Can Corvette handle the heat?
Q: I owna 2005 Corvette ins outhern Nevada and never drive the car whenit’s above 110 degrees. I am afraid I could damage the car because the coolant temperature can reach 218 to 220 degrees in stopand-go traffic. I think that is too high but I’m not an expert. At outside temperatures below100, I can drive the car onthe highway where the coolant temperature will hold at 190-195most of the time. Above 105 degrees, the coolant temperature is at 194-198 on level stretches of highway and upto 200 climbing hills. Does that soundlike a problem?
B.K., Henderson, Nevada
A: Plainwater boils at 212 degrees (at sea level). Coolant, the 50-50mixture of antifreeze andwater, boils at 226. Manufacturers test their vehicles in hot aswell as cold climates. GM used to test theirs at their Mesa, Arizona, proving grounds, but recently moved it to Yuma. Yeah, it gets hot, but the cars are designed to handle it.
Q: In a recent column, one of the items mentioned outgassing, but there isno description of that phenomenon.