skidsharpe Posted July 26, 2009 Report Posted July 26, 2009 (edited) Hey guys Was just checking some info and i was wongering what you guys think is better. Should i run a aluminum radiator or a copper one? Is their any cooling difference? Cheers brandon Edited July 26, 2009 by skidsharpe Quote
greenmac80 Posted July 26, 2009 Report Posted July 26, 2009 aluminium is gonna cool better cos it doesn't retain the heat as much. but coolant changes have to be more regular. and.... also stray current is bad for the radiator. better cooling but more maintenance. Quote
philbey Posted July 26, 2009 Report Posted July 26, 2009 Actually, copper has a higher thermal conductivity that Aluminium so it should, in theory, dump heat faster than an Aluminium one. BUT, copper does have a higher specific heat so it will heat "soak" more, which is why it's no good as an intercooler. Quote
LittleRedSpirit Posted July 29, 2009 Report Posted July 29, 2009 Actually, copper has a higher thermal conductivity that Aluminium so it should, in theory, dump heat faster than an Aluminium one. BUT, copper does have a higher specific heat so it will heat "soak" more, which is why it's no good as an intercooler. Id prefer copper brass for a street car. The standard radiator in my car was brilliant once a fresh core was fitted. What type of vehicle are you talking about? Does it have a modified engine? Quote
skidsharpe Posted July 29, 2009 Author Report Posted July 29, 2009 Id prefer copper brass for a street car. The standard radiator in my car was brilliant once a fresh core was fitted. What type of vehicle are you talking about? Does it have a modified engine? Its for a junior sedan speedway. Just a 3k Quote
anastasios Posted July 29, 2009 Report Posted July 29, 2009 what water temps do you guys get usually? i have a ke70 and my water rarely goes above the first lil line, usually lower, atm I'm using a ke55 radiator although i would like to get another 70 one Quote
Old fella Posted July 29, 2009 Report Posted July 29, 2009 Hey guys Was just checking some info and i was wongering what you guys think is better. Should i run a aluminum radiator or a copper one? Is their any cooling difference? Cheers brandon G`day mate, I personally think that for a junior speedway sedan either radiator type will do the job, but, the copper variety will be a bit stronger as far as being struck by stones etc from the track and are readily vailable. Copper is also easily repaired with a soldering iron too, whereas the aluminium variety can be quite expensive and usually requires an expert welder to repair. Good luck with the build and what about some piccies. Quote
philbey Posted July 29, 2009 Report Posted July 29, 2009 Plus if you're running the risk of bending a radiator core, the cheaper, easily accessible option (factory copper) would be the go! Quote
anastasios Posted July 29, 2009 Report Posted July 29, 2009 yea i was so happy that i was able to repair my cracked 55 radiator with some solder Quote
skidsharpe Posted July 29, 2009 Author Report Posted July 29, 2009 anastasios We run a switch which lets me turn the fan on when i want . I usually turn it on at around 80 degrees after the thermostat has opened. But our problem is when we race long races the commodore fan we are running isnt keeping it coll. Everyone has this problem but when this happens you can f$@k the motor. So thats why was asking all you guys Quote
anastasios Posted July 29, 2009 Report Posted July 29, 2009 would using a regular fixed fan or clutch fan with a shroud run better? maybe getting it recored? do you use an overflow bottle? Quote
skidsharpe Posted July 29, 2009 Author Report Posted July 29, 2009 would using a regular fixed fan or clutch fan with a shroud run better? maybe getting it recored? do you use an overflow bottle? Not sure ayy. And no overflow bottle.just a hose leading out of the car Quote
anastasios Posted July 29, 2009 Report Posted July 29, 2009 atm i use a 4ac clutch fan with a 55 radiator and the ke70 comes standard with an overflow bottle with a cap that has a pipe that leads into the engine bay, the cap ontop of the bottle is brittle and leaks though, do u lose coolant during the race? Quote
skidsharpe Posted July 29, 2009 Author Report Posted July 29, 2009 atm i use a 4ac clutch fan with a 55 radiator and the ke70 comes standard with an overflow bottle with a cap that has a pipe that leads into the engine bay, the cap ontop of the bottle is brittle and leaks though, do u lose coolant during the race? The radiator is not mounted in the front as u can see from this pic anyway we have 2 pipes leading from the radiator one goes the the water pump and the top hose to the thermostat. And no i don't loose much coolant during races as it is changed fairly often. Quote
anastasios Posted July 29, 2009 Report Posted July 29, 2009 ahhh k i get it now, so the alloy one u have atm is not cooling enough? hm maybe make up like an aluminium intake to direct air right into the radiator? Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.