Cooling Pro Radiators

[mitch_f1]

So, i have been reading up on both ASI and CoolingPro, and it seems like this
Cooling Pro
-some fitment issues, mostly fixed
-better build quality
-havent heard of anyone having anything break

ASI
-fits up without any issues in most cases
-dodgy build quality, but does the job
-some cases of radiators having cracked after being sued, but being replaced under the 1year warranty thing they offer.

So to me it seems that each have their positives and negatives, but in the end they are aftermarket, and perfect fitment can't really be expected??


My question though, is if anyone with a 1.6NA has an ARC intake chamber and an aftermarket radiator, and if they have any fitment issues?

[emilmh]

b) stock radiator is a lighter unit

Is the stock unit (of the same size) lighter than the aluminium one? (guess the plastic top and bottom tanks are lighter than aluminium).

Of the same size Im not sure, but as you said I would think plastic is lighter than aluminium.
ASI make 42mm and 52mm thick radiators, i got the 42mm one which is thicker than stock, hence it weighs more. Once you fill it with fluid it weighs even more due to the bigger capacity.

I'm not sure if any of the cheaper off the shelf aftermarket units are the same size, as most people who want them want increased cooling capacity and hence the units are bigger. I only needed it as my stock top tank cracked and a brand new condition 2nd hand aluminium one came up for sale. My cooling system was doing fine otherwise.

[emilmh]

I had to add extra shrouding to keep things at a reasonable level after fitting the thicker unit. Specifically rubber strips between the fan shrouds and the radiator for help with cooling at slow speeds. I also blocked the 1" gap between the radiator and undertray at the bottom and sides to aid high speed airflow.

do you have any photos of these rubber strips? Could you explain what these rubber strips are. I would like to put some foam or something between the fan shrouds and the radiator, but dont know what is suitable and/or where to get something.

Also can you give more details about what you used to block the gap underneath?

Thanks

[Okibi]

I will try and remember to take a photo for you, Bunnings well it as foam weather strip, Clarke Rubber would also sell it.

Think of a long strip of foam 1cm x 1cm X 1cm (or other size if you choose) with adhesive along one side.

Roll looks like this but thicker


more like this thickness

[Muzdaman]

My question though, is if anyone with a 1.6NA has an ARC intake chamber and an aftermarket radiator, and if they have any fitment issues?

It can be done with mods to the fan support.
Its a tight squeeze though.

http://clubroadster.net/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=21576

[mitch_f1]

slim fan might be the go then, that or modified stock fan :p

[olboy]

Just installed a cooling pro this weekend
had to bend a couple of brackets for the air cond thingy to clear. It would have just touched otherwise
No clearence problems on the engine side. had to use longer bolts to replace the pins with the rubber bushes on them.
Othwise all went well the new one is about 42mm, I didn't measure the original but it felt alot thinner and
I put an extra Liter of coolant in which is all in the radiator to keep the engine cool so it should work well

[olboy]

Just had another look and the original had a single row of tubes 16mm thick
The 42mm radiator has 2 rows of tubes which look to be about 16mm each.
I guess that means that the 42mm has twice the cooling capacity of the original
What does the 50mm ones have

[Mr Morlock]

I very much doubt that twice the surface area or twice the capacity actually results in twice the cooling performance and how would you measure it? A standard MX5 I assume will have a radiator which is fit for purpose ie for normal conditions. Most car makers like Toyota, Ford Holdens source radiators and aircond - cooling systems which can cope with the Middle East and Outback conditions. Is there something lacking with an OE radiator for the MX5 for normal driving conditions?

[broady]

Is there something lacking with an OE radiator for the MX5 for normal driving conditions?

I agree. The only reason to upgrade would be if you've done some relatively serious work and are hitting the track.

[olboy]

Anybody know what a OE radiator is worth

[Okibi]

Brand new?

Second hand it's worth as much as someone's willing to pay, depending on the age and condition.

Which model MX-5 are you talking about?

[olboy]

I wasn't refering to anyone in particular
I expect that a OE one would be dearer than an aftermarket one and if there are no problems with the aftermarket one then why not.
its bigger than original which has to be a good thing
I haven't been around mx5s very long but I have noticed that the cooling system seems to be OK when new
but it doesn't have much to spare when they get a little old
A radiator with twice the capacity has to be an easy fix

Olboy

[mitch_f1]

Really the only reason Im looking at a bigger radiator is because of the frequency with which I go to the track, otherwise I would keep the stock one

[deviant]

Another review to add to the thread here.

The stock radiator in my turboed NA8 had turned a lovely chocolate brown colour and the car is destined for lots of track work so I decided it was time to invest in something a bit stronger that is not on the verge of exploding. The car was not overheating at all but I plan on doing some longer events and I want reliability.

I decided to buy a Cooling Pro 42mm Radiator and M-Tuned re-route kit. The radiator was $299 from JustJap.

What can I say about the construction and installation?

Well it's not pretty to look at, the welds are a little messy in places however I dont think anything is going to fail to quickly.
The brackets for the pins on the side are useless, the pins have to be replaced with loooong bolts but the rubber grommet doesnt even come close to sitting in the bracket in the car.
There is a few degrees of twist in the radiator.
The mounts at the top dont quite line up with the holes in the car, I couldnt use the rubber grommets in the brackets as they covered the holes completely.

As for installing...well my car is turbocharged so has a few extra hoses floating around. It also has aircon so there is the radiator and hoses for that to contend with. Installation was a complete pig of a job. It took an hour of 2 people jiggling, levering and swearing to get it in. It was a case of 'up a bit, down a bit, left a bit, right a bit' along with levering it past other parts and levering hoses out of the way. Once it was down where it should go I found the pins on the side had no hope of sitting in their brackets and the aircon pipes needed a little tweak to get the brackets to sit in the right spot. It took a large pry bar to get the two bolts at the top in.

Am I happy? Yeah kinda; for $300 I got the quality I could expect and I did not think for one moment it would just fall together like an Ikea flat pack. I think other people should take in to consideration that this kit is not superior quality and it will take a lot of jiggling and swearing to get it to fit...but once it has been squeezed in it seems to do the job. I certainly could not afford to have a custom radiator made or to buy a PWR item so this is the only option.

The car is going on the Dyno on Wednesday and it's doing two track events the following weekend with 2 drivers at each event so the car is barely going to be switched off all weekend....I will report back!