Carbon8

iTrader: (4)

Hey guy been doing some reading around for the last couple days and am getting a lot of conflicting opinions about the worth of upgraded radiators. Most people say that overall its not worth it an that the stock unit is very good and hard to improve upon. Then there where some discrepancies over thicker vs thin core apparently think core is good but restricts air flow which isn't good haha. I am upgrading my water pump to the mazmart high flow water pump. I am going with an FI kit hence the upgrade in the first place. Just curious if upgrading the radiator is needed and if there are any good quality ones I also saw a lot of complaints about terrible fit ment and quality in the aftermarket ones

Thanks guys

paimon.soror

iTrader: (15)

I believe the only one that was really worth spending the money on wa the Mazmart / Ron Davis rad

200.mph

iTrader: (9)

get the mazmart t stat too. i replaced everything at the same time. mizu rad and main hoses, every oem hose, mazmart wp n t stat, new coolant bottle, and while your at it you should install a water temp sending unit

Carbon8

iTrader: (4)

That's the one I had in mind, was gona do the water pump radiator upgraded oil regulator and greddy oil pan. My car only has 25K miles on it really necessary to replace all oem parts??

Carbon8

iTrader: (4)

When I say the one in mind I ment the Ron Davis radiator haha sry

200.mph

iTrader: (9)

probably not but while i had it apart i figured why not. its also a great time to install rb oil and rad screens. my car had 70k

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

Unless you track or live in a very hot environment don't waste your money on an upgraded radiator.

Carbon8

iTrader: (4)

Buffalo, NY street driving only and only in summer. Might visit our 1/4 mile track 3-4 times a year but I would rather over build my car then have a failure when I go with my turbo kit

200.mph

iTrader: (9)

plus if you get an aftermarket rad you dont have to worry about breaking the nipple to the coolant bottle

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

Well if you are going turbo then I agree. But keep this in mind, I have a Mazmart rad sitting in my living room and was able to compare it to the Mizu dual row aluminum radiator and both were just as nice in terms of the construction quality, core structure, fin density, and end tank design. I see no reason why the Mazmart unit would be better in terms of performance unless there some secret voo doo going on inside. Fitment and customer service/product support if the only hug advantage I see in paying for a more expensive unit.

So if you can afford it (cheaper if you sign up for the Mazdaspeed deal) then get the Mazdaspeed upgraded unit which uses a Ron Davis core I believe. Just search thread title "aluminum radiators" here and you will see most of the available options.

Carbon8

iTrader: (4)

Thanks I found the thread, if it's worth doing its worth doing right. I'm budgeting about 15g total which I have 12 as cost so dat not including the tune so I'm just retracing all components to ensure no problems down the road

paimon.soror

iTrader: (15)

it is speculated that the AWR radiator is also the Mazdaspeed one ... but it sure is sssssspensive

olddragger

iTrader: (3)

one of the things an upgraded radiator doesnt address is all the coolant that flows through the system that never makes it to the radiator. fan control is also very important.l

Carbon8

iTrader: (4)

Could you please elaborate in that statement. I never got to much into the cooling systems. But isn't that the point if the water pump to ensure circulation of coolant. Why woukdnint it all make it to the radiator at one point in time?

olddragger

iTrader: (3)

if you are going to be spending that much money and modifying your car that much--you need to really study its systems.
Get a manual and look at the path of the coolant flow--to everything.
You will see that a significant amount never goes to the radiator. Rather it goes to the heater and the TB, then routed back to the return part of the thermostat housing.
This is one of the reasons a secondary radiator set up using this supply of coolant--works so well.

Carbon8

iTrader: (4)

Very good point I forgot about the heater, I am bypassing the TB though considering I only drive the car is the summer.

REV-N-HIGH

iTrader: (1)

My radiator starting leaking right at the nipple shooting all over the place, I went with Mishimoto radiator and hoses and notice a BIG difference. during the heat waves we had this summer I thought something was wrong with my fans because they weren't coming on but that's how good they are, fans finally came on making me realize it was worth the $$$

HiFlite999

iTrader: (2)

Check out this: https://www.rx8club.com/aftermarket-...system-231296/

and

https://www.rx8club.com/aftermarket-...review-232074/

I put the single cooler version on mine. Nice install, though it was too late in the season to torture test it on a 95 deg day.

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

Yeah too bad those kits use cheap *** components. I have seen the oil cooler fan in person and it's a joke. You can source a quality fan and cooler for the same price or less.

HiFlite999

iTrader: (2)

Please post a link to a website offering your better version for the price.

