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Old 02-17-2015, 09:11 PM   #21 (permalink)
redpoint5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stovie View Post
does anyone know how well a "cylindrical radiator would work?

so to summarize i'm talking about trying to run the area of a 1.5" pipe around 4-5 other pipes in order to increase the coolants over all time in the "radiator" from 24" to as high as 6-8' or more.
It would provide more cooling capacity, but I'm unsure how much. Stock radiators already have a heck of a lot of surface area, so I'd be doubtful that increasing the run length would improve cooling efficiency by much.

The #1 thing you can do to increase cooling efficiency is to seal the gap between the grill opening and the front of the radiator. There is usually a good 1" or more gap between grill opening and the cooling fins, so air is allowed to move around the radiator instead of through it.

I tend to think the gap exists on purpose. If the grill were to get completely blocked, perhaps due to snow, the fans would still be able to pull air through the radiator, albeit much less efficiently. If you seal the gap, the fans must draw air through the grill opening.

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