What antifreeze do you use?

[potshotpanda]

I've seen tire threads and oil threads, but I've not seen an antifreeze thread, other than SISF's coolant mix.   So....

What brand of antifreeze do you use?

I went to the closest Kawi dealer yesterday and they had Spectro available for $22.50/half gallon and I thought that was a bit steep.    Folks on other forums seem to use Engine Ice and Peak.   I know the antisfreeze should be silicate free.   So far from what I've seen, Peak seems to be the best match.   

Just curious to see if there's a concensus here, or, if like the aforementioned tire and oil discussions, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
 
Thanks
Jeff

[T Cro ®]

I see no reason to use anything different than what the service manual calls for.

[VodkaAndPickles]

Just get Prestone 50/50 premix in the yellow jug at any autoparts store.  Don't overthink it.

[potshotpanda]

After spending the time and money doing the valve adjustment, replacing the hoses on the coolant system, and checking the Y tube for the possible oil leak, I was twice paranoid about putting the wrong antifreeze in the cooling system.   After reading the owners and service manual, and your comments, I obviously did overthink it.  I have no problem making a fool of myself, obviously since I constantly do it.   But the only stupid question is the unasked one.

Breathe in, Breathe out, Move on.   I'm moving on.

Thanks for your feedback.

[2fast]

Peak Global, gold container. Cheap and no silicates.

[Jet86]

4 years straight running prestone 50/50, its only like 8-10 bucks at walmart and since i'm about dew fore a flush im going right back to wally fore the same thing.

 

[jimmymac]

The green stuff.

[Daytona_Mike]

You guys use 'antifreeze'??  I do not normally ride in the snow or freezing weather.
I  use Pro Honda  'coolant'  with some  'Water Wetter' and not anti freeze,
but I do see it does not freeze  down to  -34 degrees.

[timsatx]

I think it is two sides of the same coin. The properties of coolant also give it the properties of antifreeze.  Just a different way of saying the same thing really. I don't know if there is such a thing as just coolant with no antifreeze.

[datsaxman@hotmail.com]

All of those additives freeze at a lower temp than water.  Laws of physics, man.

Anything you mix with water lowers the freezing temp.  Salt, booze, propylene glycol, whatever...

It all kinda works the same...but some of it costs a lot more! 

[Cholla]

Water is coolant but is not antifreeze.
Why no silicates? You need the silicates to "scrub" your cooling system. Don't tell me about water pump o-rings. Cars use the silicates. When the dealer changed my pump under warranty they drained the green stuff and put in new green stuff.
And products like Water Wetter, etc will not make your engine run cooler. There is a little thing called a thermostat which wil keep the engine above the temp of the stat.

[midnightrider]

Water is coolant but is not antifreeze.
Why no silicates? You need the silicates to "scrub" your cooling system. Don't tell me about water pump o-rings. Cars use the silicates. When the dealer changed my pump under warranty they drained the green stuff and put in new green stuff.
And products like Water Wetter, etc will not make your engine run cooler. There is a little thing called a thermostat which wil keep the engine above the temp of the stat.

Are we really gonna go down this road again?
The silicates down't "scrub" the coolant system. The silicates in fresh anti-freeze are liquids, not solids. What they do is form a protective coating on the metal to protect it from corrosion. If the anti-freeze is not changed regularly, the silicates become depleted from the mix. They eventually release from the metal and form crystals which circulate and cut seals in the system. Also, silicates aren't the best for alluminum radiaters and engines.
You can't go by the color. It's just a dye put in the mix so you can see leaks. Green happens to be used the most. It has nothing to do with the life or contents of the base liguids.
Water Wetter, ect. improves heat transfer so the coolant can remove more heat from the engine metal and give it up easier.
A simple google search is all I did to find these answers.

[Cholla]

And a google search will tell you a thermostat will close when the engine temp drops below the rating of the stat. NO amount of anything will make an engine run cooler than the rating of the stat. And if the radiator is maxed out, ie it can remove no more heat, no amount of anything added will help, either.
If silicates are bad why do we use it in our cars?
And the silicate "drop out" is not the fault of the silicates but of the user not following the maker's instructions and changing the coolant as directed. Placing blame on the product for this is like blaming the oil for turning to goo after not changing it. A google search would have found that, too.

[Mettler1]

 I use Honda premix. I really don't give a rats a$$ which one the rest of you use!!