madmanmarty

Which is the best type of radiator to use for replacement.
1) stock type-aluminum & plastic
2) 2 core all aluminum
3) 3 core all aluminum

9krpmrx8

Well the stock one works just fine. But really it depends on your intended use for your rig.

If you intend on bumping up the power a bunch then improving the cooling system with an upgraded radiator makes sense. But there is a lot that goes into a radiator to make it better. Just because it is aluminum does not make it better. And just because it has more cores doesn't necessarily make it better either, the type and construction of the core is what matters most.

What radiators are you looking at?

lpresnell

Are Champion 2 core radiators any good?

madmanmarty

The champion 2 core is what I'm looking at.
From what I read it appears to have all the right "stuff".

lpresnell

Got mine Friday. Appears to be a nice radiator, pricey though.

9krpmrx8

Champion look like run of the mill cheap Ebay crap to me. The stock radiator with the tow package is a 2 core and works well so if you want to upgrade get the HD OEM one. Most of the OEM replacement ones are 1 row from what I have seen. But again if you are looking at aluminum ones, there is a lot more engineering to it than simply the number of cores or shiny aluminum end tanks. You need to think about fans too, the stock fans were not designed for a thicker core so there will be some differences there.


Edit: It looks like many have had fitment issues to overcome with the aluminum Champion as well.

9krpmrx8

This is a pretty basic video if you want to understand a bit.


Also, this is some good discussion on what guys have experienced going back to stock spec radiators.

http://www.xjtalk.com/showthread.php?t=7847

In my experience (not with XJ's but with sports cars) people replace radiators when they have a problem and so many jump to these cheap aluminum radiators but for the most part, 99% of the cheap aluminum radiators are junk compared to the OEM radiators.

kgm

I replaced mine with a $100 NAPA radiator & an OEM thermostat and its running @ 195F constantly.

Fred/N0AZZ

I have ran racing radiators for 40 yrs. In Race Cars and still do. 99% of the time there is no need for anything other than a $100 stock type from AutoZone or any parts house I have 2 of those. They have a lifetime warranty at AutoZone in store.


If the entire cooling system is in good shape there is no need for any other and most all the eBay ones I see talked about developed leaks in a short time and had to be sent back only to happen again. Most times people are trying to cover up another issue by looking at a radiator or HV water pump NOT.


A "Racing Radiator" costs about $650 for the cheaper ones I have bought, bear that in mind when you see pricing a good one will cost twice that easy.

9krpmrx8

^ This. Like I said when most replace radiators it is because they already have a problem so of course they see an improvement because even a ****ty new radiator is better than a old corroded/clogged one.

studmuffin

I've had good experiences with $60 ebay ones with plastic tanks they get the job done just fine. All aluminum rads look nice and if you do run cooler I'm sure it's not much. You can do other mods for that. And if an aluminum rad cracks wich they will it costs as much as an oem to fix anyway.

kgm

Spend the extra money you'd waste on a fancy radiator and replace all the hoses, thermostat, water pump, and fan clutch

madmanmarty

Water pump was done by PO,just prior to me buying.
I'm replacing fan clutch,thermostat ,rad cap,rad hoses,serp belt,stat housing gasket,idler pulley,water pump tube,heater hoses (deleting heater valve),all clamps,and of course anti freeze with distilled water mix.
Am I forgetting anything?

freegdr

Hose out fins on ac condenser real good.

Photojared

No, I had a ****ty experience with them. I had 3 go bad on me within 3 months of installation.