Radiator for a track mk2 car

Discussion in 'Track Prep & Tech' started by HidRo, Oct 27, 2017.

  1. HidRo Forum Member

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    Hi!

    So, I'm struggling with water temps at the track.
    Currently running the biggest stock radiator for a mk2 golf, which is from Nissins and it's 625mm long.
    I was thinking of getting an aluminum radiator. Would it be good? Not worth it?

    I have found some on eBay, 2 row ones. Would this do any good? Might these be any good?

    Race Aluminium Radiator VW MK 1 MK 2 Golf 8V GTI, 1.8 Carb & Scirocco 1.8 GLI
    http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Race-Alum...424842?hash=item236a21558a:g:4YsAAOSwoJZXRv2a

    Where should I look for?

    I would like any tips you can provide [:D]

    Outubro 2017 (3).jpg

    Cheers!
     
  2. Jon Olds Forum Junkie

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    I am also in the market for something similar for my (being rebuilt...) mk2 rally car, so
    would appreciate any feedback, good or bad.
    Jon
     
  3. copeidge

    copeidge Forum Member

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    What engine etc are you running?

    on track my standard 8v radiator/cowling and fan are perfect, never goes above 3/4.
    Just thinking if you are using a similar engine is everything working as it should?

    Correct thermostat? decent coolant? fan switch all good?

    Just a thought mate :)
     
  4. TonyB Paid Member Paid Member

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    Here are some pics of my rally car using the same radiator. The car is fairly modified, I couldn't see the need for a lot of the std parts at the front of the car, so deleted much of it and fabricated a mount direct on to the front cross member. I solid mounted the cross member stop it moving and add back the strength. Unfortunately the pics are just random ones I took, and not specifically for this subject, so not ideal.

    IMAG3000.jpg

    IMAG2967.jpg

    IMAG2957.jpg

    IMAG3044.jpg

    I've had a few cooling issues, that i've mostly sorted, but I think these are more to do with my changes to the cooling system, rather than the radiator (speaking to other people who have used this rad). It's running over 200bhp so has a bit more cooling than std to do, but should be ok. I've a few more changes to implement, that should sort it out properly, I'll try and report back when I've done them rather than give you half a story/answer.
     
  5. mr.brown

    mr.brown Paid Member Paid Member

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    I have the Direnza branded version of the eBay link in the first post - although I'm sure they're all made in the same Chinese factory. I bought it due to my TSR 2.1 always "running hot" with the standard mk1 8v injection rad. Purely subjectively, the temp gauge was always near the top after a run (road not track) and after fitting the rad it never went above 3/4.

    Negative would be the positioning of the "feet" - they didn't line up with any of the factory holes
     
  6. Toyotec

    Toyotec CGTI Committee - Happy helper at large Admin

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    Most of the rads on ebay etc, come from the same source.
     
  7. Jon Olds Forum Junkie

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    Was going to plough in on this with several thoughts, but.
    Now..., can you get enough airflow/cooling ability through a half a length rad?
    Jon
     
  8. sparrow Paid Member Paid Member

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    I use a Corrado VR6 rad on my turbo'd 16v, and it copes well
     
  9. Nige

    Nige Paid Member Paid Member

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    Ducting around the sides helps. Make the air go through the radiator rather than around it :thumbup:
     
  10. Dave

    Dave *Very Smart* Pedantic Old Fart Paid Member

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    The VWMS Mk2 works cars used a radiator from the Passat. It just about fills the front of the engine bay.
    It may not fit with your throttle body set-up?
    The standard Mk2 radiator support plate, that fits above the front cross member, already has extra holes for the wider support feet.
     
  11. TonyB Paid Member Paid Member

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    What I looked at was the Audi UR Quattro, that has a small (ish) side mount rad, little different to these ones, and they never seemed to have issues. What I'll probably do later on is get a thicker core 'proper' race rad made up, but keep the layout as that works quite nicely.
     
