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Hi all,

I'm fairly new to the forum but it seems like a nice community so I thought I'd ask a question, if I may.

The other day one of my heater hoses blew in my 2001 NB and now needs replacing! I figure i might as well do all coolant hoses while I'm at it. Genuine Mazda hoses are about $250, while the Mania silicone set is only $120. I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with these hoses, and if they are as good as genuine Mazda ones? I'm most likely going to fit them myself.

Thanks all!

Only $120. Better grab myself a kit!!! Think they are silicon as opposed to rubber. If so then the are better than mazda ones ;)

Should have also advised to cut off your old hose, don't tugg on it as it can damage the alloy pipe it connects to. Good luck

Yup, go for it. They are silicon.

Is it just water hoses or the vaccum hoses too?

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

Just so you know we have heater and vacuum silicone hoses sets in stock for all NA and NB at all times and with a large selection of colors.

http://www.carbonmiata.com/index.php?ro ... ry&path=70

Have a look!

Marc

There is no reason to replace hoses if they are in good condition and there is no particular benefit of silicone. Rubber for hoses ( and many other car components) is tried tested and fully functional. One thing you should be able to rely on is Mazda sourcing quality hoses and you should be able to source just the one faulty hose. Check your local repairers for some advice. Incidentally any OEM product is made to a spec which is more than can be said for a lot of products on the market.

well I have to say the OEM is pretty good.
I replaced all my hoses after 24 years. One, kind of started leaking right at the end so I shortened it. But then others started leaking as well shortly after. I got to the stage where I replaced everything.
I know Money can be tight. But I can't see anything wrong with the silicone hoses. Especially if you want under-bonnet bling. While I'm endorsing OEM I have to say Ive not heard anything terrible about the silicone hoses.

If you do decide to change everything look at it as preventative maintenance. That used to be my motto. Until I got tired of cars in general. I Ignored Christine for a good 5-6 years and for some years, reaped the benefit of this until everything started to go wrong.

Even if you decide to change to silicone and if they prove to be not as good as OEM, You will still get years of trouble free motoring as far as your cooling system goes.

StanTheMan wrote:I Ignored Christine for a good 5-6 years and for some years, reaped the benefit of this until everything started to go wrong.

Best to move them along before that happens, get a newer, fresher model. There are always good ones becoming available if you look around a bit.

As far as the hoses go, I always keep a close eye on the hoses, and the top tank. Once bitten etc ...

Mr Morlock wrote:There is no reason to replace hoses if they are in good condition and there is no particular benefit of silicone. Rubber for hoses ( and many other car components) is tried tested and fully functional. One thing you should be able to rely on is Mazda sourcing quality hoses and you should be able to source just the one faulty hose. Check your local repairers for some advice. Incidentally any OEM product is made to a spec which is more than can be said for a lot of products on the market.

My understanding is that silicone hoses are able to withstand higher pressures, and higher temperatures.
In saying that.... there's no need for them in a cooling system, since the pressures and temperatures are already below what rubber can withstand.


Normally I would say to use rubber hoses over silicone, since they tend to be cheaper, and while silicone offers no detriment, it also won't really offer any benefit for the extra cost.

HOWEVER, in the case mentioned above, it seems that the silicone are substantially cheaper than the rubber equivalent. In which case, i'd say just go with the silicone.

Is silicon more resistant to oil?
I only ask because my NA8 had a CAS O-ring leak that flowed onto the heater hose. If silicon is more resistant to oil it could be a good insurance if you don't catch the leak for a while.

$124 for just top & bottom rad hoses at Burson's (rubber made by Mackay)
Mania kit sounds good

Cheers

A downside of silicon hoses, due to the fact that they are stronger than rubber and hence dont compress as much when you clamp them, you'll need to use good quality worm-gear clamps or better yet t-bolt clamps because spring clamps won't be good enough.

I used to have a silicon hose running from the intake manifold to the PCV valve on the rocker cover and it always sweated a clear oily substance. I was told that if you intend to use silicon hoses for oil, you need to ensure that they're rated for oil since silicon air hoses and oil hoses aren't the same. I switched back to the OEM rubber hose and haven't had any issues since.

From Specter at https://forums.finalgear.com/questions- ... nay-56359/:
"You can't use silicone for hoses liquid oil is flowing through all the time as real silicone isn't very oil resistant. Using it for PCV purposes can be hit or miss and depends on the system. If it does rot, it will rot from the inside out, so you'd have to inspect regularly. Some 'silicone' hoses intended for oil use are really Viton or some other substance that looks like silicone (or have a lining) but are fine with oil so check with your vendor."

If the hoses were actually made by Mackay then buy them. Mackay were supplying to GMH more than fifty years ago and have to be experts in the formulation and specs involved in producing rubber that performs against a specification. Almost all rubber making has gone in Au and not sure what Mackay still do but in event if they source from a overseas supplier you could expect that product is made to perform against a spec.