Which ratio to choose in Georgia
Tbilisi, Batumi, Kutaisi, Rustavi and the lowlands generally: 50/50. That protects to −36 °C, a large margin for these regions, and it is the equivalent of factory fill.
Bakuriani, Gudauri, Akhalkalaki, Tusheti, or any car that winters outdoors at altitude: 60/40, giving −48 °C.
70/30 is only for extreme cases. This is the maximum protection possible at −67 °C, and in Georgia you will practically never need it.
If −18 °C is enough: 33/67, one part concentrate to two parts water. This suits mild coastal winters where the temperature rarely passes minus ten. At that ratio one bottle yields about 11.4 litres of ready-to-use coolant.
One caution about this option: below 40 per cent it is not only freeze protection that falls but also the concentration of the inhibitors, the part that protects the metals. So choose 33/67 when the winter really is mild, not as a way of making the fluid stretch further.
Why more antifreeze is worse
Intuition suggests that more antifreeze means better protection. It does not, and the manufacturer states directly that maximum freeze protection is at 70 per cent. Above that threshold the freezing point starts moving back up.
Beyond that, neat glycol carries heat far worse than water. A system filled with neat antifreeze cools the engine less effectively than a 50/50 mix, so you create your own summer problem.
Water in this mixture is not a diluent. It is a working component.
Practical instructions
- Take a clean, empty container, a jug or even a clean bucket.
- Measure and pour the concentrate first, then the water.
- Mix thoroughly.
- Only then fill the system.
One bottle, 3.78 litres of concentrate, yields 7.5 litres of ready-to-use coolant at 50/50, about 6.3 litres at 60/40, or about 11.4 litres at 33/67.
Never pour concentrate into the system and then add water. You will never know the ratio you ended up with, and parts of the engine will briefly see neat concentrate.
Dilution calculator
Dilution chart
AntifreezeFreeze point
| Antifreeze | Water | Freeze point | Boil point | When to use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33% | 67% | ≈ −18 °C | ≈ 125 °C | Weakest useful mix, for a mild winter |
| 40% | 60% | −24 °C | 126 °C | The minimum on the manufacturer's chart |
| 50% | 50% | −36 °C | 128 °C | Standard, equivalent to factory fill |
| 60% | 40% | −48 °C | 133 °C | High altitude, severe winter |
| 70% | 30% | −67 °C | 135 °C | Maximum protection, more is not better |
The 33 per cent row is not on the manufacturer's chart and comes from the general ethylene glycol curve. Every other row is from the official data sheet. Below 40 per cent the inhibitor concentration also drops, so 33 per cent is for mild winters only.