I figured I would ask this here since a lot of you guys do the S2k challenge which is sponsored by Megan Racing, my hope was that a couple of you had some experience with their products. My OEM radiator is starting to get stress fracturing in the normal spot below the fill cap, no leaking yet, but I am sure it is on its way out. I tossed some JB weld over it to maybe buy me a bit more time by adding a little support, but I am thinking it is a good idea to start shopping.

I am all about budget if you couldn't tell from my DIY patch (I am actually debating seeing how long it lasts, but do understand the potential consequences behind spewing coolant on track so any additional signs of failure and it is gone). That said I understand that sometimes you get what you pay for. I can get a mishimoto for $270 or a Megan for $170, they look identical and the one review I could find was positive. Does anyone have any experience with this product?

 

Couple have them that tack for the S2KC. Marc has one and I think Jeff does too. Im sure they will chime in.

 

Ive got one, have had it for a few years. Works fantastic. In the summer at Buttonwillow or ACS when its over 100 degrees, I used to have to run the heater 4-5 laps into a session, which is suffice to say, uncomfortable. After the radiator, car runs perfect regardless of how hot it is.

 

Fitment was good, welds seem nice?

 

It does fit, obviously. Marcs seemed to fit better than mine, but for the money i wont complain.

The unit itself seems nice, visually no different than a mishimoto or koyo.

 

Awesome, that is the route I will likely go, thanks for the feedback!!

The only issue I just discovered is that anything other than a OEM radiator boots me from STR, which is dumb. Trying to do HPDE and STR is becoming a PITA! I would like to get through this season and then maybe do a TT build, so maybe I can try to make this one last. I am not so nervous about the cooling issues as much as dropping coolant on the track and quite likely my rear wheel if it does fail.

I attached a picture of the area of concern. I coated it with JB weld and was going to finish it with a little black paint to avoid any question during tech and to make it easier to observe any cracks reforming. Remember it has not yet failed, there has been zero leaking and it has functioned flawlessly.

Is there need to be concerned? Would some say it is even irresponsible to not replace it? Thoughts?

 

I would replace it. Nothing like getting stuck somewhere with a car issue that could have been prevented, whether on track or down the street. FWIW I have a no name $100 aluminum radiator from ebay in my car that has seen ~70k miles and an HPDE at sebring in june, has performed flawlessly.

 

I am not so worried about getting stuck, as I am causing an on track issue. That said I am not replacing this one with another plastic POS, so I will either try to get by or ditch STR

 

I also use a cheap (175$) "Champion" radiator from ebay. Rob Robinette has a blog entry on his site about them. It has worked fine the past few years of tracking.

If you want to cover all your bases with track issues just run water instead of coolant. Everyone will thank you if you do have an issue and drop fluids on track...

 

Water + Water wetter. Water only is a recipe for bad water pumps. The pump seals need glycols to stay lubricated. Water wetter is usually enough. You could also do a 90/10 mix for the same effect.