Brand of Coolant

I am preparing for maintenance on the 2008 VFR800. The manual says to RECOMMENDED ANTIFREEZE: High quality ethylene glycol antifreeze containing corrosion protection inhibitors, RECOMMENDED MIXTURE: 50 -50 (Distilled water and antifreeze).

Is the Honda coolant recommended or can off the shelf automotive coolants be used. I have read on the ST forum not to use coolants with have silica in them. Does the same hold true here?

 

From memory no silica and no borate. Will have to look that up again.

 

I just use the Honda coolant from the Honda Car dealer seems to work just fine and is recommended for all Honda engines

 

What woukd be the price difference. The number of times you need to flush you cooling system may make you wonder if the extra cost for Honda products is worth worrying about. Then again we don't know what your financial situation is and every penny saved just might be more important to one person than the other.

I can't say I know one way or the other. However regardless of what I said above, when I last did mine, I just went out and bought a 50-50 pre mix from the local autoparts store...more for convenience. Haven't discovered any problems.

This post reminds me it is about time again.

 

:wof:

 

There's 9 differant kinds of coolant on the market. I would ask the dealer.

 

I run Engine Ice because it's supposed to be approved for the track, I.e. Not slippery and slimy like Glycol based coolants. Can't say I noticed a difference in cooling, because the teperature/weather is always different!

 

napa has the best and cheapest anti freeze for the vfr-it comes in 100% strength-mix with distilled water makes two gals. about $20.

 

Well. Seeing as sow says I am running the wrong stuff, and for a few years now, and my bike has 196k km on it, I'm gonna go out and flush the system right fooken now before it blows ip.

Lets see. 50-50, no silica. Napa supplied. Anything else. Oh ya. Persian cat piss inspired.

 

Good idea, you put in car anti-freeze not mC Honda recommended anti freeze, I would think car anti freeze would last a while, while the Honda spec would not wear out. Why use the wrong stuff-my car is picky too on what type should be used-some tend to destroy water pumps or eat water seals or alu parts.

 

Prestone "Extended Life" 50/50, aka the green stuff. Can use that crap in anything, all I've ever bought for any type of vehicle. Available everywhere.

 

Thanks folks for the thoughts.

 

I thought the only difference was "Orange" or "Green". Why are you guys making it so complicated?

 

I've switched from standard honda stuff to engine ice DURING a heat wave in NYC - my average engine temp dropped 10 degrees. The stuff is the real deal, only thing is most people don't ride in the conditions that really cause engines to overheat (like sitting on the BQE in 108 degrees in rush hour traffic). At extreme temps (engine overheat temps), it was over 20 degrees cooler than the regular stuff.

As a side note, I tried Prestone's coolant of the same chemical type (I forget the name) and it was not as effective as engine ice. YMMV

 

I use this. It's blue in color. It meets all the specs Honda Motorcycle calls for.

 

Don't know about these days, but in the past Gold Wing riders were using whatever they wanted, and automotive antifreeze had or has silicates to scrub deposits from inside the cooling system. The silicates were wearing out the waterpump seals causing leaks. I would assume that as long as the antifreeze is silicate free and 50/50 mixture that it would work. That being said, I myself only use premixed Honda coolant.

 

Water Wetter by Red Line and Engine Ice help in the heat, but I have only seen about 2 degree drop in any bike and that includes my VFR. You can add water wetter to anti freeze coolant too help with heat. I use it and distilled water in the track bike.

 

Just don't use Zerex global extended life. It doesn't mix well with others. Kind of like sow.

 

I have been doing a fair amount of reading on other Honda sights and it seems that Prestone extended 50/50 is the way to go it meets all requirements and is silicate free.