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Aluminium Radiators Compared To Standard

Dean_HR31

By Dean_HR31,
in General Automotive Discussion

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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.

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