sh!ft

things are now getting down to the wire for my car and the time needed to drop the motor into the car. what i am having such a hard time deciding on is what radiator to use. im torn by thinking i should bite the bullet, get an all in fab and be done with it, or should i get a half size and be happy? this is realy getting under my skin and i do not want to make a haste of a decision and reap the negative after effects. any opinions? would like opinions from people who have owned both half and full sized aftermarket radiators.


-sh!ft

B18CivicEJ8

I live in Phoenix, AZ where summer temps can reach 117 degrees outside. I run a fully built B18C1 with a Full Race ram horn turbo kit. Turbo is a Garrett T3/T4 .67AR 57 trim turbo at 12 psi. My manifold, downpipe and hot side of the turbo are coated and I run a DEI turbo blanket. For cooling, I run a Mishimoto dual core half rad, silicone hoses, fan switch, and thermostat. My fan is a 10" slim fan set to push instead of pull. The fan switch operates at 80 degrees (celsius) and the thermostat opens at 60 degrees. I daily drive this car on the highway and in town driving. I don't have any cooling issues. If you want to run AC you'll have to use a half rad for everything to clear properly.

sh!ft

i am running a top mount with the vband for the waste gate facing the t bracket(am already looking into a company who will mod it for me) so theres already 1 big concerning issue in itself. as for the a/c, i doubt that will ever happen unless i change my top mount, remove the eg dash, and put all the original parts into the car again. which is going to be a MAJOR botch if i do.

Acura1186Teg

Mishimoto x-line radiator with a 13' spal fan is keeping my temps under 190* in upper 90* heat with high humidity here in the Carolina's. OR "all in fab" with shroud/fan combo if you want it to look sexy. You cant go wrong either way.

terbear4god

im running the same on my 314whp lsvtec without a single cooling issue mishimoto FTW

been threw blizzards been threw triple digit weather no prob

x-s-i-v

im running a b16a
400hp atw 20 psi
im running a 60mm thick half size alloy rad
with a 14" fan
i had a 10" fan but was getting a lil hot
runs good does go above 90

sh!ft

90 or 190?

Natural Aspirations

CX racing triple core half rad, cheap and effective. Cooling fan activated through EMS

Blown90hatcH

Don't cheap out on this part of your build man. Fluidyne radiator and Spal 13" fan 30102044 here in the dirty south heat and humidity.

Spawne32

iTrader: (3)

well, all i can do is tell you about mine since this heat has been rediculous, i have a double row heavy duty radiator from radiator barn on my jrsc teg, its a fullsize rad, about twice the thickness as the factory radiator. Im automatic so the transmission cooler runs through the bottom half of the radiator. I have a brand new OEM condesnser fan on the drivers side, and a 12" slimfan.com piece of **** on the passenger side that claims 1000cfm even though the bearings are completely shot now. It was 103 today here in jersey with a heat index of 116 with like 85% humidity, on a normal day i will reach like 200 degrees on the hotside coming out of the head, because thats where the temp sensor is mounted, today i was probably upwards of 215-220 because when i got off the highway i noticed the needle way out of where it normally is, in the center, probably just a little to the right of center.

So you certainly dont want to skimp on cooling, if you go with a half rad make sure you get the biggest core size you can fit, and for fans, i would choose nothing less then a super high cfm spal fan, even if you have to modify the wiring because of the amperage draw. Turbo blankets, and heatwrap whatever else you can to make sure you keep the heat out of the engine bay. You should be alright if you follow those basic guidelines. The cooling system is not complicated but its very important to upgrade it sufficiently according to how your modifying the car. Boost always ='s extra heat output.

sh!ft

ya im just concerned right now as to what i should do, im leaning more towards the allinfab but im concerned about the clearance of the mani to radiator issue

Spawne32

iTrader: (3)

most everyone runs half rads with no issues, so i wouldnt be terribly concerned about it as long as you buy quality stuff and take care to keep the heat down in the engine bay

Gunmetal_B20_Hatch

iTrader: (9)

I have run both integra rads and 1/2 rads in my EG hatchback. never had the full-size rad on the car when turbocharged, but ive been thinking more and more about getting one again due to the fact that ive invested so much $$$ into the newly sleeved/built motor. Im running an SLS mini-ram and a 6262 with the larger S-cover. Im almost certain that a full-size radiator will fit easily as long as I mount the fans in pusher configuration.

on a side-note, ive always used the cheapest eBay aluminum radiators that I can find(CX-Racing). I have never had a single probem out of either of them. As long as you pair them with a high quality, high CFM fan, youll be OK and shouldnt run into overheating issues. I have a sleeved 10:1 CR, 2.0L turbo motor, 1/2 rad(2 row), 170* t-stat and fans are set to come on at 180. My ECT's never get over 190 on 90-95 degree days.