Is upgraded radiator worth it on street car?

ToofHurts

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I've been datalogging my car (basic FBO - minus DP) on a street etune. My ECT temps average 180-190'ish with street cruising and can reach 200-203 on max WOT runs. Granted this is in South Florida in the dead of summer with outside temps 92-95 degrees. Seems car reduces power when the ECT temps reach 200s (from what I've read). And those temps can easily be reached with some multiple WOT runs. Curious if an upgraded radiator is worth it for a street car with no track use (as of yet) and maybe even the acuity hoses (if already doing radiator)? I do have an EVS front grill for better airflow and HKS IC.

Thoughts?
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kefi

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Not really. In my experience ECTs don’t have an effect on ignition until well over 210F, which is just about impossible to reach without sustained WOT operation (ie on the track.. hopefully). 200F at WOT is perfectly normal and happens even on an upgraded radiator from what I’ve seen. The benefits pretty much only show themselves on the track. An upgraded radiator is primarily for preventing overheat, not for lowering overall operating temps, especially in the 170-200 range.

Another consideration is that a thicker radiator also ultimately means less cooling for the engine bay itself unless you’ve got the high speeds to offset it, so you’ll actually do worse on the street.

Conversely, an overly thick intercooler on the track can be potentially detrimental to a stock radiator for the same reason.

Long story short, intercooler for the street, radiator for the track.
 

Quip

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Track the car - yes
Daily driver - no
 


kefi

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Get a thermostat instead
Thermostats are snake oil and do literally nothing but cause CELs. It’s not going to cause your car to run cooler under load, only when there is no load, and these engines were designed with a certain amount of thermal expansion in mind.
 

ehCobra

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I won a CSF radiator in a raffle recently and plan to have it installed, even though my car is just for street.
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