Best way to cool car? Electric fan or Rad?

Beasly B · Oct 31, 2006

After my supercharger install my intercooler blocks my air to the radiator and I run on a 70 degree day at about 200 where before I was about 184. If I run it hard it will go up to 206-210, would an electric fan do me or do I need a bigger radiator than stock?

86bluecobra · Oct 31, 2006

bigger rad. A factory fan actually cools better then an electric well depending on what electric you go with. but get a bigger rad.

N8Miller · Oct 31, 2006

this is a good quesion... nice to see a good one for a change.

A larger radiator is always a good way to go. a stock fan prolly wont push as much air as an electric fan, but it is constantly running, so the motor is always being cooled.

HISSIN50 · Oct 31, 2006

It sounds like you're moving when the temps shoot up. If so, I agree with the radiator statements.

But that's not to say that your stock fan or fan clutch are in good shape. Fan clutches lose a few hundred RPM a year, and can fail by losing the viscous lock-up (they can also fail by getting real tight at all times). And the stock fan blade can crack.

Good luck.

powertrax91 · Oct 31, 2006

one more for a larger radiator... But, it should also be aluminium... aluminium will dissipate heat at a faster rate than copper

stangjunkie · Oct 31, 2006

powertrax91 said:
one more for a larger radiator... But, it should also be aluminium... aluminium will dissipate heat at a faster rate than copper

+1
always good to use physics when looking at modifying a car, good understanding of physics and geometry will save you time and money when building your car

vnmsgt · Oct 31, 2006

I agree with going with a larger radiator but it has to be aluminum. I have a 347 stroker supercharged in my car and I upgraded to a 3 row radiator heavy duty aftermarket but it was copper. It did help some but I still am a sitting duck if I get caught in traffic. I even removed my a/c and condensor up front to get more airflow and if I get caught it 3 or more traffic lights I will heat up to about 210-220. A aluminum one costs more but well worth it.

Curse · Oct 31, 2006

I saw a bigger decrease in temp. with my taurus e-fan than with my fluidyne aluminum rad. Put them together and goodbye cooling problems. If you have a stock alternator or u/d pulleys, hello charging problems.

Adams91LX · Oct 31, 2006

both
http://www.latemodelrestoration.com/iwwida.pvx?;item?item_no=FLX-185 1&comp=LRS
http://www.latemodelrestoration.com/iwwida.pvx?;item?item_no=FHP-2093MU 1&comp=LRS

hehehe

Beasly B · Nov 1, 2006

I think I'll go with the aluminum radiator first, they aren't to cheap, and then the electric fan. When I run it through the first four gears it heats up to about 206 average. I think I can make it through the winter with the colder temps (mostly 30's and 40's) but by spring I guess I'll have to get one. This sure adds to my axle and eaton, upgrade after christmas.

HISSIN50 · Nov 1, 2006

If you go with a generic-fit radiator (not application-specific, as some from Fluidyne, et al are), it can make the expense considerably less.

Good luck.

Beasly B · Nov 1, 2006

Yea I was just looking at the jegs and summit books and they both offer an aluminum radiator, and was wondering what the actual differances could be between them and a fluidyne..ect.You know that they did their research and desigined it accordingly. I would rather pay $289, instead of $379, in my opinon as far as a radiator goes name brand doesn't make me no matter I could use $100 bucks toward a methanol injection or something like that.

dastang2 · Nov 1, 2006

well if it is aluminum, it doesn't have to be bigger. i got the jegs aluminum 31x19 universal for 180 and it works great.

Beasly B · Nov 1, 2006

Was there any "fitment" issues? I'm leaning towards the jegs setup.

dastang2 · Nov 1, 2006

no but you have to bend the hold down brackets to fit.

Beasly B · Nov 1, 2006

Alright sound good to me. I just called jegs and they said that the $289 radiator is a direct replacement and the $179 may have to do some modifications, so you're saying that all you did is bent the top 2 brackets, right?

