-My stock radiator started leaking. Because so far the parts have been cheaper from the local auto parts stores than Mazdatrix, I ordered from AZ. Part came I tried fitting it, it didn't fit; the lower tank sat worryingly low and the filler neck interfered with the hood when bolted in.

-So I returned it. Ordered the brass piece from Mazdatrix because the Godspeed looked too good for the price and I don't have the extra cash for a quality aluminum piece.
-The unit arrives from Mazdatrix and I open the box...same radiator I returned to AZ! Well, not the exact same unit, but same part # I imagine. So I try it out...this sits, if anything, a little lower than the one I returned to AZ. The filler neck clears the hood, but now the radiator outlet pipe is about a half inch from the sway bar. If the suspension compresses, there's no problem. But if it droops, there will be 'interference' shall we say. :/ Now Lucy corners pretty flat but if I have to jack the car up I doubt the radiator outlet will tolerate the weight of the front suspension pushing it up and forwards.
-Has anyone had similar fitment issues with the brass radiators? If it comes to it I'm not terribly averse to plugging the filler neck with putty, cutting it off, raising the rad 3/4", and using an inline filler cap at the top of the upper rad hose. But I'd like to avoid that.

 

The Godspeed is actually a very nice piece. We just installed one a couple of weeks ago. It is thicker than stock though and so I don't know if the fanshroud will still work. We went electric. The stock air intake tube that lies across the rad definitely won't fit.

But one thing I saw when researching our purchase was that the replacement rads are built for the S5 and the S4 rad brackets will NOT work. But apparently you can buy the S5 brackets and everything swaps over. So maybe you just need S5 rad brackets.

Good luck.

 

I have a S5. The thing is that all the other radiators are over $300, and the Godspeed is $200. If it isn't a shoddy unit, it's made in China, unless it's made in Taiwan which I have no problem with. I'm going electric as well, but at this point I don't want to ship this unit back, wait, and wait for a Godspeed piece to arrive, she's been down far too long. I'll be jacking her up to check if the sway bar really does interfere. If it doesn't I'll live with this one until the turbo swap, if it does...I dunno.

 

hmm..do the brackets that mount to the rad have 2 10mm bolts,each side?
can you make new holes say a 1/2 inch UP on the bracket?It would bring the rad Up in the mounting position(higher).

 

That's what I was thinking. But like I said, the filler neck might not clear the hood if I did that.

 

I had a similar issue with my s4, but it was a brass radiator from Rotary Performance(no mudslinging), it just didn't fit with the old brackets, I ended up using a pipe wrench to rip off the old brackets and laid the new rad flat on the surface for the holes to line up.

 

I was feeling antsy so I went out and monkeyed around for a bit. Jacked the car up until the suspension was at full droop and the sway bar is still clear of the radiator outlet, though just barely. So it looks like the radiator clears. Tomorrow: go return and pull a new Taurus alternator at the junkyard, get the thermoswitch, and secure the fan to the rad.

 

Koyo n flow here... No issues...