sunbeamtiger.co.uk

Can any one advise me what type of Antifreeze I should be using in my tiger that is fitted with a aluminium radiator. Should I be using red or green/blue?

it doesn't really matter. i use the modern red organic acid technology (OAT) stuff because its not such a nasty chemical as ethylene glycol or propylene glycol .

its more expensive and they say not to mix it with the glycol (yellow/green) stuff so you'd need to do a full flush of the block with water if you switched.

i actually end up changing it at least once a year for one reason or another, but if you don't, the green/yellow stuff should be changed every 2 years.

Hi,

I would agree with the previous post. It doesn't matter what brand as long as it is suitable for iron and aluminium. I am using a green type in mine.

Regards, Robin.

I would stick to Ethylene Glycol, not only to avoid risk of mixing problems (some can form a gel and block the rad) but because it is proven to work with the old seals, gaskets etc.; I have heard there can be problems with the new antifreeze compounds in old cars.

Thanks for the replies, I also read that you should use distilled water with water wetter, has any one any comments on this or is tap water OK to use.

Hi,
Distilled water is better, less corosive. As for water wetter, I tried it and all I got was a header tank full of sludge, and had to flush the whole system. If you don't want your rad to block, it's best to flush out once a year any way. allso an engine runs cooler with no anti freeze, but not good for corosion.
Harry

i use brita filtered water because i can never find distilled water. brita removes about 60-70% of the total dissolved solids. water is a better heat sink than antifreeze so i use about 30% antifreeze and the rest water. i also find gano filters particularly useful on old cars. i have one in my tiger (but there is never so much as a speck of debris in it!)

Having researched the web I have found this link - http://cc.derekharris.com/Antifreeze%20 ... 9%20V8.pdf
It seems Fernox Alphi II that is used in central heating systems is recommended for classic cars. I have decided to try this with purified water.
Many thanks for all your posts.