OK. So as I continue to evaluate Gen 2 cooling here in
, an opinion less technical and more value/performance related. Please understand, and this is VERY important, that a car stuck idling in and traffic and a car doing 90 on the track, both in 100 deg summer heat, ain't on the same page! Been there, done both!
-> My car - 2001 GTS with new water pump, 180* stat, Roe fascia duct, Prestone ELC 50/50 with (2) Redline WW - regardless or the radiators I have used, will not reach a coolant temp near 180* at speeds below 70mph when air temps are 80-ish plus.
Moral of above - air speed matters!
-> Aluminum radiators are a good product. They work. But will not solve a cooling problem unless you exceed the heat exchanging capacity of what you already have. People that have cooling problems solved by an aluminum radiator may likely have had a plugged or otherwise inefficient core to start with.
Moral of above - unless you just like replacing everything at once like I did, be sure you know what the problem is before you decide that a new aluminum radiator is your Godsend. BTW, I had no cooling problem, I just like wrenching and spending.
-> The weight savings of the aluminum radiators is a couple pounds. They are thicker, hold a little more fluid, so what you save in metal weight you add back in fluid weight. And no, the added fluid adds no heat exchanging properties if there's no better heat exchanger.
Moral of above - aluminum radiators are not gonna improve your lap times...
I'm bound to think of more. Heat transfer is inclusive to my field.
