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Half rad vs full size rad


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Yes the full size would offer better cooling but its not all about cooling.



Coolant must be held at the optimum operating temp this is done by the thermostat opening and then the water being allowed to flow to the rad to be cooled to come back and do the same again.



So theoretically if you have too large a rad then you would actually cool the water too much and cause the thermostat to open and close allowing the operating temp to drop which is bad.



There is a point reached where no matter how expensive well designed thick or wide a rad is it can only so efficient.



My point being that half rads do the job as well as a full rad. Aslong as your coolant is not overheating then thats all that matters.



Also they are half the size so it makes sense. I think even if the car is used on track rather than go back to a full size rad people tend to just fit a lower temp thermostat.


Edited by StuDoc 72
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With some turbo setups its not possible to run a full size rad due to clearance issues, so if youre looking to go for a bigger turbo upgrade then buying a half size rad now makes sense :)



Also the thickness of the half size rad matters, i ran a triple core to try to keep the temps down, i had no heater matrix so temps would have been slightly higher.


Also withe the half size rads youre better off using the proper mounting kit from J.D performance on this site :)

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Up to you really and what youre gonna use the car for, i went for the triple at the time because it was only about 15 quid dearer at the time. From that cunt at cj performance :/

well i only use it on the road but usually on the weekends im boosting a lot of the time, only running .8 bar on a ct9

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