Re: Radiators - Bigger than standard is this good?
Mon, 24 November 2003 17:11
Installing a larger radiator has its pros and cons. Obviously the increased coolant capacity and the increased cooling area will keep the engine cooler, but the engine will in turn take longer to reach operating temperature due to the increased thermal mass that must be heated.
The material that the core is constructed of will determine how efficiently the radiator is able to transfer the heat from the coolant to the surrounding air. However radiator core material is generally limited to copper, brass and aluminium.
The more important point to note is the density of the fins on the radiator and the number of tubes. This all works out to how much surface area the coolant is exposed to inside the tubes and the surface area that the air is exposed to on the outside of the radiator. Modern radiators constructed of aluminium generally have a lot more 'effective' surface area for a given radiator size compared to older radiators. Hence these radiators could be considered more efficient for a given size.
In short, if your car is suffering overheating problems than a larger or more efficient radiator maybe necessary. If there are no problems then let sleeping dogs lie. There are no significant performance enhancements achieveable by simply fitting a better radiator.
An intercooler has a similar construction to the engine radiator. There are two basic designs; 'tube and fine' and 'bar and plate'. I wont explain them here. Do a search in Google if you want to learn more. Unlike the engine radiator, fitting a better intercooler has a lot more advantages up to a point where further increases in size produce minimal performance enhancements.
Mon, 24 November 2003 17:11
