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Aluminum Radiator v.s. Stock.

F

fdsa487

NAXJA Forum User
Location
El Cajon, a.k.a. The Box
Im going to be moving to the desert next year and have a long commute to work. Im going to be running the a/c all the time. I want to upgrade the cooling system because just out here in CA I have had it heat up to where I felt uncomfortable driving it. Plus wheeling slow in the desert demands a good cooling system.

So here is the radiator im looking at

The radiator has an aluminum core with 1-3/8" tubes, replacing the original copper and brass tubes that are much smaller.
from http://www.alumrad.com/dblpass.html
 
langer1 said:
Brass is better, aluminum ones are cheaper though. Both cool the same but brass last longer.
Click to expand...

Do you have a reccomendation on a good brass one that is a direct bolt in? I have not purchased one, but im in the market right now. I would like to have one that lasts longer though.
 
i had a two row copper/brass radiator for about 3 days before the core started leaking everywhere. i replaced it with a crappy aluminum one with plastic tanks we had on the shelf and it actually cools better than the copper/brass unit i spent almost 80 more dollars on.
 
I would go with Modine 2 row.
The 2 row works best because the rows and tubes are larger than a three row.
The brass ones also have brass side tanks where the aluminum ones are plastic.
 
well i have used alum rads in a race car and they do cool way better.

i buy the ones that have alum tanks and offset three row.

thay are awlsome.
 
The thermal conductivity of Aluminum is nearly twice that of Brass (205 versus 109 W/m*K) so I would think Aluminum should cool better than brass. Copper is 385 W/m*K. Number, thickness and density of tubes and fins will make huge difference. I dunno, does aluminum let you run thinner tubes and more fins? Personally, I'd avoid aluminum if it means getting plastic tanks.
 
I have had one of their aluminum radiators in my XJ for 2 years and it definitely cools better than a brass core, IMHO.

The Alumrad radiator is from "Visteon" and although his service is great you may be able to find a distributor closer to you.

Mike
 
lawsoncl said:
The thermal conductivity of Aluminum is nearly twice that of Brass (205 versus 109 W/m*K) so I would think Aluminum should cool better than brass. Copper is 385 W/m*K. Number, thickness and density of tubes and fins will make huge difference. I dunno, does aluminum let you run thinner tubes and more fins? Personally, I'd avoid aluminum if it means getting plastic tanks.
Click to expand...

It has plastic tanks with an aluminum core.
Why is plastic so horrible? Breakage?
 
fdsa487 said:
It has plastic tanks with an aluminum core.
Why is plastic so horrible? Breakage?
Click to expand...

They have a bad tendency to leak where the tanks join the core. The seams just have a rubber gasket or they are glued on. If you torque or tweak the radiator the seams can open a bit and start leaking. A lot of oem radiators have plastic tanks and everytime I've heard of a stock Jeep radiator leaking it's been between the plastic tank and core. All metal means the tanks have been brazed or soldered on and are such stronger.

Plastic tanks are cheaper to make.
 
lawsoncl said:
They have a bad tendency to leak where the tanks join the core. The seams just have a rubber gasket or they are glued on. If you torque or tweak the radiator the seams can open a bit and start leaking. A lot of oem radiators have plastic tanks and everytime I've heard of a stock Jeep radiator leaking it's been between the plastic tank and core. All metal means the tanks have been brazed or soldered on and are such stronger.

Plastic tanks are cheaper to make.
Click to expand...

That makes sense. Im over the plastic tanks now.
Can someone post of a link to somewhere that sells bolt in radiators for Cherokees they are better than my stock? Please.
 
I've been happy with http://www.radiatorbarn.com/. I bought a 2-row all metal radiator last year for $110. I think it was CSF brand. They sell a 3-row for $145. I would avoid radiators.com as I've heard a number of complaints and they screwed me on one radiator (they promise all-metal and I got plastic tanks which leaked two months later).
 
I too replaced my leaking OEM with CFS two row metal. I also replaced the water pump, thermostat, hoses, fan clutch, and serp. belt at the same time. It seem to run a little cooler, but I've never had overheating problems anyway. From what I've heard, a stock system, well maintained system is fine in the desert.
 
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