Nobody asks for a coolant. They arrive with an engine that's already too hot to make more power, or a pedal that's gone soft two laps after the temperature gauge climbed.
Every racer knows about fuel and oil. Coolant is the fluid most people fill and forget, yet it decides whether the other two can do their jobs. A hot engine detonates earlier, thins its oil, and loses power. VP built its coolant line on a simple idea: an engine that runs cooler can be tuned to make more power, and do it safely.
The Problem With What Racers Had
Before VP, racers had two options, and neither was ideal.
Plain water moves heat very well, but it has serious drawbacks. It corrodes metal, especially aluminium. It has high surface tension, so it tends to bead up and form steam bubbles against the hottest metal surfaces instead of wetting them. And those steam pockets insulate the metal instead of cooling it, right where the engine is hottest.
Conventional antifreeze solves corrosion and freezing, but it transfers heat less efficiently than water. On top of that, glycol is slippery and hazardous, so many series and circuits restrict it.
Racers needed something that kept water's cooling power, fixed its weaknesses, and could legally go on track. That's the gap VP set out to fill.
Stay Frosty Race-Ready: Built for the Track
VP designed Stay Frosty Race-Ready Coolant for high-compression, high-heat racing engines. It contains no glycol, which makes it safe for tracks.
The key is wetting agents, also called surfactants. VP says Race-Ready is the only racing coolant with three different wetting agents, each providing protection at different temperature ranges. Wetting agents reduce water's surface tension so it clings to hot metal instead of forming insulating steam pockets. According to VP, the result is engine temperatures up to about 17°C (30°F) lower overall and up to about 44°C (80°F) lower at the cylinder heads.
Those lower temperatures translate into power. A cooler engine increases air/fuel mixture density and allows ignition timing to be advanced safely without detonation, which means more power and torque. This ties directly back to octane: cooling gives the fuel more room to work.
VP didn't cut corners on the base, either. Stay Frosty is 100% water-based, blended with chemically stable reverse osmosis water, and non-toxic and biodegradable. Reverse osmosis removes heavy metals, dissolved organics, and other contaminants found in ordinary water. The formula also protects all metals against corrosion and electrolysis, including sensitive aluminium alloys, and it's ready to use straight from the bottle.
One trade-off matters: Race-Ready has no freeze protection. That's the price of a glycol-free formula, so the system must be drained or protected if the car will sit in freezing temperatures.
- Stay Frosty Race Ready — Glycol-free racing coolant with three wetting agents. Track-legal, no freeze protection.
Stay Frosty Hi-Performance: For Performance Street Cars
Not every performance car goes to a track that restricts glycol, and street cars need freeze protection. For these applications, VP makes Stay Frosty Hi-Performance, a propylene glycol coolant with heat transfer agents that help pull heat from hot cylinder heads. VP's tests show it can lower operating temperatures by as much as about 8°C (14°F) compared to traditional glycol-based coolants.
- Stay Frosty Hi Performance — Propylene glycol coolant with improved heat transfer, for performance street cars.
Cool Down: Upgrade the Coolant You Already Have
Some drivers don't want to change coolants. They want their current system to work better. VP Cool Down is a coolant additive for petrol and diesel engines that works with antifreeze or straight water. It lowers coolant surface tension for better heat transfer, reducing engine temperatures by up to about 17°C (30°F) and cylinder head temperatures by as much as about 42°C (75°F).
Cool Down also lubricates water pumps and seals, protects all metals against corrosion and electrolysis, especially aluminium, and meets and exceeds ASTM D3306 specifications. It's formulated for today's OAT and HOAT antifreeze, and when used as directed it doesn't disrupt glycol's freeze protection. That makes it a fit for racing, street vehicles, motorhomes and towing, and VP says it's approved by most race sanctioning bodies. One treatment lasts one year or 48,000 km (30,000 miles), whichever comes first.
- VP Cool Down - EU — Coolant additive that upgrades any existing water or antifreeze system.
Water vs. Antifreeze vs. VP
| Option | Strengths | Limitations |
|---|---|---|
| Plain water | Excellent heat transfer | Corrodes metal, forms steam pockets at hot spots, and freezes |
| Conventional antifreeze | Protects against freezing and corrosion | Transfers heat less efficiently and is banned at most tracks |
| Stay Frosty Race-Ready | Water's cooling power with wetting agents, corrosion protection, and purified water. Track-legal. | No freeze protection |
| Stay Frosty Hi-Performance | Glycol-based freeze protection with improved heat transfer for performance street cars | — |
| Cool Down | Upgrades any existing coolant or water system without changing it out | — |
What VP Stands Behind
VP's coolants come from the same mindset as its fuels and oils: engines built to make power need every fluid working at its limit. Coolant isn't an afterthought. It's part of the tune. A cooler engine resists detonation, keeps its oil strong, and holds consistent power from the first lap to the last.
For best results, VP recommends flushing the system with Frosty Clean Cooling System Flush before the first use of Stay Frosty or Cool Down, so the new fluid starts in a clean system.
- Frosty Clean — Cooling system flush — use before the first fill of Stay Frosty or Cool Down.