Aluminum Radiators

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Celerity

Well-Known Member
ok, so I can guess that they are slightly lighterweight, and Aluminum oxides don't rust... But is an aluminum radiator really better at cooling ? What will it do to under-hood temps ?


-> Steve
 
i believe mine cools better. but i only upgraded because the stock one had a leak that couldnt be fixed.
 
Well, aluminum or not, it's really the size that matters. A dual-core is larger than a single, tri is larger than a dual ect.. Is it worth the extra $ to upgrade to an aluminum? Probably not, but would it be worth it to get a thicker rad? definately.

Aluminum rads like fluidyne are also a much more rigid unit than stock, hence racecars using them. And there's the rust issue, which we all know about already.

So IMO, does an aluminum rad actually cool better? No. A thicker one will though.
 
This also makes sense. I just found some aftermarkets for far cheaper than stock.

I've an OEMer for cheap for the car, and I've found "Koyo". Koyo seems to be a popular JDM brand, judging by some articles that I found on them. They make two types, generally: A copper core / steel housing and an Aluminum. I like Copper.

Any experience with them, or are they an Ebay brand ?

Also, should I get an aluminum, or a copper ? (I'm not ignoring Adnoh's advice, but a dual core or triple core is simply cost-prohibitive at this point)

-> Steve
 
all aluminium has a better heat dissipation than the stock ones because those are part plastic and probably just regular steel. Not sure, but yeah it also depends on fin design and as mentioned, size.

I have a Koyo raditor and its a really solid product. Before my car kept over heating. The raditor didnt seem to have any leaks or anything, but it kept over heating. I think my head gasket is fucked because of missing water from the resevoir. It only lasts like a week, but the engien has never reached over half since i put in the koyo unit. Just keep adding water. The motor is on its last leg anyway, so if i get some money i can rebuild or replace it all at once.
 
Fantastic. Is yours their copper / steel one, or the aluminum?
 
mine is a dual core koyo. thats prob why it cools better. oh well. but i have so little clearance between the fans and the header though, like a quarter inch.
 
When I bought my hatch, the OEM radiator had a big glob of JB Weld on one of the plastic endtanks (or whatever you call them), and it leaked pretty bad. I bought a $30 'lifetime warranty' replacement off of Ebay. It's got plastic endtanks, and isn't flashy or anything like a Koyo or whatever.

However, my B18C1 has NEVER overheated, not even with my AC running in 100+ degree Texas heat.


Big fat crap on buying a Koyo or whatever. $30 Ebay radiators are the absolute SHIZZLE.

edit: Oh, and by the way, it fits PERFECTLY. The OEM fan even bolted right on.
 
There to look flashy and put a hole in your pocket. that or put some of that hole back in your pocket if you sell that shit to the scrap yard
 
Steve, What car is this for? Usually the difference in price between a single and dual core, is minimal.
 
This is for my 87 CRX. As far as fit, I'm actually looking for something that DOESN'T fit. I'll explain:

a while ago I hit a deer carcass on the road, and it bent my radiator and my lower radiator support. Since I have to fab up a new lower support, and my header panel comes off, I wanted to put something in that could be oversized, with a top-located cap. It frees up space between the radiator and the exhaust manifold, opening up my options for turbo / swaps in the future.

So what I need is something like 32" wide. I'll look for a dual core.

I'll head down there to the CRX to do some measurements, and perhaps just call up some dealer and go through what he has.

-> Steve
 
I wonder if you could somehow make a dual core from an automatic delsol fit. It ain't 32" wide (probably half that), but it should clear up tons of room to fit a turbo manifold or likewise in there. And you'd have more cooling power than you need. This is what I have, but I'm in an EG so mounting isn't a problem.

How would feel about fabing up some custom mount brackets??
 
not to thread steal but I also need a new radioator cuase my fins are like gone LOL...so what kinda one should I get? search on ebay for civic radiator? lol
 
There are tons of diffrent kinds to get. Get whatever..doesn't really matter.

I priced out the stock Honda rad for my civic, from Honda, and it would have cost me $750 cdn. Rediculously expensive. Just get an aftermarket.

The thicker it is (core thickness) the better it is.
 
Yeah, fabbed mounts are the order of the day. Not an issue, in fact it's what I wanted. I planned on the radiator sitting 3" (top) and 14" (Bottom) from the stock location, with a slot in the header panel (covering the radiator entirely) to bring air over and out. First Gen CRXs, as you may know, have a tendency to get body panels that dont' fit too flushly. Right now, looking at my CRX from the top, you can see the hood release brackets with the hood closed. My thoughts were to engage that open area with a black plastic molding, slot the top of the header panel (In a way that you can't see it) and vent it over the hood. I may even take the upper radiator cross-bar and bend it down so it aids in this.

Grassroots, baby.

-> Steve

I think I will look for a dual core, maybe a universal.
 
For heat transfer, Copper > Aluminum > Steel

End tank material shouldn't matter because they're not used to dump heat- just to contain the fluid. As long as they're strong enough to not crack/break, the end tank material doesn't matter.
 
Aluminum radiators, like those available at Ron Davis Racing Products, may be a little expensive but based on my personal experience, they provide a better cooling system to your car.

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