I went with CBRD because of multiple stories like the one posted by the OP. Cooling is one of those things im not willing to gamble on. The $200-$300 difference is a small price to pay when it comes to peace of mind on a topic like engine temps.

 

cbrd makes the best radiator !!!!

 

well mines never even gotten hot, 100+ ambient temps here in cali, and even drivin out to indio a few times where its over 110 on some days, never once over heated or wanted to get hot. But hey its ur car buy what you want. Mishimoto has worked good for my setup.

 

Had one in my 350Z and it started to leak within a year. Had problems getting warranty. Will never buy another rad from them.

 

https://www.evolutionm.net/features/article.php?id=108
According to this, it does 7-10 degrees better than stock.

 

i ran one for a few months with no problems whatsover only changed cuz i needed a smaller core radiator no complaints here

 

I just got a mishimoto back in April and haven't had a single problem with yet and hope now that I read your story I hope it stays that way

 

Yeah I had a mishimoto also and haven't had any problems. I found it actually cheaper than my OEM so just went that route instead. No problems and worked well.

 

Anybody else have issues with the mishimoto cap that comes with the radiator leaking prematurley? I have a faint smell of coolant in my engine bay. After inspecting my coolant system all i could find is a few spots of coolant residue close to the cap. And yes the last time I changed coolant I cleaned that area well.

 

Ive had my mishimoto for 6 months now and it works great,i kept the stock rad. cap on though and plumbers taped all threaded areas pre-assembly. perhaps there is to much coolant in your system and a bleed is in order

 

I worked with a well known Formula D drift team that was sponsored by Mishimoto and blew a fully built STi motor because the damn cap and neck popped off. The anger I saw from that team was pretty crazy.

QC is nowhere near that of a Koyo or CBRD. So instead of .5% error, you're looking at 10% chance of of a mishimoto radiator failing. Cheaper materials and questionable welding is more than enough to keep me away from using them on my performance oriented IX.

 

I live in South MS and had mine for about 2 years with zero problems. Def keeps everything cooler than the stock radiator did.

 

Have had a Mishimoto radiator installed for 3 years now. It's seen hard Ohio winters and hot San Diego summers and 5 cross country drives. Never had a problem using it with the provided radiator cap.

 

i think its a hit or miss. I had it on my wrx and the rad cap was leaking. Had it replaced and did the same thing.

I probably wont buy it again, but thats just me.

Will go with CBRD for next purchase.

 

No problem with my mishimoto radiator. My stock radiator failed at 65K miles (the top plastic end tank leaked from the seam).