for saffs ...whats the best???.............if u've only had one make please tell,but dont say...........its the best...........i have had a radtec,but it was second /third hand and had been repaired...........

 

I haven't used one personally but I know a few people locally using Ali Fab radiators.

He will make you whatever you want if you give him a call.

Typically I haven't got his number to hand but he sells on ebay iirc

 

ive got a pace one but didnt notice it to be any better than the std one other than looking nicer..

 

I've got a radtec one fitted pete,far better than standard one,lovely welds and perfect fit too.

 

Had this made up but not fitted it yet' But its a nice bit of kit with three rows of fins' Made of copper and brass with solid end tanks and the whole thing came to Ł210.00

 

Got a Pro Alloy one on mine Pete. I really cant fault it, temps stay alot lower when hammering it now.

 

Pro Alloy too...........fitted perfectly, and certainly kept the temps down better during track days.

 

temps were about the same with my pace rad
then i fitted a pre rad and it made a huge differance to the temps

 

Cool,im about to fit a pre rad.

 

i have a pace rad with stainless header and swirl pot...temps always seem spot on.

have used Pro-Alloy ones too in the past.

also had a standard one re-cored that was fine at 380+bhp too

 

Yep....I also had the Pro Alloy Pre Rad in addition to the Pro Alloy Rad.....so that could have helped keep the temps down.

 

i have had a standard one, pace and pro alloy and found no difference in any of them.

 

turbo systems sometimes have an alloy one advertised on ebay which is twice as thick as the original.. around Ł400 i think..

 

I have had standard - okay for fast road use.

Radtec - VERY good - 7°C cooler than standard on track.

Pro-Alloy - On car now - 12° cooler than standard on track (but it was bigger than the Radtec item, so not a like for like comparison).

You won't notice ANY difference in them on the road, only in sustained use in hot track conditions. This is because the thermostat can control the temps on the road, so they all "appear" to be the same.

It's only when you drive on track and the temperatures start to climb above 100° that the uprated radiators come into their own.

I don't think you will have any bother with any of the well known ones .

AH Fabs, Radtec, Pro-Alloy etc. Avoid the Pace ones, as they are notoriously unreliable and the corners fail.

 

I'll be looking at a Radtec or Pro cooler, after getting a decent intercooler!

What's the benefit of have a 'Pre-Rad' or 'Turbo cooler'? What do they do or how do they work?

 

They're just a supplimentary radiator that cools the water for the turbo a further amount.

 

my pace leaked at the corners

 

Cheers Mike, are they really worth it? Are the gains noticeable?

 

None on a road car. Will help on a track car where the turbo gets a constant glow on! But is still really loading the cooling system.

Personally, I removed the water cooling on my turbo (T4), and fitted a twin pass supplimentary radiator that goes where the charge-cooler plumbing did on my car - made a HUGE difference then.

 

i used standard 4x4 rad with pro intercooler, with the cooler sitting in front of the rad the temps soon climbed,fitted pro ally rad and even when ragging the ass off it the temps are well cool excellent bit of kit.