My rad is leaking and now I have to replace it. I was wondering if I should just by a Koyo...etc rad. The only thing is that a guy in town can build me a new rad using the old rad a template and make it twice as thick. The only thing is that he uses copper. The nice thing is that it will be half as much as the aluminum rads out there. Is there any pros or cons for the copper rad versus the aluminum rad. Thanks for your help.

 

copper is fine. . . its a hell of a lot better than plastic, but it will bend easier than aluminum. youre gonna run into fitment problems. the koyo which is a rather thick radiator requires some modification of the mounts. its easy to do if you have a dremel tool but it raises question about the sturdiness of the radiator. if you have a fmic then the mounting (of your custom radiator) can be modded around that, but the smic's need a lot of clearance for the duct. just make sure everything fits if you decide to get this one built.

paul

 

The guy says that the fitment will be the same as before with the stock rad. What kind of mods do you have to do to the mounts? I have the Blitz smic. Thanks.

 

The guy says that the fitment will be the same as before with the stock rad. What kind of mods do you have to do to the mounts? I have the Blitz smic. Thanks.

 

The guy says that the fitment will be the same as before with the stock rad. What kind of mods do you have to do to the mounts? I have the Blitz smic. Thanks.

 

http://griffinrad.com/whyaluminum.htm
Vote: Neither, but for high performance applications...they choose aluminum. "Aluminum radiators are commonly recommended and preferred for the demands of high performance applications."

http://www.usradiator.com/testing.htm
Vote: Neither, but if you're talking weight...aluminum would be their choice. "Our test of similar core designs proves conclusively that aluminum radiators offer no real temperature drop advantage over copper and brass. On the other hand, aluminum radiators weigh about 2/3rds as much as copper and brass units and if your racing, that 9 to 12 pound difference could be real important."

http://www.dewitts.com/pages/whyaluminum.asp
Vote: Aluminum

I tried to be neutral in my search.

 

I say just get the fluidyne radiator...Supposed to fit the best out of all of the radiators and it's not too expensive either!...I've got the koyo radiator and had no fittiment problems, but I don't have a/c or PS either.

 

Why dont you get a front mount then only spend like 200$ on a Griffin Radiator. That is probably what I will be doing eventually. Get some universal fans and put them on the back of the Radiator... you just have to find a way to mount it.

 

The fitment issues that you run into with the "twice as thick" copper radiator will likely mirror the issues with a Koyo or Fluidyne -- very small inconsistencies. Yes, they will all fit, especially to the naked eye, but it most cases there are tiny issues that people like to label as a "fitment problem."

 

I put my koyo in a few days ago, it took about a half hour, it fit perfect, except that it is obviously thicker so the stupid smic needed some longer mounting bolt because it wouldnt fit right with the fan in the way...