How do I Compare Radiator Performance?

[andyborris]

I'm changing the radiator layout in my Triumph 2000, it's fitted with a BMW M52 engine.

How to compare cooling?

Can I just use the volume of the radiator as a rough guide?

I.E. The E36 323I radiator (standard) has a volume of 4.56 cm3 (I think, not much good with metrics!) and the aftermarket Golf MK2 aluminium rad has a volume of 5.6 cm3, even though it's smaller, but with a thicker twin core.

Has anyone used a twin core, race style Golf rad? Can it cope with 200hp? On a hot day in a Paris traffic jam!

I haven't included end tanks or the BMW header tank built onto the side of the rad, I think that these don't add much to the cooling performance of the rad.

The car has a large header tank mounted at the back of the engine bay.

Thanks

[andyborris]

And after trawling through 100's of web pages, I've got a choice of 2 rads that'll fit the space.

Both are for a VW Golf GTI MK2.

The first is the standard rad, the other is a aftermarket aluminium which is slightly smaller in height (320 v 300) and width (525 v 445), but has a thicker core 42 mm as against 34 mm.

Both are larger then the standard BMW rad the engine should sit behind, decisions!

I'm leaning towards the standard VW Golf rad, it'll be easier (cheaper!) to replace than a fancy aluminium one......opinions please?

[Bozwell]

some of these so called race rads don't work at low speeds. we had one made for a road GT40 and it kept overheating unless it was going over 70 mph. even high efficiency rad fans couldn't pull the air through the rad. put the original radiator back in and all was fine.

i suspect it'll be trial and error to see which works with your combination but a stsndard one would be my first choice. volume will be less important than cooling fin design (even Honda went with half size rads in their later cars)