I spent my money on this kit and am reporting that I like it from my experience with it. When I questioned whether I really needed the fan on a n/a car, Scott offered to sell the undertray and radiator without the fan. I'm sure if I'd wanted a different radiator as well, he would have offered to sell me the pre-cut undertray alone. (Were I using the kit to cool 120 psi engine oil, I'd probably opt for a cooler with AN fittings, but I'm not.)

Could I kludge together my own such system cheaper? Absolutely, assuming I'd have the idea to do it this way in the first place, which I didn't. It would also have taken 10 times as long and probably look like crap, but yeah. Others may choose that route and that's fine. I'd rather pay a little more and save a lot of time hacking on pieces of sheet aluminum with a saber saw. It's no different with a lot of aftermarket products, BHR coils, for example. Some make their own D585 or whatever coil sets to save money, some choose not to.

If the fan fails or radiator leaks, I'll give a whiney report. But I generally refrain from whining in advance.

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

There are several ways it can be done, both the oil cooler kit, under tray setup, and the secondary rad setup. The rx8performance offerings are a good idea but not ideal IMO. A quick Google or Ebay search will get you Spal and Fal fans in the sizes needed and coolers from brands such as Mocal, Setrab, Long, etc. Just look at my build thread or Houstonrx8ers (he sent Scott back his oil cooler kit and made his own with a Spal fan). But yeah for a do it yourself-er who doesn't want to mess with it then yes is will get you where you want to be. How long the components will last is another issue because while Scott's idea is good, the components used to create it are low cost generic parts.

This is my secondary rad setup with a bracket made by Hoss-05.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9krpmrx8/7394556276/
And my FAL dual fan setup on my Mizu rad

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9krpmrx8/7176469795/

I also have a rx8performance oil cooler fan kit sitting on my dining room table (not mine), I should compare it side by side to the Spal unit and wiring and components used in the "kit" Houstonrx8er made.

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

I should also mention that I think my secondary rad is pretty much useless now because the FAL dual setup performs so great.

If I had to do everything over I would do this:

1. Dual pass aluminum radiator
2. FAL dual fans w/shroud
3. Mazmart Water Pump (optional, stock is fine)
4. Mazmart thermo (optional, stock is fine)
5. Mazmart RE-medy oil pressure mod
6. stock oil coolers with thermostats removed
7. Spal fan and thermo switch on the drivers side oil cooler
8. custom oil cooler lines with AN/JIC fittings and a real proper oil thermostat (mocal, earls's etc)
9. aluminum under tray
10. high temp silicone radiotor and heater hoses
11. And a have teh fan on/off setting adjusted via a COBB or seperate fan controller from FAL.

HiFlite999

iTrader: (2)

The fact that Volks wheels are ~$900 or more each and I have a set, doen't imply that Enkei wheels at $300 are inferior in any meaningful way. The supplied fan seems ok and I'll whine if it proves not to be. A more-expensive fan may be "better", but then the cost of the kit would be higher and the resulting market for it, lower. There's always such a balance when one commits to bring something into a market. (Besides, it seems you're not commenting on the kit that I linked and purchased, which is an relatively easy, inexpensive, and simple-to-install way to cool the heater core water circuit or auto tranny, plus replacing the crappy OEM undertray, but other things entirely.) A lot of people don't have the time, money, and/or skill set to do the kind of custom stuff you're doing. RX8Performance makes some neat stuff for the RX8, not readily available anywhere else, and accessable to shadetree mechanics. I'm quite satisfied so far with the experience and the things I've purchased from him.

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

Volks are more expensive than Enkei's because they are forged and because of their (Rays Engineering) process used to forge them. I like Enkei wheels but that's not really a good comparison. So are you saying that Konig wheels are just as good as Enkei's because they use the same manufacturing process (M.A.T.)?

I understand the market and why he used the components in the "kit". And anyone who can install the cooling parts sold by him could easily install and hook up a cooler "kit" they put together themselves. Aside from the tray, none of it is custom made. I also don't think laying the coolers down like that and having the hot air pulled in by them pushed into the air flow path to the radiator is a good idea or ideal in any way.

dannobre

iTrader: (3)

WOW....9K.....here we go again

You can't compare apples and oranges and get any meaningful comparison. The stuff from RX8Performance that I have seen...and have run in my car have all been good quality that is more than adequate for usages intended. They give people that don't want to do the fab work themselves an option that wasn't there not to long ago

Sure you can buy Setrab oil coolers and Spal fans...( I did) and I know what they cost.

They are nowhere near the prices for the plug and play setups that other have reported work very well.

I have over 2.5K in oil lines, coolers, fans and a radiator...not something for the faint of heart.

I can't help but think that this is just Scott bashing again....give it a rest

There will always be "better" or more expensive stuff...but does it work better?...only installing it and giving it a try will answer that