What is the best coolant to use in the vmax

[VMax-Mike]

What is the best coolant and What is the best way to do the job. I dont want air in the system. and michigan gets real cold and real hot.

 

[dannymax]

What is the best coolant and What is the best way to do the job. I dont want air in the system. and michigan gets real cold and real hot.

Any quality, name brand, anti-freeze formulated for aluminum engines will work just fine....Peak, Xerex, Prestone....anything like that.

 

[gamorg02]

it has been shown if you have a clear water pump cover and use a colour antifreeze that matches your bike's scheme it adds 5 rwhp.

 

[ninjaneer]

oh boy. here we go--oil, spark plugs, fuel, and now coolant :rofl_200:

 

[Rollie]

it has been shown if you have a clear water pump cover and use a colour antifreeze that matches your bike's scheme it adds 5 rwhp.

.... or food coloring if you can't find your fastest color . :rofl_200:

 

[Diablotin]

I guess the only things bad are gas, beer and pee lol
Aside the joke, any issue mixing? is a purge a must do?


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[rusty]

What is the best coolant and What is the best way to do the job. I dont want air in the system. and michigan gets real cold and real hot.

I use "Engine Ice" Its pricey-er then other brands.But it just makes me feal good. :biglaugh:LOL:biglaugh:

 

[MaxMidnight]

I would choose any major brand of the OAT (organic acid technology) as they only need to be changed every five years or 150,000 miles.
The 'traditional' silicate or phosphate based fluids need to be changed every two years.

Without wishing to sound sarcastic, the best way to do this is to read the shop manual first, than ask for clarification if there are points you don't understand.

 

[bazwell]

I use good old ethylene glycol diluted 1:1 with distilled water. I only get really hot weather, not freezing.

 

[maleko89]

I use Toyota Factory Red.

 

[06VMAXIMUS]

Aside the joke, any issue mixing? is a purge a must do?
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If you are going to switch to the "extended life" antifreeze, you should make sure to do a good job flushing the old stuff out. Mixing them can cause problems, and your coolant will turn black.

 

[MaxMidnight]

....and your coolant will turn black.

If yoy are a Goth then that's cool!

 

[2fear]

Hey Mike check out this thread, A lot of good info. Coolant...

 

[bazwell]

Mike,
My 2 cents on coolant changes.
Flushing is good. Flushing with sodium citrate (commercial radiator flush you can buy) will help remove shit from the system. Not really needed if the system is pretty clean.
There are drain plugs in the block. Try and flush through these to get any deposits that have settled in the block.
Air locks usually occur in systems where the fill point is not the highest point in the system. You shouldn't have any problems with the max. After you have filled with coolant and got it up to operating temp, any air locked in should come out. That's why you need to check your coolant level after the first ride.

Easy. :biglaugh:

 

[Diablotin]

I'm planning to do it soon since I need to fix the thermostat leak. I found some prestone, i might give it a try.

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[RaWarrior]

Mine has regular green stuff in it. Was perfectly clean when I got the bike 3 seasons ago, and now 20k miles later it still looks perfectly fresh and bright green. I see no need to fix things that aren't broken.

I imagine if you filled the system with pee it wouldn't be good in the long term, but we all pissed in a buddy's Jeep's radiator when it overheated and blasted a ton out from a hose that popped off. Between all of us we probably got a gallon or so in there. Drove it the rest of the day, and then flushed/refilled when he got home. No adverse affects.

If you have a clear WP cover, pick whatever color you like. There's regular green, GM orange, "import" pink, Toyota red, Ford turquoise, ect. Engine Ice is purple, but it also costs like 3x as much as anything else and I'm not convinced it helps anything, since it's specific heat is virtually identical to regular coolant and that's what governs heat transfer ability.

And yes, purging/flushing is a MUST if you are changing types. In general, different colors do not mix and can cause adverse reactions. Even if you had green, and are refilling with green, a flush is still a good idea. The Vmax is easy....the filler cap is the highest point on the system, with both sides sloping up toward it. Just rock the bike side to side as you fill and check it after the first ride and top up if needed.

NEVER EVER use tap water to mix with the coolant. Get a couple gallon jugs of distilled water. Not filtered drinking water....that still has minerals added "for taste". You want totally pure h2o and nothing else. The alternative is to buy the "ready to use" mixed antifreeze, but I never bother since it's a rip off...you only get half as much coolant for the same price(sometimes more).

 

[sdt354]

What is the best coolant and What is the best way to do the job. I dont want air in the system. and michigan gets real cold and real hot.

I use premixed. That way you don't have to buy distilled water too or take a chance on bad tap water. Just poor it in, no mixing.
A little bit of distilled white vinigar mixed with water does a nice job flushing. I think you'll find a thread or two on that here.
Steve

 

[Lugan]

I'm another user of "Engine Ice" coolant. I was introduced to in via another forum for Triumph Sprints (my other bike). The 1050 Triumph triple runs very hot, especially the faired ones like my Sprint. What I noticed with the Engine Ice, is the bike maintained a more consistent temperature, and would not get hotter than normal operating temp in stop and go humid Chicago summer days. When the engine fan would turn on, the ability to shed heat was much better than the previous coolant I used, a Maxima MC-specific one. It cools down fast.
So though it is more expensive, to me it's worth the consistency it offers on hot days. I have yet to test Engine Ice in the Vmax (though i recently drained, flushed and filled it with the stuff), but I expect it to perform similarly when the summer comes. Oh how I miss the summer...:xmas:

 

[Lugan]

Not to beat a dead horse, but another up-side to the Engine Ice stuff is it's supposed to be biodegradable. If there are some drippings while changing coolant, no worries, I think! (hope?)

A rainy day, and fresh coolant in my 'max:

 

[wildweasel_pt]

Hey Lugan

Any reason why you have your shocks upside down and the center stand laying?