Silicon hose for cooling system?

[Jason789]

Hello to all,
I have fitted silicon hoses on the turbo system of my D2 TD5, no complaints, all is good.
My enquiery is regarding the cooling system. Can you get a silicon hose set for the entire cooling system? If so, where? If not, why not?

[Tombie]

Not!

Why NOT? Because no-one makes them.

[Hendrik]

No one makes them but I wish they did. Silicon hoses are awesome for the cooling system, used in a lot of trucks as replacement parts. I replaced the two hoses that come from the expansion tank with silicon ones.

[Sprint]

what advantage is there with replacing rubber cooling system hoses with silicone?

[Jason789]

This is a cut and paste from the Dow Corning website, but it explains very well the advantages of silicone over rubber.

Silicone rubber is an inorganic synthetic elastomer made from a crosslinked silicon-based polymer reinforced with filler. It offers a unique combination of chemical and mechanical properties organic elastomers cannot match.
These properties make silicone rubber the material of choice for applications ranging from bakeware to turbocharger hoses.




Why silicone rubber is the better choice

Longer service life (http://www.aulro.com/content/jtbd/jtbd_extend_electrical_service.aspx) in adverse environments
Virtually unaffected by weather -- rain, snow, humidity, ozone, or the sun's damaging ultraviolet (UV) rays -- for many years

Organic elastomers may become brittle and crack under prolonged exposure to the environment

Wider operating temperature range (http://www.aulro.com/content/jtbd/jtbd_temp_extreme.aspx) -- from -100 to 316ºC (-148 to 600ºF)

Organic elastomers soften and deform irreversibly at temperatures >100ºC (>212ºF); they become brittle at temperatures <-25ºC (<-13ºF)

Inherently good electrical insulating qualities (http://www.aulro.com/content/jtbd/jtbd_electrical_protect_insulate.aspx) that do not change significantly under exposure to severe environmental stress (heat, cold, moisture, oil, ozone, UV rays)
Retains its natural flexibility and resilience (http://www.aulro.com/content/jtbd/jtbd_flex_resilience.aspx) (resists compression set) across a wider temperature range
Enhances the comfort and feel (http://www.aulro.com/content/jtbd/jtbd_comfort_texture_feel.aspx) of consumer goods
Excellent sealing performance (http://www.aulro.com/content/jtbd/jtbd_dynamic_static_sealing.aspx)
Inert (no taste or smell); many food-contact (http://www.aulro.com/content/jtbd/jtbd_food_contact.aspx) options
More choices -- a wide hardness range (from 10 to 80 Shore A), a wide range of color choices (from transparent to brightly colored)
Better flow properties -- easier to fabricate, increases productivity
More fabricating options (http://www.aulro.com/content/rubber/rubberprocess/), increased productivity
Cheers