Jump to content
SAU Community

Aluminium Radiators Compared To Standard

Dean_HR31

By Dean_HR31,
in General Automotive Discussion

 Share

Recommended Posts

Dean_HR31 Mentor

Dean_HR31

Posted
Posted

As per the above guys. My R33 is going to be a Street & track drift car once the motor is rebuilt etc.

Just wondering if changing the radiator is a must if im gonna be taking it to the track. Is there a big difference in temps and consistency with temp using these aluminium radiators?

Is it worth the money?

Let me know guys. Any feedback would be nice.

djr81 Grand Master

djr81

Posted
Posted (edited)

No.

Being aluminium doesn't make a radiator reject heat any better than being copper. It just makes it lighter.

The second consideration is the volume of coolant the radiator carries. Obviously the longer it resides in the radiator (as opposed to the motor) the more heat it can reject. Just as obviously the more coolant you carry the heavier the system.

Bottom line: Check your current system to condition. Make sure it is up to scratch. Then & only then replace it if it is marginal.

Drifting is a bit of a hard application for radiators simply because the motor is putting out reasonable amounts of power but the lack of airflow makes it hard for the radiator to function.

Edited by djr81
Ant97GTR Grand Master

Ant97GTR

Posted
Posted

You also need to consider the age and condition of the plastic end tanks on the std radiators. Considering the stress that drifting etc put the car under I wouldn't be surprised if the coolant system sees higher than normal pressures.

philta Community Regular

philta

Posted
Posted

LOL @ vid, man that was an awesome burnout until his engine blew.

considering that thing was bouncing of the limiter for such long periods of time im not surprise it overheated and BANG! :D.

what u have to remember in drift is that your car is traveling sideways, hence there isnt much airflow for your radiator to disperse the heat.

keep an eye on your water temp and if it reaches pass 120 -140deg, pull it in and let it cool down. a larger or wider radiator would improve cooling. new radiator are cleaner hence would provide better flow as well has heat dispersion. if u have a stock front bar i recommend u either get an after market one for better air flow, or even better ventilated bonnet.

AWESOME burnout!

KANiVA Apprentice

KANiVA

Posted
Posted
ive found that my aluminium rad has a cooler cruise temp - around 75, down from around 80, but a hotter idle temp - from around 84 - 86-87.

Did you check these on days that were very close to each other in regards to temperature and humidity? Just to make sure the readings are consistent of course.

Being aluminium doesn't make a radiator reject heat any better than being copper. It just makes it lighter.

In fact, it might make it worse, I can't say I've tested in a radiators circumstance, but the fact is, copper is actually much better than aluminium @ dissipating heat itself, so you shouldn't actually expect an aluminium radiator to be "better" than a standard/copper one, if it is, it may be better designed than the original, or just in better general condition, therefore going aluminium should only really be on your mind if you want to make your car absolutely as light as possible.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing


  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • Kinkstaah
      MLR's Bogan cruise ship

      By Kinkstaah · Posted

      Yep, that was one of the things we learned fast in the past with our MX5. When you drive with the top down, you are effectively standing out in the sun, 100% of the time, and not getting in any shade (because roads aren't shaded generally!). Just like standing out in the middle of a field on a sunny 27C day is a bit of a bad plan, so is sitting in a MX5 without sun protection.
    • The Bogan
      MLR's Bogan cruise ship

      By The Bogan · Posted

      I also just ordered some Frankenstein bolts and side mounts to fit a hard top Just in case I do find one, basically so it doesn't need to be fixed to the car with only the front latch.......and then gaffa tape to keep it in place for the RTN journey from wherever I get it
    • The Bogan
      MLR's Bogan cruise ship

      By The Bogan · Posted

      If your temps are fine now, you probably won't have any issues with where your vents are as they don't look right up at the windscreens high pressure area, so any differences when giving it the beans for extended happy laps would be minimal, but, they should vent heaps when stuck in traffic  Much like how that reverse cowl on my SS let "visible" heat out when stationary, but, because it was basically at the windscreen my coolant temps on the Hwy actually raised because air was being fed into it at speed (110kph), to only come back down to around 90° when I got off the Hwy And your 100% correct about the NC currently not needing vents, but, if I was to add a turbo, and a oil cooler and intercooler in front of the condenserand radiator, and then take it to the track???? It is apparently a recommend requirement if I don't want to worry about coolant or oil temp issues, but, any of the above are possible scenarios, over time As it sits now, with the triple pass radiator and stock air conditioning system, I have absolutely no issues with either temps or air conditioning efficiency, I've been basically daily driving thie car for the last month, both on the Hwy, and peak hour, bumper to bumper traffic, but, that's pretty much expected from basically a standard engine  Talking about no issues daily driving, it was 39° the other day and I was sitting in bumper to bumper traffic on the M5 and then M7, with the top down, and with the air conditioning blowing nice cold air on my feet, balls, and face, well, there was one issue, my head and arms got pretty sun burnt Note to self: leave a hat and sunscreen in the car for such days 🤣
    • sonicii
      Mechanic in Victoria

      By sonicii · Posted

      I would agree, unless you need something specific to the HV motor/battery side repaired or investigated, any mechanic will be able to perform normal services, but if you prefer, maybe look for a mechanic who regularly services/repairs Nissans, the VQ engines are pretty common in the Nissan lineup.  Sorry, I can't make any suggestions, I don't live in Vic.
    • GTSBoy
      R32 GTR clutch master cylinder adapters

      By GTSBoy · Posted

      Some of them keep working fine. 9 out of 10 of them end up causing an absolute misery bleeding the system and get thrown on the workshop floor in a tantrum and never thought about again because they were never really needed and just added crap to the car that we could have done without. Same-same with HICAS, A-LSD, and various other stupidities that over eager 10x engineers thought we had to have.
×
×
  • Create New...