Got one in my car right now.

I haven't been able to test it yet. But, I have no doubts it'll outperform the stocker and should be more than adequate for a street application.

For a car that will see a lot of track time, I'd go with the Koyo and deal with the fitment issues.

 

Good news, folks. I've just talked to Kathy who handles pricing at Radiatorworld.com and she said that the 350.00 price was INCORRECT! She also said that she was going to change it back to 279.00. Like I said in an earlier post, this is an excellent radiator at any price, and is worth consideration.

Hey, 100th post AND I get to bring good news!

~Mike

 

And it fits well with FMIC with some custom brackets.

 

they did lower the price back to $279!! hehe http://www.radiatorworld.com/radiato...px?carno=15108

 

Uh, I told you they were going to! ;-)

 

guess i will be ordering one soon

 

Is the $214 cheapest alum. rad out there? I need to replace mine, but don't need anything stronger than everyday use.

 

yes it is but you may want to consider the $169 brass and copper, it's much better than stock, drops right it and supposedly cools better than aluminum but is heavier

 

thanks is the weight difference worth the extra $45

 

so the 170 dollar one that is brass and copper cools better than alluminum. what is the difference in weight, i have been debating what intercooler to buy for awhile, i want one that runs cooler and isnt to much freaking money, oh and that fits in the stock location without a lot of hassle. any ideas guys.


Is the 214 alum. radiator any good or go with the 169 dollar one?

 

Can anybody who has installed the race version of this radiator tell me if you've had problems with fitting it between the two upper mounting brackets? I got everything in there but the top won't slide down onto the screws because the radiator is about 1/4 inch too wide. I'm thinking I might have to grind down the brackets a little but I'm hoping somebody has a cleaner solution for me.

The only thing I did differently (as far as I can tell) is try to install it from the top and I already had the fan assembly bolted onto it. I guess I'll try removing the fans and sliding it in from the bottom, but I still don't see how it will fit between the two brackets.

Thanks for any info.

 

Just my .02. I've heard that when you have zero clearance between the a/c condenser and the radiator, you minimize the airflow going to the radiator. The a/c condenser acts more like a restrictive filter instead of allowing much air through it. That's why there's clearance when it comes from the factory. But if all your temps are fine, maybe I'm wrong.

 

I started from the top with the fans attached and had to remove the fans and position the rad from the bottom. Not install from the bottom but once dropped from the top get under and you'll be able to move it around and position it better. Remove all AC condenser brackets, I didn't remove the sway bar mounts but had to bent the tabs some. Also the top brackets required some minor bending (tapped with a hammer) and since it's mounted on rubber grommets it fit after some strong persuasion. I'm using it with Evans NPG+ but haven't done the ducting yet. I'm very happy with it, it holds quite a bit more coolant.

 

Cool, I think its the top brackets that are giving me the biggest problems. I've already bent the tabs at the bottom and loosened everything else I could find to give it more room. The top brackets are just a little too narrow though. I'll try bending/grinding them.

 

Did you bend the bottom brackets (where the rubber gromets go into the frame) it will hold you off about that far (1/4") also need to let the ac drop down.

 

The clearance you speak of from the factory is supposed to have foam down both sides of the AC core to keep any air from escaping out and thus forcing it through the radiator. If his core fits right up againt the radiator then this will only allow the air to go through the radiator. The only down side is that you have metal rubbing against metal (not good). I would suggest something between the two that keeps the air in and prevents rubbing. Jack

 

I did bend the bottom brackets as much as I could, they still stick out a little bit but anymore and I'm worried it will stress the metal. I loosened all 4 brackets on the ac so it is pretty much just hanging there, although the ps loop is stopping it from hanging any lower.

 

So after round 2 battling the radiator, a couple bloody knuckles and a bloody nose (don't ask) I got it to slide between the top brackets. Now it won't drop down all the way, its about an inch and a half away from bolting onto the brackets. There seems to be a lip off of the plastic thing that spreads the stock nose and used to seal to the top of the radiator that blocks it from dropping lower. If it doesn't drop lower the scoop on the stock intercooler ducting won't fit between the radiator and the frame. Do those of you that have installed this radiator have stock noses? I could cut about 1/2 inch off the lip to make it drop in, but I'd rather not. Any ideas?

 

bump before i go in for round 3

 

I have the stock nose, and mine fits , I'm using RotaryExtreme reinforced sway bar mount though, maybe it makes a difference?

Try taking out the swaybar mounts and take some pics and I may be able to help you out better

 

I put the $214 radiator in my FD in September 2004. To date it's worked very well. Cruising at highway speeds and temps rarely get above 200F. In stop and go, I might see temps in the 210F range. Temps will go higher if the car is idling and not moving, but I've got the fans on a switch and turn them on when the temps hit about 210F anyway.

 

Maybe the rotaryextreme swaybar mounts pull it towards the back of the car 1/2 inch or so. Do you remember seeing the plastic lip on the back of the bumper that would pretty much be in the same location as the tallest part of the race radiator? I think I'm going to try chopping it off, although I'm not sure anymore if the mounting tabs on the radiator will even line up with the mounting brackets since it is vaguely possible that your radiator mounted further rearward in the car.

Did you have an aftermarket radiator in your car before mounting this one? Maybe the lip was already removed for some other purpose.

 

Yes it's there, it's for directing the air and has a cutout for the intecooler duct? It touches the top of my race rad but didn't interfere with installation.

Look at the my post with the pictures on the first page, I had the stock rad.

 

i use these radiators for most of my custom setups--not a bolt-in by any stretch of the imagination, but they work VERY well!

http://www.secureperformanceorder.co...0&CategoryID=6

they've got a few different models--one with a cap on the top (i use those for fc's), and one with a bleeder port--which you can use for ast, or whatever.

 

Strange. I'd have to slide it in to place from the bottom to get under the lip which would be virtually impossible without removing the sway bar mounts, r1 oil lines, and the ps and ac lines. It almost has to be a slight difference in the sway bar mounts, maybe I should just order a new sway bar/mount while I'm at it.