It is straight silicone hose supplied in a continuous coil rather than as short moulded sections, so you can cut exactly the lengths you need from one piece. It is the answer when a standard 1 metre length will not reach, when you need several runs of the same bore, or when you are plumbing a system from scratch and want to avoid unnecessary joins.

Internal diameters from 13mm to 51mm, in cut lengths from 1 metre up to a 5 metre full coil, in red, blue and black. Buying a coil rather than individual metres works out better value and leaves you with offcuts for future jobs. Order by internal diameter, matched to the outside diameter of the pipe stubs it will slide onto.

It is a multi-ply fabric-reinforced silicone hose built to SAE J20 R3, giving high temperature capability, good pressure handling and excellent flexibility. That makes it suitable for coolant, air and general fluid transfer in automotive, marine, agricultural and industrial systems. As with all standard silicone, it is not suitable for fuel or oil - for those use our fluorosilicone-lined range.

Silicone does not perish, harden or crack with age, heat and ozone exposure the way EPDM rubber does, so a long run you have gone to the trouble of installing neatly will not need revisiting in a few years. It also handles much higher temperatures and holds its flexibility in the cold. The trade-off is cost, and that silicone is not fuel or oil compatible.

Use a sharp blade or a proper hose cutter and cut in one decisive stroke, square to the bore - a ragged or angled cut makes it much harder to get a clean seal under the clip. Do not use a hacksaw, which drags the reinforcement plies and leaves a frayed edge. We stock dedicated hose cutters, which are worth having if you are cutting more than a couple of lengths.

Straight silicone hose has a limit to how tightly it can be bent before the bore starts to close up, and the larger the diameter the larger that limit. If your run needs to change direction sharply, use a moulded elbow rather than trying to bend the straight hose round the corner - a kinked hose restricts flow and creates a stress point that will eventually fail.