should I buy this?

[pdiggitydogg]

Ive been looking to upgrade the cooling of the car lately, prior to ls-swapage. Found this on eGay and am just a little curious if it'd be worth the $70shipped...Radiator (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=33602&item=2433686342)

Its a dual core 1.25"thick rad meant for the del sol vtec. I know its larger than the stocker that Im rockin now (which is fine, by the way). Are stock units made of CuBrass or Al? I'd hate to waste money for trading efficiency for size...if you get what im saying.

No, I refuse to get a fluidyne or a koyo...I am not a big time racer...just looking for a bit more cooling when I go to the larger engine.

Opinions please

[AzCivic]

i dont get it...it says its for civics and for del sol vtec's but arent the radiator fittings for the civic are smaller than those for the del sol vtec, which is the reason when people get b18 swaps they get the del sol radiator.

I'm really not to sure i just remember reading this way back:
http://importnut.net/fluidyne_rad.htm

[Shaved &/or Laid]

one reason im doing a b16.

[pdiggitydogg]

hmm...I know a lot of people that switch over to the del sol dual core rad, but ive never heard about any probs with the connectors (from the fluidyne page).

I'll ask someone on h-t

edit**I got this pic from h-t post (that I also posted in)...the piping size seems identical
http://hometown.aol.com/codiferus17/images/comparison.jpg

edit again**it fits becuase its the same rad thats on the auto ex

edit for the 3rd time**it being the same as the auto...that would mean it has tranny cooling built into the bottom (see pic)...would it be possible to make that an oil cooler??? 'Cause that would rock

[pdiggitydogg]

agh bump up again...cant I get some help??

[sicones]

I was just about to buy a new radiator, a fluidyne, why wouldent you get one, should I get one??

[pdiggitydogg]

a fluidyne? because theyre too expensive for my tastes. I doubt the cooling capabilities of them really make up for the astronomical price that they are; specifically for the daily driven, hardly raced hondas that are on the roads today.

Im looking at this particular one on ebay because its 1.5x the cooling that the stock 5sp civic rad is and the price is right. I believe it would even be fine for even the LSBoost that is in the car's future.

I guess I'm just looking for someone to say "No, its not what you want" or "Its a piece of crap, dont waste your time"

[AzCivic]

Originally posted by pdiggitydogg
hmm...I know a lot of people that switch over to the del sol dual core rad, but ive never heard about any probs with the connectors (from the fluidyne page).

I'll ask someone on h-t

edit**I got this pic from h-t post (that I also posted in)...the piping size seems identical
http://hometown.aol.com/codiferus17/images/comparison.jpg

edit again**it fits becuase its the same rad thats on the auto ex

edit for the 3rd time**it being the same as the auto...that would mean it has tranny cooling built into the bottom (see pic)...would it be possible to make that an oil cooler??? 'Cause that would rock

well then what the hell was that one guy talking about in that link i gave??? oh well if it fits then you might as well get it.

as for the oil cooler idea do you really need one? the way i see it, its just one more thing that can fail, and thats something you definitly don't want messing up.

[pdiggitydogg]

oil cooler: na dont need it, just a thought

[sicones]

some one said to change the thermostat to a cooler one I wouldent do it but is it a good idea???

[pdiggitydogg]

wouldnt hurt if you do a lot of serious driving and the motor always runs hot.
If you upgrade the rad (which i believe you said you were) and it still runs hotter than you like/it should then I would suggest the cooler thermo. You could try having the fan constantly run, as well.

a cooler thermo isnt going to add hp (if thats what youre looking for), all its gonna do is prolong the life of the engine

[GirlSolRacer]

I have the fan run constantly in the sol, and I have no problems

[AzCivic]

actually a cooler thermostat IS NOT going to keep the engine any cooler. all it does is open sooner, so if anything it'll just make it where the engine warms up slower. so for a short time the engine will be cooler but in a few minutes the temp will be right where it normally is with the "warmer" thermostat.

[pdiggitydogg]

huh...well that makes sense...

[AzCivic]

yup.

if you want your engine to run cooler w/ out doing anything major just run a higher percentage of water in the coolant mix. before it gets cold enough to freeze outside you could run 100% water as long as you don't use the a/c. but if you run the a/c keep it around 80-90%water, 10-20% anti-freeze.

water has better heat transfer capabilities than an anit-freeze/water mix.

[pdiggitydogg]

yeah i know about that one...but its already freezing at night here........

[sicones]

Originally posted by AzCivic
actually a cooler thermostat IS NOT going to keep the engine any cooler. all it does is open sooner, so if anything it'll just make it where the engine warms up slower. so for a short time the engine will be cooler but in a few minutes the temp will be right where it normally is with the "warmer" thermostat.


dosent the thermostat close when driving on the highway because the radataor actually gets too cold?

[AzCivic]

Originally posted by pdiggitydogg
yeah i know about that one...but its already freezing at night here........

(in the bully from the simpsons voice) haaaaaaahaaaaaaa!

[AzCivic]

Originally posted by sicones
dosent the thermostat close when driving on the highway because the radataor actually gets too cold?

hmm i doubt it, maybe if its really cold out and you stay off the throttle for awhile.

[pdiggitydogg]

Originally posted by AzCivic
(in the bully from the simpsons voice) haaaaaaahaaaaaaa!

yes...damn the cold state of michigan...but at least I can go swimming in a fresh clean lake in the hot days of summer "Mr Arizona"

[pdiggitydogg]

well...I bought it! I couldnt resist...so cheap and so effective.

I'll let you all know my impressions when it arrives (let me know if you want pics too)

[nonovurbizniz]

I might grab one too... It's basically local... so if I can pick it up for that price I may buy one...

As far as the cooling... copper has MUCH better cooling capabilities then aluminum... it just corrodes/degrades faster... aluminum is just for longevity not cooling capability.

Also just FYI... a BUNCH of the guys at the h-t meet I went to with swaps still had their stock civic radiator with NO overheating problems... including a type-R swap... so I don't think it's really neccisary... My rad's looking pretty shot though so I may just pick one up since I'm replacing everything else in the cooling system soon anyway.

[nonovurbizniz]

Oh and...

I have these in two diffent brands. If you prefer a 1 row aluminum core with plastic tanks, Please let me know at the end of the auction. The aluminum core radiator does not come with a radiator cap like the copper brass radiator as described above. The copper brass type radiator ( which is the same type as the Original Stock radiator ) will be shipped if there is no request for the aluminum radiator. Thank you

[pdiggitydogg]

^eh? whats your point on that one (i have several ideas..but too lazy to type them out)