Harvis

Hi my oem radiator is done so im was checking the prices and surprise oem its about 355 us , later i checked megan and mishimoto they round about 200-255 and are racing radiator .

Give me suggestions pls about wich one i must buy considering the price and the quality.

If the oem ists more expensive than racing radiator its better to choose between megan or mishiimoto .


Thxs for the help cam give me.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

The "Suggestions" subforum is for suggestions about the forum itself, not about cars.

Moved to Discussion.

If you go through Mazmart, the OEM radiator is at or just under $200. I expect you are looking at markup.

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

Neither, just go OEM.

Harvis

Sorry my bad

Harvis

I will bankrupt

Arent there any good one less expensive?

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

If you can afford $200-$250 for the megan or mishimoto, you can afford $200 for the OEM. Just give Mazmart a call.


And the penalty for going even cheaper is not worth the risk of destroying your engine when it fails prematurely.

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

The OEM replacement radiators from most place like RockAuto Parts Catalog, many times you can even find ones from Calsonic (OEM Mazda suppler) and Koyo.

Harvis

The oem its 385 big difference i checked

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

If you aren't going to read what I posted, I'm not going to bother helping.

Try again: MAZMART - Serving The Mazda Community Since 1980. RX8 Radiator - 2004-08

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

That is the same Koyo replacement I had, it worked very well.

Harvis

I have checked , they have one nsmed spectra and its 150 .

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

So buy it use the extra money to buy a thermostat, radiator hoses, a and water pump while you are at it.

Harvis

Thx to you and 9krpm i found in mazmart a koyo replacement in 175 very good price for my pocket here is it?

MAZMART - Serving The Mazda Community Since 1980. RX8 Radiator - 2004-08

Is it good the koyo?


Really thankssss u help me a lot

Harvis

Ohhh sorry men ur signature is big i didint see it.

Excuse me seriously im not bothering you. Really apreccaite your help .

Thanks a lot.

200.mph

iTrader: (9)

mizu and as 9k said do mazmart w/p and t stat while your in there

WTBRotary!

iTrader: (6)

OEM or BHR...

bose

iTrader: (5)

I went with Mishimoto and haven't had a problem, would have just gone with oem but I didn't want to deal with plastic end tanks ever again.

Rotary Experiment Seven

iTrader: (1)

Oem has plastic end tanks and is undersized. Mishimoto has greatly improved in quality over the past few years.

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

OEM is more than suitable and far more efficient for stock or mildly modified non forced induction cars. Thicker is not always better. And the plastic is a non issue, when they do break it's 99% caused by the owner breaking the nipple trying to pull the hose off.

Now if you track or are heavily modified then you likely will need a legit radiator.

poacherinthezoo

Just curious - but would you consider autocross as a "track" application?

From the numbers I've been seeing, it seems the elevated water temperatures (>210 F) I'm seeing during autocross events is more likely a result of a lack of adequate oil cooling (likely from lack of air flow while in grid) and not so much the result of inadequate radiator efficiency.

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

210F during a run is perfectly fine. What are your max temps? Also if you autox you may want to check that changing the radiator is even possible in your class, otherwise you will find yourself running with much more serious cars. Also, depending on your driving conditions you may want to think about cleaning your ac condenser and radiator out.

I do some off roading with my father and you would be surprised at how dirt in the radiator can affect cooling. It's much less likely to be an issue in a car but years ago I did a lot of highway mileage in my RX-8 and the first time I replaced the radiator (with a stock replacement) I cleaned the condenser and it was filthy. It took a lot of cleaner and time with the pressure washer to get it cleaned out.

The main this is too just give your car a chance to cool off between runs because once it gets heat soaked there is not much you can do. The factory radiator is thin so with the fans on high it will cool the coolant down pretty quick. One of my most noticeable mods was the installation of the dual FAL fan setup. But again if you are doing Autox that is likely not allowed.

poacherinthezoo

Max I ever saw was 220 F - only saw it once and only briefly before it came down below 210F (during my 1st event in the RX8). On average, I see around 210-215F at the end of a run, if I go straight back to grid it takes some time to come down (even with the hood open), but it will eventually sit at 205 F as expected. I've found that if I take a slow cruise down/around the grid area, the added air flow drops the temps to 200 F quickly, so that's my standard practice.

As long as it stays below 215F I'm happy, and all signs point to my cooling system working as intended for now, but if there comes that I need to make some changes I'll do so regardless of what class it throws me into (if I ruin the engine I won't have any car to race in any class! ).

Will definitely clean everything out before next season starts - thanks for the tip.

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

According to the FSM, the normal operating range is 180F-234F. However, from what I was told from Rob @ Pineapple, you don't want to exceed 220F on factory coolant seals. I am running Pineapple HD coolant seals in my engine and I still stick to keeping it under 220F because I have my turbo adding heat to the coolant.

The Profiteer

I find myself in a similar predicament.

I have to replace my coolant reservoir as the 'low coolant light; sensor issue has become more frequent and to much to bare and figured I'd do the whole cooling system at the same time.

The Ron Davis/Griffin & BHR seem just a little too much out of my price range and not the easiest to locate, I'm reluctant to go with the Koyo A/T model as it looks like a copy of the OEM with the same plastic issues, cooling issues and weight concerns.

I see that the Megan is advertising a 20 degree temp drop and the Mishimoto a 30% increase in cooling ability, both have the dual 40mm aluminum core construction and I think are quite a bit lighter than the stock.

I know the Mishimoto requires a universal transmission cooler to fit an A/T and the Megan is advertised as M/T only.

I wonder though, as both are advertised as direct bolt in options to OEM specs if the Mishimoto universal transmission cooler would fit the Megan radiator? Has anyone tried this?

I'm sure there are those reading this who must think just buy the parts from the same manufacturer and they will surely work. I agree, however the Megan seems to be coming in at about $100 less and with no notable performance difference, so while it might not seem like much, i'm planning BHR ignition coils next so every little helps.

Thought about the Fan Shroud, but I wonder is there any real difference between A/M and the OEM and if so how can this be proved?

Thoughts, comments...much appreciated.

RIWWP

iTrader: (2)

Mishimoto has never been, and presumably never will be direct bolt in. Do some search on it, and they have fitment problems in every make and model that they make radiators for. The RX-8 is no exception.

They advertise it as direct bolt in, but their definition of direct bolt in apparently includes "requires some cutting and fabrication to jam our parts together".


I can't answer anything about the shroud or Megan's radiator. I'd still recommend the Koyo from Mazmart, because it's proven to fit perfectly and the others haven't, and it is exceedingly well priced.