Smaller rad.

[Kenned4200]

Hi.
As my radiator has started leaking im in desperate need of a new one.
My plan is to ITB the car over winther, so i thought i might as well get a smaller rad now.

I remember a thread a while back, where people were talking about a vw radiator. Can someone shed any light on this?

Or maybe some of you who have fitted smaller rads could give me a shout on what you have used.

 

[JackJack]

Iirc it was a polo rad. Take a look in chrispys build thread.

 

[Fred@BTM]

which IMO is no good for road cars, its too small, fine on a racer, temps climb too high with it on a roadie

 

[JackJack]

What do you recommend Fred?

 

[Silent_Scone]

Theres got to be a better alternative to the VW rad? I'm running the pro-alloy radiator which was made originally for a cup...bought it cheap off the 3rd owner on here.. as long as the fans wired up it's been fine on the road...I think new Pro Alloy would want an arm and a leg for it though.. nice bit of kit

 

[focrs]

I am looking as well. There is alloy polo rads on eBay but they £270 which is steep. Also alloy cores which you can buy to fabricate your own. Has it just been the polo rad used before???

 

[Cup_Phil]

Rather than starting a new thread - does anyone know what shortened radiator will work on a track car that see's road use

Everyone was saying the polo radiator (http://www.adrad.co.uk/prices/prices.php?search=SE310) but if Fred think's that will overheat in traffic that's no use to me
I've found a company that do alloy versions of the polo radiator (I think) - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Westfield...CarParts_SM&hash=item2569292b47#ht_500wt_1134

But they're not cheap

Any idea if pro-alloy still make the one for the clio? Is it a direct fit? etc?

 

[muppetboy]

I've just bought the Polo rad (se310) for fitting to a 182 used for sprinting and track days, (used on the road for driving to/from events). Whilst the smaller capacity could be an issue, with no air con rad/condensor in front ( as per originally fitted), I'm hoping it will do the job.

 

[Cup_Phil]

I don't have air con etc.. to start with

I must admit I'm a bit sceptical about Fred's comments - I know he know's his stuff but the rad is 2" shorter and 2" longer - surface area shouldn't be much different to the standard one and I've never had the fan cut in once on mine
With the fan control running through the omex I can set it to come on nice and early - should be plenty of cooling really?

 

[Cup_Phil]

Just had a look around and it would appear the polo 1.4 rad is 50mm shorter and 50mm wider

So overall surface area should be exactly the same
I think i'm gonna risk buying one
Considering they're £38 - if I find it's struggling in summer I'll have to look for something else - but I'm fairly confident that with fan control set to come in earlier it should be fine

 

[Dan519]

I've used the small VW rad on a road car, running High compression. It's absolutely fine.

They're a completely different construction to the standard rad, so although it appears they are small, due to amount of extra cooling fins, they actually have at least as large a surface area, if not bigger.

The one you want isn't from a polo, the outlets are in the wrong place on that. I can never remember which one it is though.....always have to look it up in the catalog

 

[Dan519]

 

[Cup_Phil]

Oooh that's properly tiny!

The polo one I've seen seems to come across closer to the alternator

Is that on jenveys? I'm trying to shorten the radiator so I can run an airbox on the bodies

The diagram for the polo radiator has the outlets in roughly the right place but the bottom one comes straight out of the rad rather than angling upwards - so the water pipe would be slightly bent

If theres any chance you could find out which one you used in that pic - that would be awesome!

 

[Cup_Phil]

This is the SE310 one which people quote to use - it's listed as polo 1.4 and seat

The one you've used though 519 looks a lot thicker but narrower

 

[Dan519]

thats a mk1. Closer pic than the one I have in a mk2, but same rad

Tony and Jay run a rad which is a bit wider. Another VAG model i believe

 

[Dan519]

the one in that ph1 looks shorter and wider than the one i use

 

[muppetboy]

As said above, I don't have air con and the fan has never cut in. Re: the straight bottom outlet on the se310, I've bought a 32mm/ 45 degree samco hose to help with fitting if necessary, although may not needed.

