coolant type

[Fazer Jake]

just bought a mixed colant from halfords, noticed is suitable or ally engines however is red and my cooolant was green. should this e ok?

[CRH]

hi, jake  been usin the red  in me fazer and me zafira for over a year no probs! you can use any colour ,green ,blue, or red ! the red i think you,l find is a longer lasting " 2yrs plus i think between flushes n changes? more concentrated !! ive allways used it since they started making red in every bike and car with all alloy engines!! they dont recomend mixing it though? for some reason? may be down to different additives?  cheers clive.

[sausageroll]

Hi Jake, CRH is correct. you can use red but flush all the old green out first. Red contains organic acids to help prevent corrosion which dont mix with the green stuff. Red also last around 4 years compared to around 2 for the green stuff
 

[solorider]

i only use vauxhall antifreeze in my bike and car,the vauxhall antifreeze is a longlife antifreeze and is red and can be mixed with the older stuff,and it is a lot cheaper than halfords

[sausageroll]

Dont want to get too deep here. The colour is not an indication of type, early stuff was generally green/blue when i were a lad. The newer stuff was generally red/orange when it came out, but its only a dye to show up leaks and concentrate,  Basically theres 2 types, the earlier inorganic (IAT) and the more recent organic ones (OAT). Look on the label for these initials to determine type. They should not be mixed. Unless you know whats in your system I'd drain it.

[CRH]

ime same as solorider? vauxhall antifreeze for me to? and he,s right? cheaper than halfords!! 50/50 mix in bike and car!

[Fazer Jake]

i drained the system and filled up with the halfrauds  expansion tank was a little reluctant in draining the second time round 

[Major Rant]

Amusingly, Modern Ford coolant is clear colourless. It used to be orange.
 
Problem is, all car makers specify "Use My Proprietary Coolant or your Engine will Die!" hence the profusion of colours.
VW stuff is pink FFS! 
 
As far as I can tell, Green or Blue is Glycol (the original "antifreeze") and anything else is OAT coolant.
You can mix them (according to Mr Ford) but you should then treat the mixture as Glycol.

[bikemad62]

Lol colour don't matter just dont't use tap water in ya bike. Use deminaralised water. The chalk blocks the tiny little waterways.