I probably should have posted this in the Hybrid section but it seems there is more feed back from knowledgeable people in here. I'm contemplating on getting a full size radiator or half. I figured ( for daily driver with some occasional road racing) the full size might be better but not sure if its really necessary. Just trying to save money as I pick up the last of the view things to finish my never ending project.

 

i have seen alot of dd and race cars just use half and thats it. so you should be fine

 

Ive ran 3 H series motors at different times with the half sized Del Sol VTEC radiator (thicker than the other manual trans Civic/Del Sol) and never overheated. Track and street driven

 

Theres a reason the preludes came with full length radiators. Honda thought they needed more cooling then a 1.5l d series. And if your road racing it even occationally then you should stick to the full rad.

 

Half core is fine. I haven't had issues with mine and temps stay under 180*F, 190*F in traffic.

 

just because its full size dont make it better at cooling. i have a half size thats about 2.5" thick and it suppost to cool 75% more effective then stock full size. so what im saying is you can get a half size to save room and still have a veryy effective radiator. Plus i know a company that sells them for $50 locally made in USA :D for civics and integras. i think they are on ebay now also EMUSA brand or E-motor usa.

 

Really do explain how surface area has to do with cooling? The greater the suface area (that air hits, not depth which is proven less eff.) the greater the cooling.

Also you do have full radiator ducting correct? if not then guess all that air just goes right past the radiator that leaves a huge gap on the right side. Honda provided non a/c cars with a plastic sheild to prevent air from doing just this thing.

Now this may not effect most cars, but if your road racing these are things you tend to think about.

It says something when all B, H, F, etc... hondas came with full length radiators that weren't all that thick. Would that means surface area over thickness? I would say so.

 

half size radiator is more than enough for the h22 i promise

 

thanks for all the input you guys, glad to know the half sized radiator will suffice.

 

half works fine for my h22 hatch

 

I have a dual core, half size fluidyne radiator and have never run into cooling issues.

Now my stock civic vx, single core, half size radiator, thats another story...

Moral of story, go with an aluminum dual core half size radiator for best performance but a oem del sol vtec (dual core) will do the job.

 

we have H swaps in civics w/ the cheapest napa/autozone replacement half sized radiators you could buy and not a single issue even on 600whp boosted setups no problem.

as long as your fan is pushing/pulling in the proper direction and the radiator is in good shape, not blocked or clogged you will be fine