Summer coolant

[Tim Jones]

Hi guys, the modern array of coolant / antifreeze confuses the shit out of me. Which should I be getting for my 1979 Eclat 521?

Thanks

Tim

[DaKa]

I also get troubled by which coolant to use, but I guess that anything is better than just using water.

I love the idea of waterless coolant (seen it used on a few car makeover shows), but it would be a challenge draining the existing from the car.

I've always understood as a general rule that 'Blue' rather than 'Pink' is right for our older Lotus?

Happy to be corrected.

[Escape]

In older cars (<2000 or so) I always use G11 coolant, which usualy is blue indeed. Moderns typically come with red from the factory, so I use G12.

Not a fan of the waterless coolant for normal use. It's expensive for what it is, especially for a cooling system that was designed for normal cooleant and should cope just fine if in reasonably good shape. If you have any problems while using waterless, you wont be able to just top up with water. You might be able to fix the problem easily on the spot, but then you'd have to do a complete flush and refill which is not that easy on the side of the road.

Filip

[Tim Jones]

Update: Lotusbits use Valvoline MaxLife

[CarBuff]

One thing to remember is that whatever coolant you use needs to be compatible with both aluminum (aluminium) 😇 and brass (used in the original radiators)

I lie awake at night thinking about these things, too....

[Roy Lewington]

I have used Evans Waterless Coolant to great effect.  Ok it is expensive but how much is no corrosion worth?   Also it doesn't boil, it doesn't freeze, no pressure on the hoses, no corrosion, no problems in todays heavy traffic, it never needs changing.  What's not to like?  Roy.