Why is silicone hose better than rubber?
Silicone hose is generally considered superior to rubber for several reasons. Below we just give a few examples to illustrate the benefits of silicone
1. Flexibility and resilience
Elasticity Compared to rubber, silicone hose has superior flexibility. Unlike rubber hoses, they maintain this flexibility during their lifetime. This reduces the risk of hose cracking, hardening or dry rot.
2. Service life
Silicone hoses last almost forever and may outlast your car. Because of their longevity, they cost less per mile on average than rubber hoses, even though they have a higher upfront cost.
3. Operating temperature range
One of the main reasons people switch to silicone is the operating temperature, which is all about thermodynamics. The idea of the silicone hose is to replace the standard hose so that it doesn't expand and get hot under pressure. Silicone hoses are capable of delivering fluids at much higher temperatures than rubber. If you're building a race car or adding a turbo to your engine, silicone is your best bet.
4. Noise and Vibration Control
Silicone has a good ability to dampen sound and vibration, maintaining a quiet and stable profile. Rubber is known to be a noise source due to friction between the rubber and mating surfaces.
5. Aesthetics
One of the most obvious advantages of upgrading hoses under the hood is how they look. The colors available in the range of silicone hoses mean they're often a favorite for car enthusiasts who like to show off their engine bays. The vibrant blue and red hoses really ignite the engine.
Can silicone hose improve performance?
The reason people started making silicone hoses for the automotive industry is in the first place because the silicone material provides such a valuable performance enhancement. So the simple answer is yes.
As we mentioned above, silicone has better heat resistance compared to rubber, which is the main reason why silicone is the material of choice for high performance vehicles. If you add a nice turbo to the engine you'll get some great power, but if you neglect to upgrade your hoses at the same time, you'll likely be driving all the extra heat into the hoses that can't handle it .
Silicone is a very stable material, almost like new if not new. While rubber hose is prone to cracking, hardening, or drying out and rotting over time, the elasticity of silicone means this is less likely. Anyone who's had a hose leak will know what a headache it can be to diagnose and correct, so upgrading to silicone will definitely impact your performance better.