Best antifreeze?

shotbirdsc

shotbirdsc

Registered User
What's the best for our cars. Mine still has the stock rad, lots of goodies since hg failure. What's the difference between the red and green? 60/40 dilution? Car gets driven for maybe 2000 miles per year if that makes a difference.

Any input, I am just on the finishing touches of my hg replacement and will be going for a trial start tonight.

Thanks Eric
 
The red long life antifreeze, whether it be GM Dexcool or its aftermarket alternative, is supposed to have better heat transfer ability & longer life. However, I have been told by multiple sources that the additive packs in this type of antifreeze simply do not prevent corrosion well, and have led to many gasket failures in the cars they come stock with. Information I have researched about this type also seems to indicate this.. I do not have personal experience however.

In any case, the various types should not be mixed, as sometimes the additives can combine to either neutralize the beneficial properties or even become more corrosive. This is likely not an issue here.

I will say, and probably most others also, to simply use the stock green ethelyne glycol coolant. Simply change it once a year and you should have no problems.

As for coolant mixtures, adding more water usually increases heat transfer ability by sacrificing antifreeze & corrosion properties. This is beneficial for special conditions such as warm environments or racing use.

Adding more antifreeze has the opposite effect. You increase boiling, freezing, & corrosion resistance while sacrificing some heat transfer ability.

A 50/50 mix is usually suitable for most avg conditions. Others can tell you if a different mix is better for the low use conditions your car will encounter.
 
stick to the green

just stick to the green and water, ur car isnt going to get any colder, well you wont notice it if it does. just my 2 cents
 
thanks guys

Thanks guys I went with the prestone and ionized water. Thanks for the replies it stopped me from buying the longer life stuff and potential problems down the road. Now to get this bad boy started againg--getting closer!

Thanks Eric
 
I'd endorse staying with regular green Prestone (or equivalent). I tried the orange 'long life' a few years back when GM and others were putting in their cars stock, saying it lasted 5 years or 150,000. It produced all sorts of minor leaks in my SC and Honda, especially around the SC thermostat housing and the pressure cap. Also, if you have the time you should drain the block on both sides (not easy, square peg plugs are tight under the manifolds) and use distilled water. The rust inhibitors will then last atleast 2 years or 40,000m.
 
Gm is having a lot of warranty claims with the DEX-Cool, so far the best antifreeze seems to be Chryslers G-05, it is one of those two. In the test cases they had very little corrosion after 7 years.


What is unique about Zerex G-05?

Zerex G-05 is an ethylene glycol based coolant with an HOAT (Hybrid Organic Acid Technology) inhibitor package. It is phosphate free, fully formulated (contains nitrite) and protects against hard water deposits and corrosion. As a testament to the quality, Mercedes has been using this formula for over 20 years.
 
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when i went about 2 yrs ago to Mustangs Unlimited with my brother a couple of guys told my brother since he changed to aluminum heads to run the orange stuff, said not to run the green stuff with his new trick flow twisted wedge aluminum heads, so ever since then i changed to the prestone orange stuff from autozone.. i think he said it might eat the gaskets quicker or something like that ? i dunno why, but i have just switched...
 
The orange is not supposed to corrode the aluminum like the Green. But, apparently the orange is not as good as they thought and the yellow looking G05 was supposed to be the next better thing. Another option would be to use the Evans Cooling antifreeze, it is supposed to be very good as well.
 
I use....

The RED prestone Anti-freeze 5yr/150,000 miles coolant that is a GM approved Dexcool equivilent. I use it in 60%H20/40% Coolant dilution year round. It also states clearly on the side of the bottle "compatable with all glycol based coolants".

I have heard many stories about how you shouldn't mix the red with the green cause you will eat your gaskets/hoses/radiator etc etc etc.

I've also heard that you will blow HG quicker etc.

Just to reiterate the GM dexcool was developed to be specifically used in iron block/aluminum head combos and other "high performance" engines utilizing a power adder of some form with iron block/aluminum head combo. It is supposed to cut down on the corrosion and electrolyzing of the heads.

That being said though, I do like to flush the stuff out every 2 years since I converted over. That was about 3-1/2 years ago.

I will note though, that I too have had a few coolant leaks. I've had the stock rad cap leak. The overflow tube leak. The thermostat gasket to ooze and the timing cover to leak.

I'm not sure if the stuff is responsible for my leaks ( it's been formulated to CUT down on leaks) but I really think that my leaks are due to design, age and the rediculously high underhood temps my car experiences at times.

Since I've converted over to the RED coolant though, my coolant has stayed cleaner (doesn't turn darker after a year or so) and my temp needle isn't as quick to rise to "M" in the summer time.

Obviously a coolant like EVANS NPG is really the best out there (it's blue BTW). What's unique about the EVANS coolant is that you add it straight to the radiator. You DO NOT add water. Because it is meant to be used without water, your system's exposure to corrosion is minimized. The EVANS coolant is a better conductor of heat, both at absorbing it and rejecting it, compared to traditional green ethylene glycol 50/50. It also can be operated at 0 PSI and still provide superior cooling. Less operating pressure would mean an easier time on gaskets/hoses etc.
 
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