Silicone hoses to replace coolant hoses?
 

I know that you should use the silicone or viton ($$$) hoses to replace the vacuum hoses, but what about coolant hoses? Can silicone be used for coolant hoses also?

What is the difference between "water" hoses and coolant hoses? Thanks guys.

No, they're not made to hold that kind of heat.

sure they are, the bends are too agressive, and the silicone is too expensive

If you want to upgrade your coolant hoses check out Samco http://www.samcosport.com/samco.asp?make=mazda

http://www.thermalflex.com

Thermal Flex also offers a radiator hose replacement kit for the FD. If you search the group-buy section, you can read some info about them when they did the group-buy about a year ago.

Seeing as most people get almost 10 years out of the OEM radiator hoses, the only real reason to go aftermarket is if you want a specific color other than black.

Ahhhh, rational thought in a sea of madness.;) Thanks.

(I sure do like Gates though, they claim up to 200,000 miles without failure, and... I believe 'em.)

Samco coolant hoses are available for $125 at www.forgemotorsport.com

they are the authorized dealer for Samco in the US.

From my experience, OEM hoses last about 30K before they get too soft.

I don't think you can get 100K out of OEM hoses. Either that or you're playing russian roulette with all 5 rounds in the chamber.

With the Samco hoses, it should last the life of the car.