Whether it is in stop and go traffic, a slow moving parade, in line at a car show, off road on the trails or hauling a heavy load up a grade all cars face reduced airflow through the radiator at slower speeds. FlowKooler hi flow water pumps push twice the coolant through the system at these lower speeds and help the engine transfer the heat. The result is engine temperature reductions of up to thirty degrees, increase system pressure in the engine block which reduces ping and improved flow efficiency which means more horsepower.

The Benefits of Hi Flow Water Pumps

Most engines keep cool at highway speed.  It makes sense; the engine is turning the fan at with higher rpm and the water pump is spinning rapidly and sending coolant through the radiator.  The radiator has good airflow at highway speed.  Of course engines stay cooler.  However, at low speed, it is a different story; engines tend to heat up when you face limited airflow, trapped airflow and slower moving coolant.  These condition exist in stop-and-go traffic, at car shows, rock crawling or off-road or in any vehicle under a load. For over fifteen years FlowKooler has focused on increasing the flow rates at lower rpms to resolve low speed overheating.  At idle our pumps pump more than twice other pumps and we outflow “performance” pumps by 20%.  At 3,500 rpms the gallons per minute flow rates level off to standard flow rates. FlowKooler pumps take the coolant out of the engine and put it in the heat exchanger or radiator to keep your cool.

1. Ending Early Cavitation

Cavitation is the formation of vapor bubbles in a flowing liquid where the pressure of the liquid falls below its vapor pressure. When the vapor bubble that forms rapidly collapses it produces a  destructive shock wave that damages the interior wall of the engine block, other components, causes vibrations and noise and results in a loss of flow efficiency. FlowKooler patented impeller systems tighten clearances and reduce "slop" in the casting chamber.  This helps to prevent the onset of cavitation.

2.Eliminate Hot Spots and Steam Pockets

Engine blocks machined with limited or no cooling jacket can result in steam pockets and hot spots.  This design is great for getting more bore out of your engine but notorious for overheating.  At idle the creation of a hot spot at the top of the cylinder may be enough to cause pre-ignition. At the extreme steam pockets can lead to detonation (hot spots in the cylinder wall); detonation leads to broken parts. At high rpm the coolant moves through the block fast enough to prevent any steam pockets from forming. FlowKooler pumps suppress engine hot spots and steam pockets by sending more coolant through the system at low speed and simultaneously raise engine block pressure 22% to prevent their formation.

3. Stop the Knock

Knock, detonation or ping…call it what you want - it is a problem.  Ping heard when the engine is shut off may be the result of pre-ignition.  Pre-ignition results from the air/fuel mixture igniting in the cylinder before the spark plug fires from an ignition source other than the spark.  Hot spots can damage to the point they actual burn holes right through the top of pistons. Causes include:

• Carbon deposits form a heat barrier
• An overheated spark plug
• A sharp edge in the combustion chamber or on top of a piston
• A sharp edges on valves
• A lean fuel mixture
• Low coolant level
• Slipping fan clutch
• Failed electric cooling fan

Flowkooler hi flow pumps help reduce engine temperatures and stop the after run or pinging characteristic of a pre-ignition condition. Knock can also occur when the combustion of in the cylinder starts off correctly with spark plug ignition but one or more pockets of air/fuel mixture explode outside the envelope of the normal combustion front ignition.  It will cause the peak of the combustion process to occur outside of the optimum moment and results in a characteristic metallic "pinging" sound.  The other consequence is an increases in cylinder pressure which can be harmless or destructive to rings piston or bearings.

4. Gain Horsepower

A poorly designed water pump casting and impeller can result in wasted horsepower.  FlowKooler pumps are designed to move water more efficiently from the radiator to the block to keep you cool. Some refer to the improvement in flow efficiency as a gain in horsepower or a conservation of horsepower. FlowKooler pumps are 32% more efficient than OEMs which conserves horsepower.

But doesn't the coolant have to have more time in the radiator to cool?

No.  But a lot of people still think so.  We have come up with some explanations for the Doubting Thomas.

Debunking the I Can Have It Both Ways Theory

The water has to have time to cool argument is most common one we hear.  In a closed loop system if you keep the fluid in the heat exchanger you are simultaneously keeping it in the block longer.   Unfortunately, the block is the part that is generating the heat.   Sending hot coolant from your source (engine) through the heat exchanger (radiator) to the sink (air) will transfer heat as long as there is a temperature difference between the source and sink.   The engine is still generating heat the whole time so why keep the coolant there any longer than you have to.

 

Debunking The Conscientious Electron Theory

We hear that the coolant has  to stay in the system longer to cool but what is heat transfer really but conduction, convection and radiation of electrons.  The fluid in your system transfers those electrons based principally on the source-sink differential and the exchange material's transfer rate.  An electron moves at varying speeds - Bohr's model has it moving at 2 million meter/second. But let's just agree it is fast (really really fast).  Far faster than the flow rate of the water pump.   Your engine coolant's electrons do not know (or care) how fast you send then through the system - they just knows that the source is hotter than the sink and off they go.

 

Debunking Grandpa's Flathead Theory

"But wait a minute, I know Grandpa' used to put washers in his flathead to slow the flow and cool his engine."  We know people did this too.  They still do it but the cooling benefit is not from the slower flow but the pressure that builds from the restriction.  Consider that Grandpa had two flathead water pumps sending twice the volume through the same size radiator core.  At some point Grandpa maxed out the throughput and began building pressure.  Building pressure in his block helped reduce the onset of hot spots on his cylinder walls and formation of steam pockets in his block. This is a real benefit and does help cooling but is only realized when throughput  nears capacity or is at capacity.  While these restrictions may make sense when your rpm is excessive or your flow rate exceeds your heat exchanger throughput, they do not make sense for most applications.  If you doubt this thinking then try this simple Ask Dr. Science experiment; clamp off the lower hose while you watch your temp gauge.  Hopefully, you will debunk Grandpa's theory yourself before you experience vapor lock.

 

Simply put, you have a far better chance of keeping your cool with a greater flow rate through your heat exchanger than gathering heat in your engine block.