Ok, for those of us (probably only me up here) who use the crossfire as daily driver and cannot store it in a nice cosey garage... I am worried about the antifreeze freezing and breaking the block.

I tested the stock coolant with a hydrometer and it said my coolant was only good to -20° to -25°...

It is currently -16° and last night reached -17° and I know it could get colder just by looking a town a little north of me. So, I feel I should forget about changing the coolant at 100k and get the coolant that can stand as much as -40°. Anyone know which coolant can do this if the stock coolant cannot handle these temperatures? The car is pretty much my life and I would be screwed if old man Winter blows too hard and breaks my block! And no do not say go back to Florida because I am stuck here for about 4 months... lol

 

Mika33 what the hell are you doing there for four months???
Couldn't you have gone in like the summer time?
Git back to Florida before YOU freeze to death!

 

I thought about it! But I could not find a University of Illinois in Florida!

 

Driving a Crossfire at your age, that's cool.......but now you're really COOL!!!

 

i'm in south carolina and i know most of you are saying 'what is he posting in here for?' but i too am worried. it was 13* this morning when i left for work. it started and ran fine but i worry all the same. the display on the radio looks like s#@$. i have no garage and i have a roadster so it's even colder. thank goodness for heated seats...

 

Are you talking about the wind-chill or actual temp there in IL ?

A 50%/50% mix of coolant and water is good down to -34 F. That's actual ambient temperature, not the wind-chill.

 

Drive the car and put away with engine warmed up, then maybe go back out a couple hours later, start her up, let engine get warm again, and repeat. I never ever been in that kinda weather before living here in LA, so I don't know how long a warmed up engine would take to cool down to below zero. Just a thought.

 

Isn't there a University of Florida in Florida? I feel your pain, it was 3 degrees on my thermometer this morning and to think I cooked steaks on the grill last night! Stay warm

 

I graduated from Southern Illinois Univ @ Carbondale here in FL. There are ways....if they have any extension universities at all. The professors loved it, as they got to come to FL to teach (I'm assuming for the reasons you are finding up there).

 

Actual temps across Illinois this morning are all well below zero.
Where I am 40 miles west of Chicago the actual temp is -30 below zero
Fortunately my car is in the heated garage at 50 degrees

 

You have to add fresh antifreeze to your radiator to increase protection from the cold. You can have it done at your local service station.

 

Do these cars have radiators with freeze plugs in them - so if it does freeze they pop out instead of rupturing the radiator?

 

I've never known of a radiator having freeze plugs....they are usually in the engine block.

 

Yes, that was the actual temperature... the wind chill was around -35°F. But the actual temp dropped to -17°F.

I read the manual and it said the coolant is good until -35°F or so. But the hydrometer showed it was good to -25°F... but the next temperature down was -40°F so maybe -35° is the limit. The hydrometer might not have been that accurate.

 

i feel your pain im up here in wisconsin and its been brutal theses past few days

 

If it is still the original factory fill it should be good down to -34 F and I would not change it or add to it unless it is low.

 

Its a strange world,today its close to 50f with bright sun shine and clear blue sky"s, Last week it was Minus 40, plus wind chill. On a road trip last October it got down to 0f over nite, my Crossfire started in the morning without any problem.As the engine is built in europe and sold around the world I would guess thet it is fitted with frost plugs in the block, I think that the Scandanavian countries would require block heaters,and up here its a gimmy.I have installed in-line circulating heaters to rad hoses, also a quartz light under the oil pan will work, and I have heard of Habachi portable BBQ's being used, in the bush. NO OIL or GAS leaks if you try that one,

 

Well, I arrived here around 8.30PM last night... it was pretty cold, below 0°F. And when I started her up this morning I noticed the clutch pedal was really spongey. I was thinking OH GREAT HERE WE GO... WINTER SUX. But she started up pretty smooth after a -17°F night. The clutch pedal returned to normal after a few pushes... probably just a little icey in the mechanics.

 

Apparently the factory coolant fill is some of the best on the market....

I'm hoping mine holds up, but then again its inside nice and warm at night.

 

If you are worried about it, just drain some of your antifreeze mix out and add some more pure antifreeze. No big deal really. It wont ever crack your block though...wont freeze that hard.