which radiator do you recommend

Damn its been awhile, well, at 155000 miles my radiator cracked, no worries, but what radiator do you guuys recommend, especially the guys with modded rivs?

I think there's some running the ZZP oversized radiator. It's probably a solid replacement, even though a stock one would probably work fine.

Oh cool, hopefuly they will chime in, if its a bolt in affair or minimsl mods im all for it

Get a Jegs aluminum one! I dont know the dimensions of the Riv radiator off hand, but just measure it and order the one thats closest in size. It probably cheaper that a parts store replacement radiator, and youll get an awesome Jegs sticker to put on your tool box!

stock radiator is mostly aluminum and an easy replacement. Plus you don't have to fart around with bracketry and junk. Just replace it the right way.

I did see an acdelco radiwtor on rock auto

And theeeen I see one for 163 plus free shipping, acdelco52472783!

Tough decision. Mods don't matter much for radiator choice. I've raced this car with stock radiator and engine stays more than cool enough with a 180º high-flow stat. What really matters is how much time you have, and how long you want to keep the car.

Even though the stock unit cools just fine, the plastic corners can crack and leak. This happens slowly over time. My original radiator started seeping somewhere between 150-200k miles. This went on for a long time, loosing almost no coolant, then changed it (new OEM radiator) at 236k after it cracked open pretty bad. Now at 266k miles, I can smell coolant sometimes, and I notice the new radiator has residue in the same plastic corner. I suspect it's leaking again, but I'm not concerned - yet. It uses zero coolant, just a very slight seep on some days.

Why would you use an OEM radiator? It's a piece of cake to install, for one. Just drop in, basically, and you're good for 50k miles or more. It's also very light weight. Some of the all-metal aftermarket ones are sure to last longer, but they are often different than stock size, may require some cutting, maybe extra mounting hardware. If you buy aftermarket, don't do it because you want better cooling - do it because you plan to drive the car forever.

...or the little Jegs alu schnoz peaking out from underneath the rad cover looks oh so cool & tasty! jmo but what do I know  

I bought a stock replacement china version from a local radiator shop for under $120 that fit perfect and has survived 2 Phoenix summers.

highwaywarrior wrote:

Damn its been awhile, well, at 155000 miles my radiator cracked, no worries, but what radiator do you guuys recommend, especially the guys with modded rivs?

I liked the Visteon replacement I got from RockAuto, it has extra cooling area.

Albertj

hey albertj thanks. direct bolt in?

Hey AA good point , i do plan on keeping this car for a very long time. i admit i was getting a bit bored with her BUT, i had a newfound interest all of a sudden... i bought a 1992 prelude as a bck up car and let me just say... it isnt a car i would drive on a long haul ( lowered, stiffened, but quick though)

highwaywarrior wrote:

hey albertj thanks. direct bolt in?

Yes, i bought it on rock auto.com, reused the old plastic mount thingy instead of the new one that came with the rad. Fit just fine. What they did was reduced the height of the fins a little, and put 5 or so more tubes in the rad.

Albertj