If the coolant you buy is premixed it will say so on the container, "50/50 premix" or something similar. If you do buy premix you need to get enough to match the system capacity, so two 1-gallon containers should do it.
If you buy the non-premix get 1/2 that amount, and mix 50/50 with water which will give the proper freeze/boil protection as per the instructions on the label. If you want to vary the concentration do so only according to the mfrs. instructions.

 

You can get coolant either pre-mixed or the regular stuff where you add water. You want it to be 50% water, unless you live in a very warm climate or spend a lot of time on the track, then you actually want more water. But you do NOT want to run a 100% anti-freeze mixture.

After you refill the radiator, let the car run until it gets warm enough for the thermostat to open. Then you'll notice the level of coolant drop significantly. Add mixture until it is full and don't forget the overflow bottle either.

With brake fluid, only top it off when it's low after putting in fresh pads. If you top up when your pads are worn, then the system will be overfilled when you put new pads in and it will overflow.

 

So I switched to Redline tranny oil a while back and its horrible. I get all the grinding and other problems associated with the slippery fluid. Everyone says to switch to a "less slippery" fluid, but nobody can give any examples of what this is.

Thanks!

_justin

 

search the transmission forum for "shockproof." You'll find many threads that explain the difference between regular synthetic and the ones we recommend.

 

6mt and diff - Mobile1 syn gl5
engine 0-50, 10-30(40 or 50), 20-whatever full syn by any company out there - the 0-50 tends to go away a little.

I buy whatever is on sale and make sure I have enough for a few changes sitting around

I have been running syn since I was in college in MN in '74
Wow, what a difference it made there (moving the battery to the back seat helped too)

 

i'm about to do my first oil change. i was thinking of putting in royal purple because of the highly praised wonders it does.

shoot idk.. what would you folks recommend. btw, i have an 06 2.5i

 

Royal Purple and Redline are very good, but personally, I don't know if they are any better than Mobil 1 full synthetic. However, Mobil 1 recently changed how they blend their synthetics (not sure if Redline and Royal Purple did the same) and the jury is still out on how good the new blends are.

 

Mobile 1 syn. all the way!, however I would like to hear more about this new blending process!!!!

 

Also Mobile 1

 

I only use 5w30 wt mobil 1 regular not the extended and have 110k and have had no head gasket leak. some have said they use dot5 brake fluid. i thought you were no supposed to use that with abs. does everyone disable abs or am i wrong on that. i use dot 4 synthentic valvoline.

 

what is a dot 5.1 brake fluid. is it similar to dot 5. i use a dot 4 because i always heard abs and dot 5 is a bad combination. something about the rapid pulsing causes it to foam or something. is this true

 

DOT 5.1 brake fluid is formulated to DOT 4 standards, but it ends up having much higher boiling points and such than what DOT 4 requires. Since DOT 5 already existed (and is recommended only for show cars that are rarely driven) the manufacturers went with "5.1" to describe it, although they are really DOT 4.

 

I just bought a '06 WRX - When should I change over to synth - I get different answers from different people - I was going to change the oil @ 500 miles w/ synth (undecided between royal purple & mobile 1) & than again @ 1500 @ than again @ 3000 - After that I'll start the reg oil changes - Someone posted 2 use 5w30 in colder climates - what about summer time? - change to 10w30 in summer & 5w30 in winter? - won't that damage the car? - I'm being told to use 10w30 synth in it all the time - I just need some answers - does anyone know?

 

I personally think 1000 miles is okay for changing over, but anytime between 1000 and... well, whenever you get around to it is okay too. Too late would be better than too early. If I was breaking in a new engine, I would probably change the filter at 500 (leave the oil, add a quart of dino back in) and switch to synthetic between 1500-2000, whenever it was convenient and I got around to it. FWIW, I plan to use Redline oils exclusively from here on out now that Mobil 1 has changed its base oils. Redline did not, I don't know yet about Royal Purple.

 

DOT 5 is silicone based and not glycol based like standard brake fluid. It does not absorb water and won't harm paint (hence its advantage with show cars), however it can NOT be used in systems that already have glycol fluid in them as they do not mix and the seals will be destroyed.
And you are correct about ABS, DOT 5 is not compatible with ABS systems because it will foam.
DOT 5.1 is not the same as DOT 5 and is compatible with conventional fluid.