• Welcome to H4O! For a reduced ad experience, please login or register with the forum.

Silicone Radiator Hoses

alrock

El Diablo
Staff member
Messages
10,677
Location
Scottsdale
Don't know about the H3 but I passed on those in another vehicle as they are prone to not sealing as well as traditional hoses. Why do you want to change hose types? My first hoses "only" lasted about nine years and 150,000 miles until I chose to swap them out during a radiator flush.
 

GreatDaneHummer

Well-Known Member
Messages
994
Location
Chicago
Mine wore out and are leaking so now that I am rebuilding that front with a new radiator again I thought I might upgrade the hoses while I am at it.
 

alrock

El Diablo
Staff member
Messages
10,677
Location
Scottsdale
Other than aesthetics, my opinion is that silicone hoses are a downgrade, not upgrade. Others may disagree.
 

Expendable

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,025
Location
Burbank, CA
on Crown Victorias the silicone hoses are an upgrade and was a factory option for the P71(Police Interceptor package) . they are 'lifetime' hoses in the sense that with normal operation/usage they will never need to be replaced.

Only downside to the silicone hoses used on crown victorias I am aware of is that they do not have the tear/abrasion durability that a rubber hose has. To counter this you need specific clamps so that they don't damage the hose(s). example: normal work gear clamps will damage silicone hoses due to the holes for the worm gear to adjust its size. for a silicone hose you need a worm gear clamp that has a flat band to completely encircle the hose to avoid damage.

I do not have experience with silicone radiator hoses other than those I had on my 2000 Crown Vic P71 when I had it.
 

JPaul

Well-Known Member
Messages
2,436
Location
Way up north, UT
You want t-bolt clamps rather than worm drive clamps. T-bolt clamps are better anyway since they do a better job of evenly clamping than worm drives do.

The AirDoc intakes use t-bolt clamps.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
 
Top