Not sure where you are at, but I am in northern Ohio (I am one street from the lake). We get some cold days here. I always use a 50/50 mix. I favor buying concentrated coolant and diluting it myself (because I find it to the be a touch cheaper then buying pre-diluted stuff).

 

Same people that hold on to the term "Death-Cool" .

 

I live in Albuquerque NM, I personally wouldn't mind adding antifreeze every winter and then draining a bit to add water every summer. I've heard (and done research to back this up) that antifreeze is not as good a coolant as water is, so I'd like to run whatever will work best during the given season. according to this image I found on the Corvette forum, if I hit 30% antifreeze by volume I'll be good down to about zero F, which would suit my area. all I need to know in order to do this correctly is how much fluid fits in the entire cooling system.

Incase the file doesn't attach here's a link:

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-60-ratio.html

EDIT: I found that the capacity is 11.3 quarts/ 10.7 liters via google, I'll base my calculations off of this info.

 

No offense intended, but if your car doesnt cool properly on the 50/50 it was designed for, I'd fix that issue first.

I agree running more water % is generally better for cooling capability, but I wouldnt go so low that you risk it freezing or have to drain / refill to re-ratio twice a year. Thats a lot of hassle on a street car that shouldn't be so close to the edge of overheating that it needs a few % more water to keep it from burning up anyways.

 

Don't worry! I'm right smack dab in the middle of a head gasket job lol.

EDIT: Record low temperature here is -17F a 40/60 split will put me right about there, most years stay above freezing so I'm comfortable with that.

 

Keep in mind, anti-freeze serves a few purposes:

1. Lubricant for the water pump
2. Contains anti-corrosive agents
3. If I recall, in addition to changing the freezing temp, I believe it changes the boiling temp as well.

Granted, I don't think you desire to run less anti-freeze and more water will jeopardize any of that, but I will side with Bumpin', seems like a bunch of extra hassle on a street car and I question how much gain you are really getting for your efforts.
Per the shop book, a 2003 Monte with the 3400 holds 11.3 quarts of coolant.

 

All fair points, but #1 and #3 really don't bother me much, and a 40% mix should keep me out of the danger zone during winter so I won't be re-ratioing every season, thanks for all y'alls help!