Koyo Copper radiator

[yellowcell]

I was thinking about buying one for my sr20det redtop. Well does anyone have one? and if so how does it work? I live in Texas so its pretty hot... i wonder if it would be worse in the Texas weather then a stock. And also why is the price soooo much lower?

[Onizuka]

I doubt its worse than stock, but I bet it isnt much better either. Copper radiators are way cheaper to assemble than aluminum ones, plus copper itself is a cheaper material to start with.

[spider_slayer]

its less efficent then the alum. ones....with the oversized alum. rad.....you won't be disapointed

[SpeedRacer1]

They are about twice as thick as stock radiators, which make them about a third as thick as Koyo aluminums. They stopped making the copper i thought. I got mine for free, cools fine for me.

[Fenvy]

are you sure you don't mean BRASS radiator?

[ETTInnov04]

no he means copper... you can still buy them at select places about $199

[Fenvy]

if tha'ts the case then the copper one is probab;ly just stock replacement

my koyo radiator is about the same 80 to 85c whether it's raining or 100F outside. If I can do it again I might look into a brass radiator or at least a radiator with predrilled hole for temp sensor

[912.0turbo]

its less efficent then the alum. ones....with the oversized alum. rad.....you won't be disapointed

Not true. I live here in San Antonio and a test was conducted here using the koyo copper, aluminum, stock radiator, and a different brand which was a dual pass radiator. The test was conducted using datalogging equipment and the KOYO Aluminum came out right next to stock. I have the KOYO aluminum w/ a 15 inch fan w/ built in shroud and am very happy with it. So i'll break it down this way according to the test.1. Dual pass radiator2. Koyo copper3. Koyo Aluminum (need a real good fan and works great)4. Stock^^This is my opinion^^The thread is somewhere on FA. The guy who conducted the test goes by BigBronzeRim. I'm sure he can provide the info you need.

[SpeedRacer1]

Heres the size comparison of a Koyo copper and stock radiator. Basically about twice as thick.

[2Fass240us]

Not true.

Very not true, in fact. Copper has a much higher thermal conductivity (401 vs. 237 for pure metals) than aluminum. This means that it transfers heat more effectively.

1. Dual pass radiator2. Koyo copper3. Koyo Aluminum (need a real good fan and works great)4. Stock^^This is my opinion^^The thread is somewhere on FA. The guy who conducted the test goes by BigBronzeRim. I'm sure he can provide the info you need.

I would tend to agree with your ranking. The dual-pass is the preferred option, but it's a lot more expensive than the other options. The plan for my roadrace car is to get a Koyo Copper until I can save up enough for the aforementioned dual-pass.

I thought it was done by "fsae_alum"...

[912.0turbo]

I thought it was done by "fsae_alum"...

It might be under that name it was about three guys who did it.

[240SXer]

Why is the copper so much cheaper if it's better? I'm just curious. If the copper is even close to as good as the aluminum i'll get one, since it's around $100 less..

[ETTInnov04]

So the Copper would cool better than the alum. one? Are there any pros on the alum. radiator o make it worth the extra money?

[Onizuka]

While copper/brass has better heat transfer properties by its self, the way the copper/brass radiators are assembled make them less efficient than aluminum ones. The solder used to connect the pipes with the fins acts as an insulator. They have assembly techniques that eliminated solder use, but you will pay for it. Aluminum radiators are significantly lighter than a similarly sized copper/brass unit.

Also, using an aluminum radiator with an aluminum block in conjunction with the right coolent (modern low-silicate) has to potential to never corrode, and theoretically last forever as long as its not contaminated.

If you want ulitmate cooling, a 2 core furnace brazed copper radiator will supply it to you with a stiff weight penalty along side the much higher price.

[2Fass240us]

It might be under that name it was about three guys who did it.

Yeah it was him, someone else, and Kevin from C&R.

Why is the copper so much cheaper if it's better? I'm just curious. If the copper is even close to as good as the aluminum i'll get one, since it's around $100 less..

Copper as a material is cheaper because it's moer adundant. See my comments below on material strength.

So the Copper would cool better than the alum. one? Are there any pros on the alum. radiator o make it worth the extra money?

Yes, aluminum is much stronger than copper/brass. It's less likely to break, corrode (as mentioned below), and generally it looks cooler!

While copper/brass has better heat transfer properties by its self, the way the copper/brass radiators are assembled make them less efficient than aluminum ones. The solder used to connect the pipes with the fins acts as an insulator. They have assembly techniques that eliminated solder use, but you will pay for it. Aluminum radiators are significantly lighter than a similarly sized copper/brass unit.

Also, using an aluminum radiator with an aluminum block in conjunction with the right coolent (modern low-silicate) has to potential to never corrode, and theoretically last forever as long as its not contaminated.

Aluminum is a far better material for radiators, mainly because of its strength and density properties. Copper itself does have better HT properties, but the manufacturing process negates some of these, as mentioned above. I was mainly trying to describe how a cheaper copper radiator can have similar cooling capacity to a comparable aluminum one.

The main reason I'm thinking about the Koyo copper is because of price, and that I plan to use another setup in 1-2 years once I start roadracing.

[RMiller]

I was thinking about buying one for my sr20det redtop. Well does anyone have one? and if so how does it work? I live in Texas so its pretty hot... i wonder if it would be worse in the Texas weather then a stock. And also why is the price soooo much lower?

Why don't you see if you have cooling problems before you upgrade? People overheat even using big radiators with big electric fans. Personally, I think the stock mechanical fan works better than electrics or maybe people just don't know how to set up the electrics, but they seem to cause more problems than they're worth. (people put pullers in push configuration, people use a switch to turn on and off and forget to turn it on, etc.)

[240SXer]

Anyone who knows what they're doing runs it from a good source like the battery and has a thermostatic switch that turns the fan on when the car is hot, switch or not. If it's on the engine bay side of the car it's a puller, if it's on the outside it's a pusher, it's not that hard. I'd really hope people don't mess that up.

[SpeedRacer1]

I just got an S14 fan since its a hi/low speed fan. Wired it up to a on off switch since I have no cooling problems anyway. Its a "just in case" device.

[Henry G]

Koyo Copper is good if your on a budget.

[hannibal]

Also, using an aluminum radiator with an aluminum block in conjunction with the right coolent (modern low-silicate) has to potential to never corrode, and theoretically last forever as long as its not contaminated.

I'm slow...I never knew why newer cars had '100,000mile' fluid change intervals.