Which radiator to choose?
06-18-2018, 05:54 AM
#1
Which radiator to choose?
As I'm gradually improving my driving skills, I'm driving more of the lap at WOT which is in turn raising coolant temps. As background, it's a MY00 with stock drivetrain, Ohlins and upgraded brakes running 255 square tires. Oil is cooled with a SBG oil cooler. I live in Colorado so most tracks are at 5k elevation and above with corresponding thinner air. When I first started tracking the S2000 I watched coolant temps and they rarely went over 215. Lately I'm seeing 225 consistently and occasional peaks into the 230s. I do about 15 days a year so am thinking it might be a good idea to upgrade the radiator - I realize 230s isn't a problem by itself, but I'd rather make a small investment for overall longevity as well as not have to think about it anymore. FYI, I don't want to change fans unless the radiator by itself doesn't make a big enough difference.
From what I can tell searching here, the Mishimoto and Koyo Hyper V are the two to consider. Anecdotally I think the Koyo has less people complaining about it, so seems like it might be the better choice. It's probably a bit cheaper too, but that's really not a big issue.
So my questions are:
From what I can tell searching here, the Mishimoto and Koyo Hyper V are the two to consider. Anecdotally I think the Koyo has less people complaining about it, so seems like it might be the better choice. It's probably a bit cheaper too, but that's really not a big issue.
So my questions are:
- Are there any significant differences between the two?
- What about installation? Any mods needed due to the extra thickness? I don't think so, but it's not really clear from the pictures I've found.
- How much of a temperature drop should I expect?
- Anything else to consider?
06-18-2018, 07:25 AM
#2
NSTR in which is better, but I have been running the thinner/newer koyo for past 12 month, ~16 days of track driving in the South East. My last event, I ran hpde 2 and 3 for the weekend. I did 2x back to back (2x 40 min) sessions, but the temps were in high 60s. Water temp was at 190 on track on the front straightaway of Roebling Road.
The weird thing that did happen is that my oem thermostat got stuck open at the end of my first track day with the Koyo rad. Weird. The other thing about koyo is that they don’t recommend running only distilled water with water wetter, which I and other people on this forum does.
The weird thing that did happen is that my oem thermostat got stuck open at the end of my first track day with the Koyo rad. Weird. The other thing about koyo is that they don’t recommend running only distilled water with water wetter, which I and other people on this forum does.
06-18-2018, 09:06 AM
#3
As I'm gradually improving my driving skills, I'm driving more of the lap at WOT which is in turn raising coolant temps. As background, it's a MY00 with stock drivetrain, Ohlins and upgraded brakes running 255 square tires. Oil is cooled with a SBG oil cooler. I live in Colorado so most tracks are at 5k elevation and above with corresponding thinner air. When I first started tracking the S2000 I watched coolant temps and they rarely went over 215. Lately I'm seeing 225 consistently and occasional peaks into the 230s. I do about 15 days a year so am thinking it might be a good idea to upgrade the radiator - I realize 230s isn't a problem by itself, but I'd rather make a small investment for overall longevity as well as not have to think about it anymore. FYI, I don't want to change fans unless the radiator by itself doesn't make a big enough difference.
From what I can tell searching here, the Mishimoto and Koyo Hyper V are the two to consider. Anecdotally I think the Koyo has less people complaining about it, so seems like it might be the better choice. It's probably a bit cheaper too, but that's really not a big issue.
So my questions are:
From what I can tell searching here, the Mishimoto and Koyo Hyper V are the two to consider. Anecdotally I think the Koyo has less people complaining about it, so seems like it might be the better choice. It's probably a bit cheaper too, but that's really not a big issue.
So my questions are:
- Are there any significant differences between the two?
- What about installation? Any mods needed due to the extra thickness? I don't think so, but it's not really clear from the pictures I've found.
- How much of a temperature drop should I expect?
- Anything else to consider?
Project S2000 Part 5: Keeping it From Overheating
The hottest weather I've tracked in has been 102F and the coolant temp doesn't budge from 190F thermostat setting.
Project S2000: Part 19 - Ram Air!!! Plus Hot Air Testing!
06-18-2018, 04:23 PM
#4
Mr. Sideways x SBG High Performance Radiator - SakeBomb Garage LLC
I'm running one of the original runs that Ian did on his own before selling the design/rights to SakeBomb. It's an awesome radiator. I can pound on my car all day long in 100F summer weather no problem.
I'm running one of the original runs that Ian did on his own before selling the design/rights to SakeBomb. It's an awesome radiator. I can pound on my car all day long in 100F summer weather no problem.
06-18-2018, 04:27 PM
#5
Registered User
After this weekend at Road Atlanta in 95+ temps and 70% humidity, my original radiator owes me nothing and I finally need to look at an upgrade. I typically never see water temps above 195, maybe 200 if running nose to tail for extended laps, but was consistently over 210 and peaked at 218. I actually backed off during the race to keep temps from rising higher. The stock unit is pretty beat after 56k street miles and now closing in on 20k track miles. Will probably swap to a lower thermostat and look to upgrade the fans while I’m at it, so I’m open to suggestions.
06-19-2018, 05:09 AM
#7
I am running a Koyo, and while I have not had a single issue and it keeps my coolant temps in check, if I had to do it again I would have gone with a Mr.Sideways/SakeBomb radiator.
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06-19-2018, 05:12 AM
#8
The Mr. Sideways rad looks like a nice piece, but given it's more than two times the price of the Toyo, I wonder if it's worth it given I plan to leave the engine stock.
A few questions about it that are not clear from the SBG website:
A few questions about it that are not clear from the SBG website:
- What about the lower rad hose? It's moved to the other side so I'm assuming the stock hose cannot be used. Is that what their Samco hose at $175 is for?
- Can the stock fans still be used? For a stock motor I don't see any clearance issues with them and doubt their low profile fans would pull any more air vs. the OEMs.
06-19-2018, 05:12 AM
#9
After this weekend at Road Atlanta in 95+ temps and 70% humidity, my original radiator owes me nothing and I finally need to look at an upgrade. I typically never see water temps above 195, maybe 200 if running nose to tail for extended laps, but was consistently over 210 and peaked at 218. I actually backed off during the race to keep temps from rising higher. The stock unit is pretty beat after 56k street miles and now closing in on 20k track miles. Will probably swap to a lower thermostat and look to upgrade the fans while I’m at it, so I’m open to suggestions.
06-19-2018, 05:22 AM
#10
Note that Mishimoto has 2 radiators, one with a thicker core. The Koyo is the Hyper-V designed for clearance issue, that is, its 36mm. CSF has regular radiators and a thicker dual pass (like the Mr. Sideways) sold through Rockstar Garage. It is also described on this CSF page. CSF has a huge business with US-built radiators and charge coolers for a lot of high performance cars. However, they had a horribly poorly designed S2000 radiator with internal oil cooler sold exclusively by Jackson Racing that had to be recalled.
On paper, for a hot summer day on a track with 60+% WOT, the thicker Mishmoto or the double-pass Rockstar CSF or Sakebomb Mr. Sideways are probably the way to go.
On paper, for a hot summer day on a track with 60+% WOT, the thicker Mishmoto or the double-pass Rockstar CSF or Sakebomb Mr. Sideways are probably the way to go.