Thought I'd ask for opinions on Silicone/ Samco hoses. Are they a worthwhile upgrade or a vanity purchase? Maybe they are both? Anyone have any recommendation's or info on suppliers to buy from? Looks like there are quite a few knock off or look a like coloured hoses available -are any of these worth buying or are they poor imitations? Who is still using the original black rubber type hoses & why? Lastly, why do most people choose blue? LOL I've never really meddled with liquid cooled bikes up to now so all comments gratefully received.
Knock offs seem to be just as good. Stood up well on the 848 and 998 for a few years. With Samco, you’re just paying for the name.
Unnecessary bling! The OEM hoses last 15 to 20 years and are fairly cheap to replace. Good enough for me.
ive just bought some as3 hose for my blade, £80 for a complete set samco were nearly £280 and someone told me they came out the same factory. Plus the as3 fitted perfectly.
Semi vanity, but they are a worthwhile upgrade on an older bike with original hoses. Some non-samco hoses are good, UK made stuff, SFS for example.. The cheap ebay stuff tends to be be much thinner in both number of plys and ply thickness, I've blown plenty of them on turbo cars. as for why blue?.. it's samco's standard colour.
As long as they are used with the correct antifreeze you won't (shouldn't) have a problem. The OAT red antifreeze has been stated to affect silicone hoses and cause leaks and degradation. I use OAT coolant in my RD250LC which has silicone hoses and that seems fine, even after being in there a while now. But I have seen several posts on this subject. You may wish to investigate if you intend to use an OAT type coolant.
Ah ..... the voice of reason ! My OEM hoses have been on since new ( over 20 years ) been removed and refitted many times haven't leaked , hardened , cracked , split or faded ( much ) and the cherry on top is that they are BLACK , which always looks good , regardless of the bike's colour . Blue Samco , on the other hand , just look stupid ..... and frankly .... shite ! Opinions vary of course ..... especially among people who are colour-blind
Black pipes matter? For anyone reading this the difference between OAT & HOAT coolants is explained here: https://irontite.com/additives/abou...-the-different-antifreeze-types-for-your-car/ Its possible that the damage to silicone hoses and their subsequent failure is caused by people mixing the two different types which results in an acidic brew -that may also damage the engine.
I used the silicon hoses on ground up builds, cheaper and looked better (IMO) than oem. I certainly wouldn't be spending £100+ on a samco set if I had serviceable oem ones.
I did mine once per year, including removing the rad and giving it a good scrub. One thing I will say for the silicon hoses, they are easier to pull on/off.
" Ooh ..... suits you Sir ! " Sorry , just kidding around ..... I got a mental flash of The Fast Show for a second there
If original good quality rubber hoses are available I'd always use them over Silicone ones. If the choice is old knackered rubber or new silicone then the latter but be aware they seem to be more prone to allowing leaks to occur if not clamped with decent hose clips and checked for tightness after a few heat cycles.
Haven't leaked, split or burst yet.. No way I'd run 20yr old rubber components on anything, for the exact reasons nobody would run 20yr old tyres. Rubber components are lifed service items, at work we don't install rubber flexible hoses if they've sat on the shelf >5yrs from their cure date, and they're replaced after being in service 10yrs. Silicone hoses are also available in black too...
I just spotted your thread has a vote. My vote is Blue for track bike Black for road bike Red never. Oh. And no camo or yellow either under any circumstances.
The previous owner fitted blue Samco hoses, which I don’t have an opinion on. However, I have just noticed that they have been fitted with the branding upside down! Now I’m going to have to drain the coolant and flip them over. For those that think that’s unnecessary, I agree and I am welling up with self loathing as I write!
