How important is a reinforced radiator hose?

[robroy]

Good morning!

The papers that came with my motor recommend installing it with a reinforced radiator hose (on the non-pressure hose I'm assuming).

I believe the idea here is that at high RPMs, it's possible for the radiator hose to partially collapse and restrict flow. My engine may be prone to this because it has an Edelbrock high flow water pump, but maybe this kind of thing happens only to race engines.

The pressure hose is the one on the bottom, right?

So how important is it to install a reinforced hose?

Thanks!
-Robroy

[Fordlorn]

Install the reinforced hose. It is very important. At higher RPM it will collapse the low pressure hose (without reinforcement) especially with a high flow water pump. In fact, I'm willing to bet it would collapse at a rather low RPM. Bottom hose is the one. Even stock engines come with the "slinky" inside the lower hose.

[heep70]

They will collaps at any RPM. Get the good hoses.

[Hawkrod]

It is not important to have a reinforced lower hose. Unfortunately very few people really understand why the reinforcement is there and assume it is to keep the hose from collapsing when you are driving and that is not true. In fact, the lower hose can't collapse unless you have another problem and then a reinforced hose actually masks what can be a serious issue. Think about it this way, your cooling system contains water which is a liquid and thus can't be compressed. There is also a small amount of air but not enough to be meaningful if all else is correct. Because a liquid can't be compressed it is pushed out the water pump into the engine block and back to the top of the radiator forcing the water in front of it into the water pump. Thus, pressure out of the pump equals pressure into the pump. The only way this can become an issue is if you have another problem somewhere causing a reduction in flow. The least likely is a block full of crud, second least likely is a stuck thermostat and finally the most common issue is a clogged radiator. The reality is that lower hoses are only reinforced due to the way an automobile is manufactured. As the vehicle is going down the line a special nozzle with two hoses is attached to the radiator where the filler cap goes. One hose goes to a vacuum pump and the other goes to a coolant supply. The vacuum is turned on and the cooling system is evacuated much like you do when you charge and AC system. Once the vacuum reaches a predetermined level, the lever is switched and the vacuum in the cooling system fills the system with coolant nearly instantly which is critical on an assembly line as they do not have time to stand around pouring fluids in when they are finishing a vehicle every 10-15 minutes. Because the engine is cold the thermostat is closed so coolant can't really fill from the top so the lower hose has a wire in it to keep it from collapsing from the vacuum so the coolant will fill the engine from the bottom. Hawkrod

[cdherman]

I will say that the re-informed lower rad hose on my 65 doesn't tend to kink and the non-reinforced ones do. I think Hawkrod is correct -- the minor kink in my lower hose probably straightens out as the system gets hot and pressure builds. But I still like the look better with the wirecoil in there.

Interestingly, last time I went to get a new lower hose, the car place gave me a gates which did NOT have the wire. So I gave it back and went to the next place. Their top of the line hose didn't have re-inforced inside either. Either they have all decided to save some $$$ or maybe it really isn't necessary. I kept the old one, as it was only 4 years old anyhow......

[robroy]

Hi Cdherman, Hawkrod, Heep70, and Fordlorn, thanks for the replies!

Fordlorn, thanks for the confirmation that it's the bottom hose to pay attention to!

Hawkrod, I see your point. It's possible that the need for this special radiator hose is a myth/legend, but I see no harm in having it, and the overwhelming majority of folks seem to recommend it. Your post is interesting though--thanks.

Since a big deal was made over having one of these hoses installed in the papers that came with my engine, I figured these hoses would be specially advertised and easy to tell apart from regular ones--but perhaps they're not.

Is anybody willing to bet on whether or not these Goodyear hoses are reinforced?

http://store.summitracing.com/compare.a ... 799252+115

Thanks for the great advice!
-Robroy

[Banjo]

The last several radiator hoses I have bought didn't have the big spring in there. I reuse old ones in case it helps, but I have also used other applications when I didn't have a spring laying around and never had a problem. Banjo.