So it cools the radiator fluid better and is all alloy sounds great.
BUT how does it effect the other things that will now be closer to it, won't they now be a little bit hotter now?
What sits right in front of the radiator (oil cooler?) then intercooler?
Is it any closer to the front turbo? or is the extra thickness all forward?
i want one, cant wait to fit one now..
emanuel infront of the radiator is the air condencer for A/C then cooler, bigger radiator will just improve perfromace, most likely you'll need slim fans though..
I think we need to clear some things up here, 'cause it looks like half of you aren't bothering to follow links.
So the aftermarket Evo rad actually takes up LESS room 'cause it ships with a very slim fan assembly. Part of the reason for Brad choosing this package is the extra room available for his future turbo conversion.
BUT he needed to drill, cut and weld brackets to get this thing to fit. It is not a simple drop-in replacement. And now he's done the mod he can't go back to a stock rad without a fair bit of screwing around.
Is this upgrade worth it? Well the price is certainly right, he's ended up with more room and much improved cooling potential, so I'm sure Brad's answer would be 'hell yes'. But if you want an upgraded radiator for YOUR car that drops into the stock mounts you'll need to look elsewhere.
If I wanted to get back to a stock radiator it would be simple, the only mods I've done to the car is cut the fan wires and drill extra holes in the drivers side radiator support bracket.
The stock fans are indeed very thick, especially at the motor part. I do wonder if it would be of some aerodynamic advantage to have the new fans mounted off the radiator by 30-50mm but in order to do that I would need to make up a duct and it would be a heck of a lot of work.
Now as for heating up other components, the radiator is the last in line. It goes power steering, intercooler, air con radiator, then the engine radiator. If it is a big thicker or thinner there will be no difference at all to the cooling of other components.
Emanuel, check out the other thread I link to on the cvr4 thread, it will show you the bits that were too far to one side and needed to be re-welded on the radiator.
Sorry Brad, I thought you'd done the cutting and welding on the mounting points on the car, not the brackets on the rad. My bad.
RE improved airflow by moving the fans a bit deeper with a shroud, I doubt you'd get much improvement. Airflow improvements come from altered fan design, not moving it further away. Although some fans DO work better in 'push' configuration rather than 'pull', but in this application you don't have a choice (and due to the effect of rammed air I dare-say a 'pull' design is advantageous in a motor vehicle application).
the thickness caused me no problems. It might if you were going to use standard fans, but the thin fans give you more room for a TD04/GT2554R etc conversion