Your referencing the Modine 1R2397 and GDI 432397 (also ACDelco 20571). Yes they are both 1-3/8" thick aluminum core with plastic end tanks. They do have 2 ea. 11-1/2" coolers but are on passenger and driver's sides and they are both tranny oil coolers.
Radiator roundup - cooling bonanza
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Your referencing the Modine 1R2397 and GDI 432397 (also ACDelco 20571). Yes they are both 1-3/8" thick aluminum core with plastic end tanks. They do have 2 ea. 11-1/2" coolers but are on passenger and driver's sides and they are both tranny oil coolers.
Forget the other items as Nick Micale and I both have proven what really works. Our radiators are very similar in design and flow characteristics. These are proven designs and have been tested on several cars. Gene
Are you saying the other radiators listed are not worth considering? I did the 160 stat, new pump, hoses, and R/C dual fans. I then did the f-body radiator swap and got FANTASTIC results. I have my tranny and oil cooler mounted out front and in 95 degree heat, it will idle all day with the ac on full at 162. Stop and go traffic it sees 165, and on the highway it will creep up to about 175. Of course every car is different, but others have had excellent results using the f-body one also.
Are you saying the other radiators listed are not worth considering? I did the 160 stat, new pump, hoses, and R/C dual fans. I then did the f-body radiator swap and got FANTASTIC results. I have my tranny and oil cooler mounted out front and in 95 degree heat, it will idle all day with the ac on full at 162. Stop and go traffic it sees 165, and on the highway it will creep up to about 175. Of course every car is different, but others have had excellent results using the f-body one also.
You must've skipped over the part where the table lists the 3-row big-tube high-efficiency core as the highest ranked of the copper-brass units. That's the 5/8" tubes on 3/8" centers with louvered fins, 3 rows are 2-1/4" thick, GDI "VX" and RADAC "D" cores. If yours and Nick's aren't that, then they don't have the cooling capacity that it does.
Since I live in a place which is not Minnesota, I would prefer an aluminum radiator. (One would expect pretty much any kind of radiator to do an acceptable job in Mn.) Plastic tanks are fine with me, too. I just want to know if I could use the transmission cooler for an engine oil cooler. If it is just heavier, for the higher pressures of the transmission, that shouldn't be a problem. (There may some adapter fittings required, I know)
Ormand, the tubing size is much bigger in an oil cooler than a trans cooler, so you can't use a trans cooler as an engine oil cooler - too much back pressure. One other point is that the aluminum/plastic radiators are what, 10-20 lbs lighter than the copper/brass units? Many people make the informed decision to risk earlier failure to save that much weight right off the front end.
Minnesota..
Has Jesse Ventura. Too bad there aren't more like him, as opposed to the more common garden variety politicians, most especially common in New England. It is also much cooler than North Carolina, and thus less of a challenge for a cooling system. That said, my point is this. The plastic is acceptable. Not as strong as metal, sure, but strong enough. I'm not interested in saving ounces, just in getting a good radiator, without spending big bucks. I want to keep the oil cooler, because an oil cooler is a good thing, it makes the engine work better. And I prefer to go with aluminum, because of the superior heat transfer and physical properties. I don't believe that it would fail any sooner than a copper/brass unit. There may be someone somewhere who has had WONDERFUL results with a radiator made out of cheese. (Wisconsin?) But I would rather go with one which is successful for many, many people, because of sound design and fabrication, not just because it happens to be a good fit for an individual application. So I asked about the trans cooler in the "F" body radiators, which otherwise seem to provide more bang for the buck. Thanks, Carl, for the answer.
Has Jesse Ventura. Too bad there aren't more like him, as opposed to the more common garden variety politicians, most especially common in New England. It is also much cooler than North Carolina, and thus less of a challenge for a cooling system. That said, my point is this. The plastic is acceptable. Not as strong as metal, sure, but strong enough. I'm not interested in saving ounces, just in getting a good radiator, without spending big bucks. I want to keep the oil cooler, because an oil cooler is a good thing, it makes the engine work better. And I prefer to go with aluminum, because of the superior heat transfer and physical properties. I don't believe that it would fail any sooner than a copper/brass unit. There may be someone somewhere who has had WONDERFUL results with a radiator made out of cheese. (Wisconsin?) But I would rather go with one which is successful for many, many people, because of sound design and fabrication, not just because it happens to be a good fit for an individual application. So I asked about the trans cooler in the "F" body radiators, which otherwise seem to provide more bang for the buck. Thanks, Carl, for the answer.
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The Nick Micale unit is one of the best we've found, besides our 2-1.5" row aluminum Xtreme radiator, nothing can beat ArizonaGN's units...in copper/brass
(JUST AN OPINION THOUGH!!!!!!!)
The Nick Micale unit is one of the best we've found, besides our 2-1.5" row aluminum Xtreme radiator, nothing can beat ArizonaGN's units...in copper/brass
(JUST AN OPINION THOUGH!!!!!!!)
Opinion..
Thanks, Keith. I appreciate your opinion. However, the usual alloy for copper/brass radiators is cartridge brass. The heat transfer coefficient is about 70 btu/hr-ftsq-degF. The usual alloy for aluminum is maybe 1100, or 3003, with a heat transfer coefficient of about 120 to 130. The strengths are comparable, so for a given tube thickness, the aluminum has less thermal resistance. That's what's missing in 87GN's table, which is otherwise very good information. I don't doubt that you have had good results with copper/brass. After all, it was the standard of the industry in the 20th century. On the other hand, the trend in highper radiators is toward aluminum, now that we're in a new century. I'm not in the market right this minute, but this is one of those threads that needs to be kept for reference. (You know, the kind you can NEVER find when you finally need them)
Thanks, Keith. I appreciate your opinion. However, the usual alloy for copper/brass radiators is cartridge brass. The heat transfer coefficient is about 70 btu/hr-ftsq-degF. The usual alloy for aluminum is maybe 1100, or 3003, with a heat transfer coefficient of about 120 to 130. The strengths are comparable, so for a given tube thickness, the aluminum has less thermal resistance. That's what's missing in 87GN's table, which is otherwise very good information. I don't doubt that you have had good results with copper/brass. After all, it was the standard of the industry in the 20th century. On the other hand, the trend in highper radiators is toward aluminum, now that we're in a new century. I'm not in the market right this minute, but this is one of those threads that needs to be kept for reference. (You know, the kind you can NEVER find when you finally need them)
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