Engine coolant isn't something you often think about when considering the running costs of your car. Beyond regularly filling up the gas tank and changing the oil every so often, that other liquid doesn't really get a look in.

If we told you that a special waterless coolant would improve your fuel efficiency ten percent, extend your engine's life and never need changing, you might take a little more notice. What you may not know is that it's been around for years.

How long? Well, professional talk-show host, denim enthusiast and uber-gearhead Jay Leno has been using Evans Waterless Coolant for 16 years now in some of his vintage automobiles.

Benefits

What are the benefits of waterless coolant? Well, coolant is so named because it allows your engine to run at its high operating temperatures without damage, and does the same over winter, where anti-freeze stops ice from forming in the system and cracking components.

The trouble is, water-based coolants can cause corrosion in metals, increasing wear and tear on components and encouraging corroded deposits to flush through the system, potentially causing damage.

Waterless coolant doesn't corrode parts - as it doesn't contain water. It also boils at a much higher temperature, so your cooling system doesn't need to be pressurized, reducing risk of boiling over.

A beneficial side-effect of this is that with your engine able to safely handle higher temperatures - while still being effectively cooled - your cooling fan doesn't need to start as often.

Your cooling fan draws its electric power from the battery, which is kept charged using the alternator. This draws power from the engine - and therefore uses more fuel. Evans Cooling claims that thanks to the higher temperatures, the fan comes on less frequently, resulting in less alternator load, and you could see fuel economy improvements of as much as ten percent.

Since the coolant also never needs changing, potentially hazardous waste following repeated coolant flushes is reduced.

As you can see in the Jay Leno's Garage video, Jay has been using the coolant for several years in several vehicles, and his testimony holds up with Evans Cooling's own claims. The coolant is also popular among the trucking community.

At between $40-50 per gallon it's not cheap, but the longer you drive the better value it becomes. There aren't many things you'll never need to change in your car, but coolant could now be one of them.

Even if you don't quite achieve 10 percent in fuel savings, your environmental conscience will be clean...

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