http://lancershop.com/customer/produ...?productid=584

Lancer shop says:

"TECH TIP: This cap should not be used on the stock radiator! This cap should only be used with aftermarket radiators."

I can't seem to find any documentation as to why a 1.5bar cap is bad for the stock radiator? I'm assuming it has something to do with the plastic end tanks cracking at the seals due to the higher than stock pressure. But who has experienced this...really? Come on now, if 1.1 to 1.3 can be done, I don't see why a 0.2 bar increase on top of that would cause any issues.

 

If you upgrade to a higher pressure cap, you raise the boiling point of your coolant. People who buy 1.5bar caps for their stock system rated at 1.1 are wasting money; this setup can also damage your engine if you push it hard enough.

What happens is the coolant in your system will be allowed to reach higher than stock temps under load because of the higher pressure cap. Unless you have a race-ready radiator with all the accessories meant to handle high temps stick with the pressure rating your system was designed for.

Only track cars or those in Nevada with big HP will see benefit from upgraded radiators with 1.5 bar caps.

 

Thanks for the info! I guess throwing some water wetter into the mix can help alleviate the problems you mentioned as well. The technical jargon is fine and dandy, but does anybody know of any cases where using a 1.5 bar radiator cap has led to engine failure?

 

Maybe not engine failure directly, but indirectly due to leaks caused by cracks from pressure under load.. the 1.5 bar was designed for aftermarket radiators.. that is a fact. I dont know of anyone who could guarantee that your rad. would hold under pressure and temp without a specific pressure test, even then you would stress the stock rad. past its OEM capabilities.. but hey, its your ride.. good luck

 

My blitz water temp gauge ought to keep things in check. Might as well let it do what it was designed to do besides sit there and look pretty. I'm still wondering where places like evomoto, lancershop, and evo9parts received that "tech tip" from.

 

its something any reputable mechanic or parts manufacturer can tell you. So probably from those that designed it

 

i wouldnt do it. just save money and buy redline water wetter, great mod for the money

 

This is a 22 psi cap. Normal cooling system pressure testing is done at 20 psi. So, engine failure - I don't think so. But hoses will eventually fail at normal pressure. The same goes for the radiator or the heater. With more pressure it is going to happen sooner.

 

+2 Even the Koyo aluminum radiator I have only comes with 1.3 bar radiator cap.

 

except that water wetter has been known to eat through aluminum parts

i found a product that works better and is aluminum safe

 

which product???

 

http://www.pro-blend.com/coolsys.htm

its the one in the middle. the one on the left is for "street" use. i havent used any in the evo yet as they havent been necessary. but we learned real quick in the race car whose engine i built that it worked much better than the water wetter IMO.

aluminum radiators are junk after about 2 seasons of running water wetter in them, we didnt see any ill effects from this stuff.

they happen to be a local company to me as well. i used to know a guy that worked there, thats how i found out about it. i dont have any contacts there anymore though.

 

Really? Do you have proof of this?

 

so would a 1.3 bar cap be ok with the oem radiator?

 

1.3bar is still higher than spec, but supposedly not over the safety factor that would cause any form of failure over the lifetime of the engine part. Our radiator can't suck that bad.