So I have a hairline crack in my OEM radiator. I've sealed it with some high temp tape to help keep it from cracking for now but not sure how long it will last.

I have intentions on building this car into a track car in the long run. I'm trying to find a good high quality radiator (Not plastic that will crack).

I've done some research and have come down to a couple Mishimoto performance aluminum radiator and Dynamic Performance Team Does anyone have any experiences with these radiators or have any other suggestions I might want to look into?

 

never hrd of performance radiator. but the mishimoto descrip says it has greater cooling efficiency, and is lighter because its aluminum.

I wd be weary and research the difference between the mish and oem. If the materials are vastly different then i prolly wouldnt buy.

The only thing u really buying with the mish is weight reduction. Engine-wise, all radiators do the same thing. A FI setup is gonna have a separate intercooler so the weight reduction with the mish will have to be decent since it DOES cost $240.

 

check ebay for their aluminum raditors. i remember when i had my gsr i got one from there, until the day my car got stolen, never had an issue, it was like $30 cheaper i believe than mish

*edit* nvm looks like you found it

 

The Mish is actually a good deal the more I look at it. It's free shipping and comes with a limited lifetime warranty.

The only thing I'm trying to figure out is if my stock fans bolt onto it.

 

i know on the ebay one i had for my teg i had to do a little modifying for my fans to fit correctly, not much...but yea...

 

They Dynamic Performance team one comes with 2 fans already installed but it's about the same price as the Mish with shipping included.

 

some reason when you said that i just said go with Mish...

 

be carefull with the warranty i had a warranty on my springs and struts when i bought them turns out it doesnt transfer between buyers so no warranty for me

 

Yeah, that's actually what I was thinking after I reread my post. Radiator + fans for $50 less then the Mish just screams cheapo.

Most warranties don't transfer with buyers. Not really a problem for me though. I have no intentions on getting rid of this car for a long while...

 

The fans bolted up just fine on my Mish and no problems at all so far. It mounted properly also, just save the bumbers that were holding your old radiator in place and your good to go. GL OP

 

I had my mishimoto installed few months ago without any problem except I had to modify one of fan bolts (my car is RHD), I don't know if there is any difference between yours & mine, but as mista said that he don't have any problem, I think you will be ok with it.

As for the performance I think it is little better than my 13 years old original radiator. I believe that there is 1-2'C cooler and they dispatch the heat quicker than my original radiator (I have greddy informeter installed on my car so what I said is not my suggestion, but it is base on what I see on my informeter ).

anyway, what type of transmission you have? mine is A/T so I have to bought another ATF cooler for my car. I was using B&M ATF cooler & today I just have it upgraded to Setrab 619 cooler & I switch the B&M ATF Cooler to replace my original P/S fluid cooler.

This is the pic how it looks :

 

I got the radiator cause of less chance of cracking and also getting the benefit of lower temps

 

+ how it looks

 

I just purchased a Mishimoto radiator for my Max last week and installed it myself the same day. It was a direct Bolt-In, the only minor issue I had was one of two OEM bolts that attaches the fan mount to the upper radiator tank snapped at the bolt head on when i was threading it in. (you need to use the OEM self tapping or comparable replacement)

The holes are not threaded for the upper fan mounts, but since it is aluminum, you just thread in in real slow and back it off a little until and repeat until it is fully threaded in snug. (Do not torque it tight, just snug, it's only plastic and aluminum) you don't want to strip the threads you created.

Luckily there was about 1/4 inch of the broken bolt sticking out and I was able to unbolt it with some vise grips. I just went to Autozone and picked up some new self tapping bolts in the same length and diameter as the OEMs. The OEM bolts are meant to be threaded into plastic, not aluminum, that's why it broke.
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You do need to re-use the stock upper and lower radiator rubber mounts. If the rubber is cracked or worn out, now's a great time to replace them with new ones.

There was a noticable difference in cooling, with the stock radiator the temp needle stayed in the middle between H and C. With the Mishimoto, the needle is about three clicks below the middle now. The Mish is a two row radiator vs. the stock one row and aluminum dissipates heat faster. The Mish is made for a Manual trans, but you can use it for a Auto if you connect a Transmission Cooler to your Trans.

I researched CX Racing, Griffin and Mishimoto radiators and none of them offered a Lifetime Warranty but Mish. You may pay less for CX Racing but I heard you are on your own if you have any problems after the sale. They told one customer after his new CX Racing radiator started leaking "That's too bad, you get what you pay for.

I ordered mine from amazon.com for $186 shipped, but shortly after the price went up to $230, i guess I got a deal!!!!!

The only reason I replaced my stock one was I'm installing a S/C and wanted the extra cooling capacity plus the added Bling doesn't hurt.

 

Thank you everyone for your awesome input! I guess it's settled, I'll be buying a Mishimoto Radiator by the end of next month. Hopefully my old one can hold up in the mean time.

 

Don't they make copper and brass radiators any more in the USA? Over here I can buy one made of traditional materials for about $240.

 

Hardly anything is made in the USA anymore. Gotta love corporate America!

Aluminum is fine though. Not nearly as heavy as copper or brass and cools almost the same and can be just as strong.