Radiator hose

zeke57 · Post by **zeke57** » Fri Jan 31, 2020 9:02 pm

I need to replace the lower radiator hose on my a1 and while searching online it seems like most of them that are available do not have a spring inside so my question is are hoses these days made stronger so as to not require a spring or should I keep looking until I do find one that has does have one? My upper hose contains a spring so I am wondering also if the top requires one and maybe the bottom does not. I have read differing opinions online so I thought I better ask the pro's here.

Post by **wesk** » Sat Feb 01, 2020 1:06 am

The spring is for preventing collapse of the hose when the water pump sucks on it. The water pump only sucks on the lower hose!

zeke57 · Post by **zeke57** » Sat Feb 01, 2020 8:45 am

I understand the purpose of the spring but back to my question which is are the modern hoses stronger and stiffer so as to not require a spring and the reason I am asking is because a majority of them do not include one.

Post by **wesk** » Sat Feb 01, 2020 12:08 pm

The only way to make the modern hose stronger is to thicken it. Just compare the thickness of a modern hose to the thickness of yours. If the desired replacement is twice as thick you can chance it and run it. If you have overheating issues then you will need to at least move that spring you said was in your upper hose (WHERE IT IS NOT NEEDED) to your new lower hose. You can also find spring reinforced hose by the lengths and in some cases the springs at the manufacturer's web site like Goodyear Rubber Products and Gates.

zeke57 · Post by **zeke57** » Sat Feb 01, 2020 6:06 pm

Thanks for your input Wes. Since the spring is not needed in the upper hose I will do as you suggested and move it to the lower.