I have my 06 RS apart and I am going to put an aftermarket radiator in it.
It is an 06 RS with a DB 2.3 motor and FP green turbo. I will be doing track days and maybe some road race events in the future.
I have seen these 1/2 size radiators, are they better cooling than OEM? Will they be ok for some road racing?
I am looking for the best performing radiator. Price doesn't matter, I will buy the best one. My preference is towards the DB if it can handle what I will be putting it through.

So far I have looked at
1- DB half size
2- Agency power full size
3- CBRD 1" racing radiator
4- Koyo half size
5- Koyo full size
6- Yonaka full size

I don't want a Mishimoto.

Any suggestions?

 

CBRD 1" racing radiator best investment ever clears the turbo and keep temps low

 

EDIT: See post number 4, below.

 

Thin core. Great cooling capacity and race proven construction. Straight hose.

 

Does the CBRD have mounting bungs for the fan?
I read a review and the guy said for the price he thought the fan mounting wasn't up to par.

Edit---I see that you have to make your own mounts....

Does the 1" cool as well or better than the 1.5" OEM replacement?

 

The slim fan comes with the 1" radiator and mounts like all slim fans do with cable fasteners. And cools much better then stock. Caution tho rad does get very hot to the touch.

 

cbrd for sure. if u get the fan kit with it there are plastic ziptie like mounts. i finaly got a water temp guage so i can see how it does this summer. i realy like the straight top hose as well. fit and finish are superb.

 

Just curious why everyone is so stoked with a "straight top hose" The reason Radiator hoses are designed with at least one bend in them is so that they can compress as the engine moves. No matter how flexible the medium, a cylinder shape (straight hose) will transfer movement straight down it's length.

(think of Mr Wizard standing a Huge book on a rolled up sheet of paper, if any of you are old enough to know Mr Wizard)

I would think a straight hose would be a detriment as it transfers engine movement and vibration directly to the radiator.

 

LOL....I remember that guy!

Anyone have any input about that? The analogy makes sense.

I think most people like it because of the ease of install and better placement. Plus in case of a failure I think it would be easier to find a replacement or something to rig up.

 

are you serious? a flimsy rubber hose transfers movement. i see your point though, id much rather have the hose run as close to the hot exhaust manifold as possible. sarcasm rich post

 

I've been running the CBRD standard width radiator for quite some time on my built 2.0 and HTA3586 kit. Lately I've been running 35psi on the street with a great tune from Jason and Matt at Spec-Ops Motorsports. I've never had one issue with over heating or even a hint of the temp rising past the half way mark on the gauge. For what it's worth, the radiator I purchased has the mounting provisions for the OEM radiator fan. I never used that setup but put the slim fan on it and have been running it for years.

Josh


edit: the thermostat housing is not perfectly in line with the upper radiator hose, this imparts a slight bend which prevents the upper hose from being perfectly straight. There is virtually no transfer of energy from the motor to the radiator through the hose.

 

First of all, it was not a criticism, but a question.

also, it doesn't look like the CRBD hose is rubber. Looks like a wrapped Neoprene or Silicone... but that's besides the point.

a single flimsy piece of paper can transmit over 30 lbs of force. There is a reason that OEMs put bends in hoses...

I said nothing about heat... but for what it's worth, I have 130K on my factory new OEM hose that runs close to the exhaust manifold.

I would like to see how that hose reacts when under load... does anyone have dyno videos of the Engine with the CRBD radiator?

 

Ahh, nevermind... found one myself. and it turns out that it is not a totally straight upper hose...

It's far "straighter" than stock. however

There are two slight bends in the hose. so this accounts for the compression and tensile loads. Under load and decel the hose straightens out and bends as not to transmit force to the radiator.

Here's CRBD's picture, with a line next to it showing totally straight.

 

the only reason ppl like the straight hose is to get away from the manifold as much as possible. as for the engine movement directing force to the radiator it is easily fixed by using the slight U-shape hose that still manitains a direct A to B path. The CBRD piece is top notch.

 

the fan mounting is the same as what comes with most t3 turbo kits with a slim fan
http://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS+Performan...53500/10002/-1

also i believe the the cbrd slim rad also holds more coolant than the stock rad.