Radiator Shroud

[lineskee 33]

Hi all,

I have been thinking of upgrading my radiator in the near future and i noticed some of them dont have the holes to put the stock radiator shroud back on. It got me thinking, is it really needed? Or is it just to stop noobs from putting their hands and who knows what other body parts into the fan while the engine is on?

Does it have much to do with airflow? or can the car live without it?

Thanks

Dave

[Baconer]

The way its been explained to me is its needed for airflow, that being said my car has never had one since i bought it and I have never had any overheating issues.

[ZENNON]

yeah i'm tempted to remove mine cos this isn't a good look - although having said that i think i drilled a hole and zip-tied it in place so might just leave it now - lol

(edit: so yeah - interested to hear opinions too)

[Ronin 09]

keep it - the thermo fan drags air through the radiator, guided by the shroud.

if the shroud isn't there, it still draws some air through the radiator, bt alot of energy just moves air around the engine bay.

ie. it's there to help airflow efficiency through the radiator

it's primarily for low speed stuff where there isn't enough air going through on it's own.

i've heard stories of cars that will overheat without the shroud, all things remaining equal.

[nuffsaid]

From what Ive heard, the shroud makes a huge difference

[GTS-t VSPEC]

Yep, keep the shroud if possible.

[lineskee 33]

Well sure it might help the radiator from not letting the air go where ever it likes, but how much difference can it make? 2-8 degrees in temp? more? Having a larger radiator that does not support the stock shroud, wouldtnt that make it cooler anyway?

Hmm..

[Crossie]

but isnt the whole point to lose as many degrees as possible??

[GTS-t VSPEC]

If you use the 40mm PWR radiators you can still keep the shroud and clutch fan, which is higly recommended.

[SilverECR33]

I have tested this theory a while back,. with and without shroud I noticed over a 10% difference in engine temp. The same would be said with thermos as they rely even moreso on the shroud drawing the cooler air onto the engine.

Just take a look at some Race prepped skylines. You will notice custom shrouds made up in front to help guide the air. This isnt there for show.You will also have a few extra hp with it than without it.

Although its totally up to you, and The car may live without it, but your fan will loose much of its cooling efficiency.

Edited October 9, 2007 by silverbulletR33

[Strik3r]

My old radiator had a small leak in the top plastic tank. Replaced it with an aftermarket all alluminium one but the shroud didnt fit. Havent had any heating issues so far even now that we're into summer. This radiator does seem to cool a lot better than the stock one though, so im guessing the ~5-10 degrees im losing for not having a shroud is being made up by the better radiator.