Prime Lord · Nov 2, 2006

While you've got the radiator out, and its easy, drop a 180° balanced thermostat in there (Mr. Gasket is what I use) and get a Stewart Components stage 1 water pump. I had that setup w/ a brass 3-row radiator and the stock fan/clutch in my old Stang, the digital temp guage NEVER got above 182°. Even sitting in dead traffic on a 100° day. Right when you start moving, it'd drop to 180° dead on.

srothfuss · Nov 2, 2006

About Cooling:

Copper alone is a better conductor for heat transfer than aluminum. Copper/Brass radiators are generally more effecient at rejecting heat than plane Aluminum. But, Aluminum can be drawn into larger diameter passages giving more surface area for improved cooling despite the setback of a lower thermal conductivity. So given two identically sized radiators - the copper/brass one will cool more effeciently. The major advantages to aluminum are weight savings, manufacturing costs & larger tubing diameters. While I agree that most aftermarket 3-core radiators are a vast improvement over the copper/brass 4-cylinder radiators in the Fox, I would like to point out that there is a 3-core brass radiator available for our cars as well. Now, my car was never supercharged or intercooled, but I did switch over to the 3 core brass radiator and noticed a huge improvement in heat rejection capabilities.

Also, with that being said... All cooling systems are a combination of 3 major components:
1) Air Flow (across the cooling fins)
2) Fan CFM (for in traffic air flow)
3) The radiator itself.

So when you look to improve your cooling system performance, think of all the major factors to get the most bennefit. For example, adding a low pressure zone directly behind the radiator [by use of a vented hood] would create suction at speed. Or add a Mark VIII fan that can pull 3,000+CFM of air without the car moving to help in traffic.

The first link is general magazine information about radiators. The second shows some test results from different radiators.
http://www.chevyhiperformance.com/howto/81658/
http://www.usradiator.com/testing.htm

1990Coupe · Nov 2, 2006

srothfuss said:
About Cooling:

Copper alone is a better conductor for heat transfer than aluminum. Copper/Brass radiators are generally more effecient at rejecting heat than plane Aluminum. But, Aluminum can be drawn into larger diameter passages giving more surface area for improved cooling despite the setback of a lower thermal conductivity. So given two identically sized radiators - the copper/brass one will cool more effeciently. The major advantages to aluminum are weight savings, manufacturing costs & larger tubing diameters. While I agree that most aftermarket 3-core radiators are a vast improvement over the copper/brass 4-cylinder radiators in the Fox, I would like to point out that there is a 3-core brass radiator available for our cars as well. Now, my car was never supercharged or intercooled, but I did switch over to the 3 core brass radiator and noticed a huge improvement in heat rejection capabilities.

Also, with that being said... All cooling systems are a combination of 3 major components:
1) Air Flow (across the cooling fins)
2) Fan CFM (for in traffic air flow)
3) The radiator itself.

So when you look to improve your cooling system performance, think of all the major factors to get the most bennefit. For example, adding a low pressure zone directly behind the radiator [by use of a vented hood] would create suction at speed. Or add a Mark VIII fan that can pull 3,000+CFM of air without the car moving to help in traffic.

The first link is general magazine information about radiators. The second shows some test results from different radiators.
http://www.chevyhiperformance.com/howto/81658/
http://www.usradiator.com/testing.htm

according to the first artical (if i read it correctly) even tho aluminum doesnt dissapate heat as well as copper/brass, the bigger tubing and surface area more then makes up for that. It also says the brass ones are soldered together, and that hurts the cooling performance of the brass ones. unless i dont have that right someone correct me

srothfuss · Nov 2, 2006

That is correct.

Copper brass Rad's = more effecient but heavy

Aluminu = less effecient, but lighter and bigger internal cores

Also, some new brass radiators are now manufactured witout any solder. I'll see if I can dig up that link.

Best way to cool car? Electric fan or Rad?

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