 

[Cup_Phil]

Just ordered the SE310 - for £37 it's worth a punt even if it just gives me room for now to get an airbox

If it starts overheating next summer I'll talk to pro-alloy about making a custom alloy one

 

[Silent_Scone]

will be arms and legs from them! Never had a problem with mine though AS LONG as the fans working ok, gets a bit toasty when you're sitting around otherwise

 

[Cup_Phil]

Hahah well I'm gonna order a decent slimline fan next month and wire it into the omex and set it to come on nice and low

I just want to get the shorter rad now so I can get the engine full of coolant again - at the moment I'm having to start it and listen to the bodies for 10 seconds then kill it LOL

 

[Dan519]

will be arms and legs from them! Never had a problem with mine though AS LONG as the fans working ok, gets a bit toasty when you're sitting around otherwise

dont usually get trouble with heat at idle unless there's too much ignition r****d. I did exactly that on mine just after putting my bodies on the mk1, and promptly got stuck on the north circular. Touch more advance, touch less static throttle, safe and steady 95deg at all time

 

[Silent_Scone]

Yeah I had that sorted, was an issue I had with K-Tecs map (not a poke btw).. fan wasn't connected so wasn't helping lol

 

[Tony Hunter]

Ours never gets hot(apart from Oulton) just before implode.We have even done a race without the fan in the car(it fell off during qualy.
The bottom hose,even being a different angle,will go on no problem,but once it's got warm a couple of times it sit's perfect.
Easy peasy to fit as well,you just need to make a small bracket with two holes in,one goes where the rad used to sit,bolt this in place then just put the rubber into the other hole,cable tie it in place and sit rad on it.
I did this all on my own,so it must be easy.
Pics of this little task are on our build thread,somewhere.

http://burpspeed.com/Burpspeed/Build/Entries/2010/1/2_Cooling,_ECU_and_the_Office.html

 

[Cup_Phil]

Thanks Tony - that should come in handy when I fit mine this weekend

 

[Fred@BTM]

Ours never gets hot(apart from Oulton) just before implode.We have even done a race without the fan in the car(it fell off during qualy.
The bottom hose,even being a different angle,will go on no problem,but once it's got warm a couple of times it sit's perfect.
Easy peasy to fit as well,you just need to make a small bracket with two holes in,one goes where the rad used to sit,bolt this in place then just put the rubber into the other hole,cable tie it in place and sit rad on it.
I did this all on my own,so it must be easy.
Pics of this little task are on our build thread,somewhere.

http://burpspeed.com/Burpspeed/Build/Entries/2010/1/2_Cooling%2C_ECU_and_the_Office.html

point being though tony, you don't have to sit in static traffic, hell you don't even need a fan

 

[Tony Hunter]

Didn't say it was ideal Freddy,just that when the fan does cut in it cools down straight away.

Luvs u.

 

[Cup_Phil]

point being though tony, you don't have to sit in static traffic, hell you don't even need a fan

I understand that - but when I've sat in traffic in Lincoln I've only had the fan cut in once and it was 28c this summer and I didn't move for ages

The polo fan is only 50mm shorter and I'll be setting the fan to come in earlier - so should be ok

My car isn't track only - but it's track/weekend use only and I'll be trying to avoid sitting in traffic as much as possible lol

 

[Fred@BTM]

Is there enough people in Lincoln to have traffic? :rasp:

 

[Cup_Phil]

Hahha it has the worst road layouts I've ever seen in my life

It only takes about 200 cars to make a permanent rolling road-block

 

[Cup_Phil]

Right - my polo radiator turned up today

Fits in the car easily enough - leaves loads of space if I angle the top forward slightly
I need to make some brackets up at the weekend to fit it - but I have a question

There's a hole in it for the fan switch - M22x1.5
Where can I get a bung or a bolt to block it off?

 

[Tony Hunter]

Ours came with one.

I did the brackets with some radio fixing stuff.

Light isn't it.

 

[Cup_Phil]

Yeah it's loads lighter - couldn't believe how much gubbins is around the old fan. Engine bay looks empty now. Lots of room for a carbon air box on the bodies

I'll do a run over to the local radiator place tomorrow lunch time and hope they have gone a brass bung or something

 

[Silent_Scone]

Is there enough people in Lincoln to have traffic? :rasp:

Duck crossings are a pita

 

[Whiteley]

Traffic in Lincoln's an absolute joke at times, grrrrr!

 

[Cup_Phil]

Yep - if I leave for work at 7.30am it takes 4 minutes - if I leave after 8am it takes 40minutes just to get down Skellingthorpe Road

Hence why I don't use the clio daily lol