Trying to find some recommendations for replacement radiators

How about the OEM 03-04 cobra rad? Heard it was good bang for the buck.

You have a perfectly good radiator sitting in your car right now. Why not keep it? Most aftermarket radiators will have less material, less fins per inch, ect which all results in less cooling. Unless you buy one specifically designed for racing, such as a heavy duty 3 row unit, you'll probably be taking a step back. Furthermore, every radiator which has failed on me has been a slow leak. They don't typically just pop, they will seep slowly over time, loosing coolant, leaving drips, ect. You'll know it, and you obviously won't take it out on the track like that.

What I do recommend, is a good flush of the coolant system. Get the gunk out for better heat transfer. You can run water from a garden hose through the system until the water coming out is clear. There may be some solvents you could try, but beware as they could cause more damage than good.

Also, be sure to inspect/replace hoses. Hoses tend to dry out, crack, rot, ect over time. I am willing to bet most of the cooling system failures you see on track are related to hoses popping off or developing a major leak. Don't forget about heater hoses too. Have the hoses ever been replaced? You have a 1999, and at 14 years old, I bet they should be!

I also noticed you have a vortech, and no intercooler. Be careful with your motor on the track. Open track events put some serious load on the engine, for long periods of time, and the tune may not be setup for that. It may be a safe tune for 10-15 seconds at a time, but under load for 20 minutes? That is a completely different ball game because you can develop hotspots in the heads, and the temperature or everything goes way up. Personally, I wouldn't try it unless I had the non-intercooled boost level (~6psi) with an intercooler.

joshjwc9 said:

Tires are all less than 5k miles and will bring backup rotors/pads and fluid with me to the track on top of tools and refreshments (water and gatorade only!)

Click to expand...

Don't forget the Doritos!



MikeH686 toolow91

On a more serious note, I have seen multiple fluidynes leak on the tank ends within the first year of service. I'm not a fan..

That's a contrary to the old ones though like the one on my car its six years old