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Has anyone fitted new rad hoses and noticed that the new rubber is much thinner than on the items you’re replacing? Probably by 50%. As the tightened hose clips also seem to bite further into the rubber than previous, I fitted the widest I had.

Hopefully they’ll last more than a summer. It reminds me of the rubber gearbox mount fiasco a while back where I had to adapt a Volvo mount due to a poor material spec.

busheytrader wrote:Has anyone fitted new rad hoses and noticed that the new rubber is much thinner than on the items you’re replacing? Probably by 50%. As the tightened hose clips also seem to bite further into the rubber than previous, I fitted the widest I had.

Hopefully they’ll last more than a summer. It reminds me of the rubber gearbox mount fiasco a while back where I had to adapt a Volvo mount due to a poor material spec.

Yes, rubber is a problem. Not what it used to be. Where possible I use brand name hoses from brand name manufacturers from other models with the same bend/size and cut it down to size because they likely don't make it for the TR7. An example is the coolant return hose that has a reduced size mid way on the return (or is it feed) from heater to water pump on a FI TR7. The TR7 one lasted one or two years before it cracked all around and leaked and used one from a Volkswagon. The other thing I read that the jubilee clips for FI fuel hoses have raised edges so it doesn't cut into the rubber hoses. I don't know if that is available on larger water hoses but might be worth a check.

When we blew a new hose, labelled Gates, on the transmission cooler of the TR8 after just 26 kilometres we were told by a top drag racing gearbox builder not to use any hose that was not labelled "Made in the USA" here in Oz. He said many manufacturers of previous quality hose were now making their stuff in Mexico or India.

Only trust that made in the USA has proven up to the job.

Hasbeen