Im going to be buying a set of radiator hoses to cut apart and use for my v-mount, I know the original re kit shipped with samco hoses but has anyone had any problems with the cheaper re-inforced silicone hoses you can get off ebay?

 

Radiator hoses or intercooler couplings?

If it's radiator hoses, it sounds to me like an awfully bad idea. Just like silicone vacuum hose, I'm sure there is good material and bad material in reinforced silicone hose. If cheap silicone vacuum hoses or intake couplers leak you might lose boost. Cheap radiator hose leaks could easily cost you an engine.

Dave

 

Yeah, its radiator hoses. I usually buy all my silicone couplers from Baker precision and they are really nice quality but dont have some fancy name on it. I was just curios if there are any high quality radiator hoses other than samco. I dont have a problem paying $120 for a set if thats really the only good ones out there.

 

might as well do it right the first time and go with samco's. there are the best on the market that i know of.

what usually causes leaks with radiator hoses is the clamps. the silicone hoses get soft and flex cause of the heat there exposed to(inside and out). they can and sometimes will come loose. regular clamps wont hold them on....constant torque clamps are a must

 

I was planning on buying some T-bolt clamps for them, I have worm gear clamps on there now but i wanted to get something better.

 

Those are pure junk. Silicone Hoses are rated for pressure.

There's 4 different types of materials used to reinforce the hose from expanding/pressure.

Reserch, www.turbhoses.com

The LAST thing you want to use is a cheap hose. It's cheap for a reason. Don't buy cheap **** for an expensive car.

 

here is my track tested setup

inlet hose from http://bakerprecision.com/
Outlet hoses from http://www.pegasusautoracing.com/
Custom 1.5" diameter joining pipe used on the Outlet hoses. You can probably use the ones from Baker for the outlets as well but I already had them on hand from another order. However, the ones from pegasus aren't long enough to use for the inlet.

I had to toss the supposedly high quality, expensive hose clamps you see pictured as they would loosen up after a few heat cycles. Use Breeze constant torque hose clamps: http://www.breezeclamps.com/ct.htm
I believe I used the CT-250 L

T bolt clamps will work also but these constant torque clamps might provide some added benefits for use in a cooling system that expands and contracts more than the intake tract.

PM me if you have any questions.

Thanks goes out to Speed of light for a properly engineered vmount setup.

 

Thanks for the info gracer7, thats exactly what I was looking for. Ill check into those clamps and I already have the pipe for the outlet with bead welds to hold the hoses on.

 

I just replaced my Samco radiator hoses with cheap ebay hoses because my Samco hose had a small split at the upple radiator inlet.

When comparing the two hoses, the are practically identical. Same amount of silicone plies and they are both the same thickness. The only difference between the two is the brand name label on the Samcos. And also that I paid less than half this time around.

I don't understand why people are so against ebay products. It feels like high school all over, where you get ragged on if you don't buy brand name clothes, even though the cheap clothes are probably going to last longer anyways.

 

For the record, I do prefer to use the OEM hoses with the OEM constant torque hose clamps. It was a pita to research the hoses and clamps by trial and error in my above configuration. It was expensive as well. The OEM hoses work well, pass the test of time and are cheap.

 

the ebay silicon radiator hoses work fine for radiator usage. people act like you gotta spend 100+ on hoses... bs.

 

To the O.P., what is the purpose of wanting SILICONE hoses? Are you wanting some color other than black? There is not a single OEM that uses silicone hoses on radiator hoses, you know. Don't you think there is a REASON for this? I mean, if Rolls-Royce, and Ferrari, and Mercedes Benz use RUBBER hoses...why would you want to go to silicone?
Frankly, silicone hoses in day-glo colors scream RICE to most people. Looks okay on a show car I suppose but...most people go totally overboard and just...rice it out.

 

+1, the OEM hoses work very well, last a long time, and are very cheap (less than $40).

 

i got those:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MAZDA-RX7-FD3S...QQcmdZViewItem

and IMHO:

I can't complain about them, don't know why some of those people here would spend much more money for a rad hose...
don't know how you gonna drie it and what setup you've got but me for example, few weeks ago i boiled the coolant in my one, temperature was so high that all the other hoses(overflow tank and rad bottom nipple)that were standard just exploded, silicon-cheap-ebay hose stayed untouched...

don't spend too much on some stupid little things, there is some other things that require much more money

 

No, i just want black. I was looking for silicone because the v-mount i have (rotary extreme) came with samco's.

 

Ah...got ya. As others have said, just be careful of some of the aftermarket ones.

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/OBX-R...spagenameZWDVW


I got them in black... pretty straightfoward. they do the job.

 

gonna get a set also.. good price