Car Cooling System: 7 Lessons from the Gold Coast 500
October 6, 2026
When the Supercars roar onto the streets of Surfers Paradise for the
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When the Supercars roar onto the streets of Surfers Paradise for the 2026 Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500, there will be plenty of attention on speed, tyres, strategy and driver skill. But behind all that performance is something every vehicle relies on: an effective car cooling system.
The Gold Coast 500 runs from 23–25 October 2026, with Supercars tackling the 2.96 km Surfers Paradise street circuit in two 250 km, 85-lap races. It also marks the opening round of the 2026 Supercars Finals.
Your family car might never experience anything close to the demands of a Supercar, but the basic principle is the same.
Engines generate heat, and that heat needs to be controlled.
With another Queensland summer approaching, here are seven lessons the Gold Coast 500 can remind everyday drivers about looking after their vehicle’s cooling system.
A Supercar working hard around a street circuit generates enormous amounts of heat.
Your everyday vehicle operates under much less extreme conditions, but heat management is still essential.
The engine cooling system is designed to maintain an appropriate operating temperature by circulating coolant and transferring excess heat away from the engine.
Queensland summer conditions can make that job more demanding. RACQ notes that hot weather places additional heat stress on a vehicle’s cooling system, particularly when the system hasn’t been properly maintained or has leaks.
That’s why cooling system maintenance becomes particularly important as temperatures begin to climb.
You can’t talk about a car cooling system without talking about the radiator.
As coolant circulates through the engine, it absorbs heat. The heated coolant then passes through the radiator, where that heat can be transferred away before the coolant continues through the system.
If the radiator isn’t performing properly, the cooling system may struggle to control engine temperature.
Problems such as leaks, damage, internal restrictions or deterioration shouldn’t be ignored simply because the vehicle hasn’t overheated yet.
At Red Devil Radiators, radiators are something we know particularly well – the clue is in the name.
Pop the bonnet of a modern vehicle and you’ll usually find coolant rather than plain water circulating through the cooling system.
Correct coolant plays an important role in protecting and maintaining the cooling system as well as helping manage operating temperatures.
Different vehicles can also have different coolant requirements, so simply grabbing any bottle from the shelf isn’t necessarily the right approach.
If you’re continually topping up the coolant, that’s another warning sign.
A cooling system shouldn’t routinely lose coolant. If the level keeps dropping, the cause should be investigated rather than continually topping up the reservoir and hoping for the best.
RACQ similarly recommends having coolant loss investigated and repaired rather than ignoring it.
The Gold Coast 500 takes place on a tight street circuit through Surfers Paradise, where controlling temperature is part of keeping a high-performance vehicle operating under demanding conditions.
For everyday motorists, one of the situations where cooling problems can become noticeable is much less exciting:
sitting in traffic.
When you’re travelling at speed, airflow passes naturally through the radiator. When the vehicle is stationary or moving slowly, cooling fans become particularly important in helping move air through the radiator.
A fan problem may therefore become noticeable when you’re sitting in Brisbane or Gold Coast traffic, even though the vehicle appears to run normally when you’re travelling along the motorway.
If the temperature starts climbing in slow-moving traffic but settles once you’re moving again, don’t simply accept it as something your car does in summer.
Have the cooling system checked.
Although the radiator is an important part of the system, keeping an engine cool requires several components to work together.
Depending on the vehicle, the cooling system can include the:
A problem with one component can affect the operation of the entire system.
For example, fitting a new radiator won’t solve an overheating problem if the underlying fault is elsewhere.
That’s why proper cooling system diagnosis matters.
Race teams don’t wait for steam to start pouring out of the engine before paying attention to temperature.
Everyday drivers shouldn’t either.
Cooling system problems can provide warning signs before a major overheat occurs.
Things worth watching for include:
If something has changed, it’s worth investigating.
An overheating engine can result in considerably more serious damage if you continue driving. RACQ recommends pulling over safely and switching the engine off as soon as signs of overheating appear. It also warns never to remove a radiator cap from a hot engine because of the risk of scalding. RACQ
The Gold Coast 500 arrives just as South East Queensland is heading towards the hotter part of the year.
That’s a useful reminder to think about your own vehicle.
Summer can mean hot days, holiday road trips, heavy traffic, air conditioning running, towing boats or caravans and long stretches of highway driving.
If your cooling system already has a small leak, deteriorating hose, tired radiator or another underlying problem, increased summer temperatures may be when that weakness becomes much more noticeable.
Having the cooling system inspected before a long trip can give you an opportunity to identify problems before you’re standing beside the road with steam coming from under the bonnet.
If the temperature gauge suddenly climbs or an overheating warning appears, don’t keep driving in the hope that the problem will disappear.
Find somewhere safe to pull over and switch the engine off.
And importantly, don’t immediately remove the radiator cap.
The cooling system can be extremely hot and pressurised, and opening it while hot can cause serious burns.
Allow the vehicle to cool and have the cause of the overheating investigated.
Adding water and continuing your journey may not address the underlying problem, and continuing to drive an overheating vehicle can turn a cooling system repair into a much more expensive engine repair.
When Supercars hit the streets of Surfers Paradise this October, their cooling systems will be operating in an environment far removed from the average school run or trip down the M1.
But there’s still a lesson everyday drivers can take from motorsport.
Managing engine temperature matters.
You don’t need a racing engine to experience cooling system problems. A family SUV, work ute, 4WD or older daily driver can all overheat when something isn’t working properly.
So while you’re watching the Gold Coast 500 this year, spare a thought for what’s happening beneath the bonnet – and then consider when you last had your own cooling system checked.
Red Devil Radiators provides radiator and automotive cooling system services for motorists across Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
If you’ve noticed coolant loss, rising temperatures, leaks or other signs that your cooling system isn’t performing as it should, it’s better to have the problem investigated before Queensland summer really turns up the heat.
Your car may not be lining up on the grid at Surfers Paradise, but keeping its engine cool is still essential for getting you where you need to go.
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