  12. HidRo Forum Member

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    Well, I forgot to add the details of the car, sorry for that.
    It's a mk2 with a 1.8t engine with a t3t4e outputing around 400hp.
    On trackdays, it can reach up to 110C, hammering it for some time (20m sessions).
    The radiator I have at the moment, it's a 625mm one, which takes pretty much all the front space.
    Also, idling, the car will get as high as 95C, which I find way too much. It takes a long time to come back down.
    T-stat is good (82-102), fan switch is good also, and the temps have been measured with a digital pyrometer.

    I'm not sure that small kind (although deeper) of radiator will work good enough for my car?

    Available for any inputs, tips, ideas, different kinds of radiators, etc.

    Ducting, I'll need to find out how to secure everything to the radiator or surroundings to make the air go through it.

    thanks so far!

    EDIT: BTW, the radiator I linked in the first post is actually the same as the mk2's one. not the small one like posted by TonyB.
    @TonyB, where can I find such radiator, and what is the price of it?
     
  13. TonyB Paid Member Paid Member

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    I just found mine on eBay, plenty on there, about 40.00 as I recall.

    Every so often the sell a few off on auction instead of buy it now, that's when you get the best rates. Normally around 100.00/120.00 or so I think. Honda Civic, they seem to sell under a few different names, Hot tuning rings a bell?
     
  14. Jon Olds Forum Junkie

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  15. HidRo Forum Member

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    But will that be good enough for my specs? I don't want to try another radiator (I bought the mk2 625mm to test if that would be the resolution for my issue.)
     
  16. Toyotec

    Toyotec CGTI Committee - Happy helper at large Admin

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    In the end, did you have some measure of success?
     
  17. HidRo Forum Member

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    Well, haven't really gotten around it yet.
    We are going to install an Oil Cooler first, and then go to the radiator. The oil temps seem to be wrong somehow, as in the Golf mk3 MFA with mk3 oil sensor, on track the temps never go over 90c. If the water is 100c, oil should be higher... (this is with the stock water/oil cooler).

    Not sure I should go to an aluminum radiator like this:
    Race Aluminium Radiator VW MK 1 MK 2 Golf 8V GTI, 1.8 Carb & Scirocco 1.8 GLI | eBay
    http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Race-Alum...424842?hash=item236a21558a:g:4YsAAOSwoJZXRv2a

    Maybe it helps a bit as well?
    Also, in this thread: http://clubgti.com/showthread.php?2...-real-reason&p=2464201&viewfull=1#post2464201 your asked for the boosted part of the ignition.
    Did you spot anything out of spec?

    Thanks!
    Gonalo
     
  18. HidRo Forum Member

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    So, still to be identified fully, but it seems that miraculously it was resolved.
    The only thing we changes was a pipe that should go to the heater core and then back, that we deleted in the past. But it might have been some issue there, not allowing the flow to move freely. Now, with a better pipe, the car will idle up to 94, fans kick in, and drops to 90. So it's perfect.
    Will have to test this some more, but I had not time to add the oil cooler...
    So let's see how it behaves.

    I just hope it does not rain next Sunday. :p If it does, there will be a lot of dancing [:D]
     
  19. TonyB Paid Member Paid Member

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    Interestingly I've just added the heater piping circuit back in, partly so I can have a heater as it is a rally car, and partly to fix the dodgy cooling.

    When you look at the operation of the cooling system, if you remove the thermostat then the system doesn't work properly as the thermostat top closes off the head quick warm up bypass when it opens. As it wasn't performing properly I originally removed the thermostat as a quick fix, which helped but didn't keep the cooling constant, and it still got too hot when really pushed. I think the quick warm up circuit was limiting the cooling at the limit.

    So I've re plumbed it essentially back to std (using an 8v metal pipe) and added an earlier opening thermostat so it warms up quickly, as I'm using it for hill climbs and sprints at present.

    Hopefully this will sort it out.
     
    gasco likes this.
  20. gasco

    gasco Paid Member Paid Member

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    Would be interested in the results of this. Thinking in the future of a crossflow 8v for my mk1 track car without spending a small fortune on a custom rad.
     

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