Visteon or Modine

Frumious B. · May 19, 2004

OK, I've narrowed it down to 2 brands. Radiator.com has a 3 row Visteon for $149, carparts.com has a 3 row Modine for $164. Visteon has the obvious price advantage, but I know the Modine fits (check out this nifty article http://www.fordmuscle.com/archives/2001/10/radiator/index.shtml).

Has anyone had experience with the Visteon 3 row? Will it fit in my car? I _really_ don't want to have to modify anything to force it in.

Red_LX · May 20, 2004

Are those prices for copper radiators?

If so, why not just get an aluminum one from Summit for $160-ish? (they have one that fits...19x31", the exact size of the stock radiator)

Frumious B. · May 20, 2004

Red_LX said:
Are those prices for copper radiators?

If so, why not just get an aluminum one from Summit for $160-ish? (they have one that fits...19x31", the exact size of the stock radiator)

The Modine is copper, I don't know about the other one. Copper is a better thermal conductor than aluminum.

So if the physical dimensions are the same, does that mean it wil fit? That might sound like a stupid question, but sometimes are there are other design factors which which affect fit, but not dimension.

freakintiger · May 20, 2004

Copper is heavy.

JamesBaumann · May 20, 2004

I have the Modine three row copper rad in my car and it seems to work well. Yes, copper is heavier than aluminum. And frumious B is also right in saying that copper is a better thermal conductor than aluminum. One more thing is that aluminum radiators take a lot more maintenance to be working at optimal efficiency. The choice is up to you, but to be honest, with the exception of having it weigh less, I really dont see too many advantages of having an aluminum radiator in a daily driver 2.3 Mustang.

freakintiger · May 20, 2004

I agree James, I am just obsessed with my Mustang's weight
(I have the lowback poly buckets, just waiting to get new carpet, so I can lose those heavy factory seats!)

Frumious B. · May 20, 2004

JamesBaumann said:
I have the Modine three row copper rad in my car and it seems to work well. Yes, copper is heavier than aluminum. And frumious B is also right in saying that copper is a better thermal conductor than aluminum. One more thing is that aluminum radiators take a lot more maintenance to be working at optimal efficiency. The choice is up to you, but to be honest, with the exception of having it weigh less, I really dont see too many advantages of having an aluminum radiator in a daily driver 2.3 Mustang.

And it just dropped right in? no bracket adjustments? where did you get it?

Yes, aluminum is a lot lighter, but my goal is better cooling, not less weight.

JamesBaumann · May 21, 2004

Yeah, my Modine just dropped right in there, no problems whatsoever. Upper and lower rad hose entrances were in the exact perfect spot, everything worked great. I got mine from Canadian Tire (like the autozone of Canada), and I do believe that I paid around $175 Canadian for it. $175 Canadian works out to somewhere around $125-130 US. I would recommend that the safe bet is to go with the stock copper radiator, they are much more reliable and take much less maintenance than the aluminum ones. Aluminum radiators are more meant for high performance of race cars. I know that you will be happy with the copper Modine, but the last call is up to you.

Frumious B. · May 21, 2004

I went with Cu Modine. I'm now $245 poorer, but I have the upper and lower hoses, and the radiator and heater hoses are on order. I picked up belts, too, b/c, well, heck, may as well. haven't changed those in a while, and the ac squealing is getting on my nerves.

Thanks, everyone.

Visteon or Modine

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