Silicone Hose for Heater Hoses, Coolant Lines, Vacuum, Etc.

[JohnnyBfromPeoria]

These guys https://www.siliconehose.com/ make really, really good stuff. I was waylaid a couple of years back after a 1/4" coolant line on my 95 SR cracked behind one of the cam gear covers, as they're all-but-inaccessible unless you're doing a timing belt job. I asked Josh what a source was for the BEST hose I could get so I'd never have the problem again, and he suggested this company. I was sold after I got some of the product in my hands.

For my SR, and for my latest one, I order 2' of 1/4", 3' of 3/8" (throttle body) and 5' of 5/8" (heater hose). It's super flexible, resistant to kinking and is really thick-walled, too. For the snazzy-inclined, you can get blue instead of black, but don't do it just because I do. It just looks good, I think.

I just ordered some more and saw they have free shipping on orders over $35 (last time their shipping was pretty pricey, for whatever reason) for a 'limited time.' Anyway, I suggest them.

John B.

[IncorpoRatedX]

Thanks for the reminder JB, i better stock up.

[JohnnyBfromPeoria]

On Pa_Jero's advice, I also bought vacuum hose (in red, no less). According to my cheap digital micrometer, the hose fittings on the SR are 4mm, but I saw the company had both 4mm and 3.5mm, and 20' of one or the other wasn't enough to get me to free shipping, so I got both sizes. I'll report back as to which size fits better after I get it on July 5th.

John B.

[na3s]

What's the general consensus regarding silicone hoses, are they superior in every application?

I know they're great for vacuum lines but there seems to be some debate about whether or not they actually perform better than OEM rubber when it comes to coolant hoses....?

I've also read that silicone hoses may not always clamp as well as rubber units. It seems these 'Breeze Constant Torque' clamps might be a worthy investment, http://www.breezehoseclamps.com/breeze/constant-torque/. While not cheap, they seem to be highly regarded in the Toyota/PHH threads.

I'll be replacing all the tubing/hoses during my build and want to do everything possible to increase reliability and ease future servicing.

A bit of extra money up front to avoid being stranded in the middle of nowhere due to something as simple/cheap as a blown hose strikes me a worthy investment.

[JohnnyBfromPeoria]

I never got back on here to report as I had promised...3.5mm is the size for most of the vacuum hoses on our trucks, but there are a couple that are larger, so a small quantity of 4mm is suggested.

While I haven't had any issue using standard clamps, the regular worm drive design tends to sort of dig in to the outer jacket, and smoother, constant pressure clamps would be better.

I haven't seen any degradation of the silicone hoses, some of which have been in service for several years.

John B.

[Hooots]

Too bad I didn't heed this suggestion months ago..........