Recommended Antifreeze

[OKAvidFlyer 0]

What brand of antifreeze/coolant do you guys recommend/use? More worried about cooling than freezing down here. Or does it even matter and just add some good old Prestone?

[akflyer 1427]

What brand of antifreeze/coolant do you guys recommend/use? More worried about cooling than freezing down here. Or does it even matter and just add some good old Prestone?

Dexcool or any SILICA FREE antifreeze. With your temps, you can mix it 80% water 20% coolant. Make sure you use DISTILLED WATER! Another thing that really helps you can get at the local cycle shop. Engine ICE or Water wetter. They enhance the cooling and can drop engine temps by 5-10 degrees. Sometimes, on those hot OK days it may mean the difference between a good full power steep climb and having to step climb to keep the engine temps below 180.

[dholly 718]

I used Prestone Extended Life concentrate and distilled water with a 40/60 mix. Was on sale at AutoZone BOGO. We'll see when the summer dog day heat wave hits. IIRC, [almost] all extended life antifreeze are silica free and good for 5 years.

[Av8r3400 1178]

Rotax says dexcool only. Either premix or concentrate mixed with distilled water.

[dholly 718]

Yeah, yeah... and Rotax says to use genuine Rotax parts but I use JBM carb sockets, GASP! I does my research and go with what I think best.

Google up the history of lawsuits on the GM spec Dexcool, what a nightmare. There are several Dexcool approved coolants if you want an alternative to Dexcool, and all Dexcool approved coolants have specific formulations to work in aluminum radiators. Prestone Extended Life is a Dexcool approved coolant (by everyone but Rotax it would seem), and contains a slightly different formulation than Dexcool to avoid the bad side effects of the GM juice. There was a comparison on the BITOG (www.BobIsTheOilGuy.com) forums back when it was a hot topic and Prestone Extended Life and Peak Global seemed to be the best Dexcool approved alternatives.