Aluminum vs copper core radiators

[ebpda9]

Whci of them do u think it's better ? mine is leaking pretty bad and i need a new one. I found a couple oem fits on the net ( of course honda charges 450 for a brand spanking new oem one) and i don't wanna get a used radiator. so which do u think it's a lot better ? i know my old one used to be copper with plastic end tanks, the one i have on now is copper with metal end tanks. so whcig do u think it's better and has better cooling, because my car will have a turbo installed in less than 2 weeks.

[ChrisCantSkate]

i'd personally say aluminum, its what i got and im happy with it. aluminum disapates heat better than most metals and is very strong. i havnt herd much about copper ones, but you cant really go wrong with an all aluminum.

[ebpda9]

that's what i thought too

[MAXed Out]

ALUMInum biatch!

[GT40FIED]

Aluminum all the way. It's stronger and doesn't oxidize as fast as copper does (it takes time...but it'll happen eventually). Aluminum's usually a bit more expensive, but it's definitely worth it.

[ebpda9]

well i read some reviews and copper came on top. copper can dissiate heat twice as fast as aluminum does. i dunno what to think:no:

[GT40FIED]

Sure, copper will disipate heat faster, but it doesn't last as long in the long run. It's heavier, weaker, corrodes faster, etc. If it was all about heat disipation they'd make titanium radiators...that stuff removes heat like crazy.

[91d16]

get a fluidyne high performance replacement. It's actually cheaper than a stock OEM from Honda and a lot better.

[pdiggitydogg]

well, I'll be the first to say copper
because its cheap and it works fine

true, the old CuBrass and its old school non-heat condusive welding did make it fall well below Al, but today's tech makes them efficient and cheap...hence my CuBrass dual core del sol/auto ex rad that I love to death (for 1/4 the cost of a fluidyne it works just dandy on my daily driver)
:yes:

[HndaTch627]

copper sucks, alumnium rocks and stop being cheap ;)


do you have a toyo or denso radiator??? AFAIK neither is $450 unless that includes labor

[HndaTch627]

Originally posted by pdiggitydogg
well, I'll be the first to say copper
because its cheap and it works fine we replace copper aftermarkets after 2 years tops, don't buy copper especially in the midwest with heavy salt use

[ebpda9]

i have an aftermarket copper. i dunno, what the original one was. it was replaced 2 yrs ago by honda cause the original one blew out.

[pdiggitydogg]

I think Ive lived here long enough to know that cubrass rads last just fine, despite the heavy salt use

theres nothing wrong w/ being "cheap"...especially if it gets the job done BETTER than the stock unit.

Saying CuBrass sucks compared to Al is like saying blank rotors suck compared to slotted/drilled
They both work just great, but not everyone NEEDS the more expensive one

[AzCivic]

saw this and thought of this thread:

The thermal conductivity k depends on the material, for example, the various materials used in engines have the following thermal conductivities (W/m K):

Table I. Thermal Conductives of Common Materials

Copper 400
Aluminum 240
Cast Iron 80
water 0.61
air 0.026

[Shaved &/or Laid]

hm. Get a double size aluminum. :D

[spoogenet]

GT40FIED: you sure about titanium??? Best I've found is 7.44 W/mC vs. 417 for silver and the others mentioned by AzCivic.

I do agree that the aluminum will last longer than the copper, not to mention the weight benefits from it.

b

[GT40FIED]

Originally posted by spoogenet
GT40FIED: you sure about titanium??? Best I've found is 7.44 W/mC vs. 417 for silver and the others mentioned by AzCivic.


Hmmmm....pretty sure. I was at an open track event once where some serious AutoX guys were competing and they all had titanium rotors. After a few seconds of hard braking the things would be glowing bright red and then in another few seconds they'd be back to normal. Although I suppose it's also worth noting that titanium gathers heat insanely fast too.

[ebpda9]

well what weight gains ? few extra pounds in a 3k pound car don't matter that much. anyway i got an aluminum radiator with plastic end tanks. i might attempt to fix the copper one too

[HndaTch627]

good call man :yes:

[ricerX]

Wow... $450 for a radiator? That's rediculous. I put a radiator in a civic last week (alum w/ plastic tanks) that only cost me $150 brand new. Go to www.radiators.com. Every shop I've ever worked for has used their radiators with no problems.