to help inhibit rust and for a few other reasons, and I wouldn't do what some guys do and go much more than 60/40, but why is more water worse?

 

I wouldn't hang my hat on "repeated stories", many of them can be considered urban legends. Eimer is right, by going with a more dilute solution, you change the boiling point downward which is not what you want to do in a hot climate (it also changes the freezing point, but in those areas you don't need to worry about that phenomenon). To get the correct mixture, you only need to look up the product on the internet or to read the label on the jug. As Eimer also mentioned, regular flushing is VERY beneficial - the more extreme the climate, the more benefit you'll get. The quicker you can exchange the fluid and the more cooling you can apply to that fluid the better off you'll be - specifically, a water pump with a better throughput and a larger radiator will give you what you want and will allow you to cruise, tow, etc., just like you did in more temperate climates.