NOS AC hoses vs barrier hose

[kishy]

Hey,
As I gradually gear up to do the AC on one of my cars (which one is yet to be determined), I'm looking at replacing hoses.
This is specifically because of the reduced loss when using barrier hose. I have no reason to believe any of the hoses are actually "bad" other than just being the older style of hose that has inherent permeation leaks.

So in my typical fashion, I'm trying to find the cheapest way to get these hoses, and the cheapest way looks to involve finding them as NOS. The issue with this, of course, is that a hose older than the late 90s runs a high risk of not being a barrier hose.

Am I correct in thinking that this is one area where buying new from a vendor where you're reasonably assured the product is recently manufactured, is the way to go?

Perhaps a question worth asking is: are the Four Seasons hoses on the market actually barrier hose? I can't imagine why they wouldn't be, but maybe all the stock that's out there was made 25 years ago.

Some later added detail: Four Seasons states that their hoses are barrier hose. Thus, at least more recent production is definitely the right stuff. Buying new from a vendor who special orders direct from the manufacturer will ensure the product received is consistent with the manufacturer's current specs, is my thinking. The suction and discharge lines are available new from many places, but the liquid line is a fair bit harder to find. There are Ford NOS ones of it out there, but I have extremely low confidence that those are a modern composition of hose, so I will stay away from those.

[87GrandMarq]

I bought all my hoses from Rock Auto, I think same brand, and haven’t had any issues with leaks. Its still ice cold and it sits for periods of time.


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[gadget73]

not sure how much leakage you actually get through the old hoses vs barrier. I've had way more leakage at the O rings than anywhere else. When the hoses themselves get bad, its usually failure at the crimps. Unless its just abused or installed wrong so it rubs on something at least.

that said, having a set of spare hoses isn't an awful idea. They aren't exactly in high demand and probably not in production. I expect a lot of this is just shelf stock and when its gone, its gone.