Jump to content
SAU Community

Recommended Posts

Have been doin some track work at Malalla lately and noticed that water temp started to rise. Further inspection of radiator revealed hole in core, luck i stopped lapping the circuit before it overheated. Now i thought that since ive got to take the radiatior out to repair or replace i might as well take advantage of the fact and install a larger radiator. Is the gtr radiator any larger than 33 gtst, ive heard that a vl commodore radiator is larger and will work, can anyone provide any info, would be much appreciated.

failing either of the above i will go with a custom aluminium job.

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/55375-larger-radiator/
Share on other sites

From memory their about 900 new from PWR. A VL one will fit and i think it was subzero that used them a fair bit at one stage. If you do get a VL one make sure you get the core from the turbo model as their much better than the standard ones.

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/55375-larger-radiator/#findComment-1080208
Share on other sites

$400 for a PWR radiator, good score SK. VL turbo radiator, they are made of brass and copper arent they, I see Unique auto sports sell a larger radiator for the r33 for $490, thats a brass and copper radiator, i wonder if it just happens to be a VL radiator, very interesting, UAS also have pwr radiators for $770 to.

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/55375-larger-radiator/#findComment-1080250
Share on other sites

i wonder if it just happens to be a VL radiator, very interesting, UAS also have pwr radiators for $770 to.

It doesnt look like a VL radiator, vl's have the end tanks on the sides, not on the top and bottom.

$770 looks beta than buying a vl pwr one.

Na and turbo vl's has the brass n copper radiators.

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/55375-larger-radiator/#findComment-1080428
Share on other sites

My experience is that aluminium core radiators have much better heat transfer ability and the weight difference is huge . I once used an R32 GTR rad in a FJT Bluebird and it solved the cooling issues instantly . I think it had the same dramas as RB Sixes in S13's ie engine really too long for bay and insufficient room for engine driven fan . Also the crowded engine bay is not good for post rad airflow .

I think it comes down to surface area vs airflow that makes a good rad , a bit more thought went into the later tubes to get around boundry layer heat transfer probs as well . I was surprised to find out that super dinosaur technology rad's are very expensive and when I realised the compact nature and weight advantages of modern stuff I'll never go back .

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/55375-larger-radiator/#findComment-1080455
Share on other sites

My experience is that aluminium core radiators have much better heat transfer ability and the weight difference is huge . I once used an R32 GTR rad in a FJT Bluebird and it solved the cooling issues instantly . I think it had the same dramas as RB Sixes in S13's ie engine really too long for bay and insufficient room for engine driven fan . Also the crowded engine bay is not good for post rad airflow .

I think it comes down to surface area vs airflow that makes a good rad , a bit more thought went into the later tubes to get around boundry layer heat transfer probs as well . I was surprised to find out that super dinosaur technology rad's are very expensive and when I realised the compact nature and weight advantages of modern stuff I'll never go back .

There is one thing to be careful of and thats the plastic tanks on older cars . I've seen these become brittle and crack without warning . In that instance the 7MGE had a thermal melt down not long after an expensive re build . I would prefer to use new rads or even an all aluminium one for piece of mind particularly with an expensive engine .

Cheers A .

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/55375-larger-radiator/#findComment-1080467
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • Then, shorten them by 1cm, drop the car back down and have a visual look (or even better, use a spirit level across the wheel to see if you have less camber than before. You still want something like 1.5 for road use. Alternatively, if you have adjustable rear ride height (I assume you do if you have extreme camber wear), raise the suspension back to standard height until you can get it all aligned properly. Finally, keep in mind that wear on the inside of the tyre can be for incorrect toe, not just camber
    • I know I have to get a wheel alignment but until then I just need to bring the rear tyres in a bit they're wearing to the belt on the inside and brand new on the outside edge. I did shorten the arms a bit but got it wrong now after a few klms the Slip and VDC lights come on. I'd just like to get it to a point where I can drive for another week or two before getting an alignment. I've had to pay a lot of other stuff recently so doing it myself is my only option 
    • You just need a wheel alignment after, so just set them to the same as current and drive to the shop. As there are 2 upper links it may also be worth adding adjustable upper front links at the same time; these reduce bump steer when you move the camber (note that setting those correctly takes a lot longer as you have to recheck the camber at each length of the toe arm, through a range of movement, so you could just ignore that unless the handling becomes unpredictable)
    • I got adjustable after market rear camber arm to replace the stock one's because got sick of having to buy new rear tyres every few months. Can anyone please let me know what the best adjustment length would be. I don't have the old ones anymore to get measurements. I'm guessing the stock measurement minus a few mm would do it. Please any help on replacing them would be fantastic I've watched the YouTube clips but no-one talks about how long to set the camber arm to.
    • Heh. I copied the link to the video direct, instead of the thread I mentioned. But the video is the main value content anyway. Otherwise, yes, in Europe, surely you'd be expected to buy local. Being whichever flavour of Michelin, Continental or Pirelli suits your usage model.
×
×
  • Create New...