What radiator to use?

What radiator to use?

Author
Discussion

vojx

Original Poster:

271 posts

244 months

Friday 7th March 2008
quotequote all
i'm posting, expecting others to know better than i.

i'm rebodying my Stratos replica, and want to move the radiator from up front to just in front of the rear wheels - but there's not much room. Would it be possible to use 2 motorbike radiators? My thinking - i have a Honda 2.7 V6, approx 200bhp. Two rads from a 100+ bhp motorbike should be able to cope with the heat.

But i'm worried a car's cooling system runs under different pressure / flow rate to a motorbike's, and i could end up either seriously overheating, or blowing the cores of the rads, or both.

(Ideally i'd get some bespoke rads made up, but i'm running on a very tight budget. )

fuoriserie

4,560 posts

271 months

Friday 7th March 2008
quotequote all
vojx said:
i'm posting, expecting others to know better than i.

i'm rebodying my Stratos replica, and want to move the radiator from up front to just in front of the rear wheels - but there's not much room. Would it be possible to use 2 motorbike radiators? My thinking - i have a Honda 2.7 V6, approx 200bhp. Two rads from a 100+ bhp motorbike should be able to cope with the heat.

But i'm worried a car's cooling system runs under different pressure / flow rate to a motorbike's, and i could end up either seriously overheating, or blowing the cores of the rads, or both.

(Ideally i'd get some bespoke rads made up, but i'm running on a very tight budget. )
Why do you want to move it ?

vojx

Original Poster:

271 posts

244 months

Friday 7th March 2008
quotequote all
well, the design i have for the front is a bit like the Yamaha OX99

i.e. dropping down from the windscreen to a low point, but then with a wing across the wheel arches (it also hides 4 spotlights, reminiscent of the Stratos rally cars, but just 4" diameter).

If i can't do it, it'll be back to plan B - and the hot water running through the tunnel between the seats makes the cabin rather hot in the summer.

Edited by vojx on Friday 7th March 17:13

LotusNova

512 posts

219 months

Friday 7th March 2008
quotequote all
What ducting are you planning to use? The rad size is only one part of the cooling efficiency equation. Air is lazy and will go round something as opposed to through it, if it has a choice. Are you using closed ducting that will force air through them?

Sorry if I'm teaching granny to suck apples, but I've seen more cooling systems fail due to bad airflow design, than due to ineffective rad area.

vojx

Original Poster:

271 posts

244 months

Monday 10th March 2008
quotequote all
LotusNova said:
Sorry if I'm teaching granny to suck apples, but I've seen more cooling systems fail due to bad airflow design, than due to ineffective rad area.
Without the use of a wind tunnel (a fag packet perhaps) i could see the airflow being inadequate to rear-mounted rads. At least at the front i know i'll have no problems, plus it wont look so strange (apart from the D-Day paint scheme).
Shame though, cos the rake and curvature of the 'screen really calls for a swoopy, curvy front.

How much could i angle the rad forward before the efficiency of air through the grooves was lost? 45º perhaps, provided the outer edges were well sealed. Isn't there a way, whereby you slow the air down as it approaches the rad, then speed it up out the back, to aid efficiency? tumbleweed


fuoriserie

4,560 posts

271 months

Monday 10th March 2008
quotequote all
vojx said:
LotusNova said:
Sorry if I'm teaching granny to suck apples, but I've seen more cooling systems fail due to bad airflow design, than due to ineffective rad area.
How much could i angle the rad forward before the efficiency of air through the grooves was lost? 45º perhaps, provided the outer edges were well sealed. Isn't there a way, whereby you slow the air down as it approaches the rad, then speed it up out the back, to aid efficiency? tumbleweed
Hi Laurance, you could try a similar setup, Pininfarina used on the Ferrari P4/5, while using the Enza chassis, they created a single radiator up front, instead of two separate like the ENZO.

Look at the image, its flat, or 180°.....



LotusNova

512 posts

219 months

Monday 10th March 2008
quotequote all
If you get the chance, look at an Elise rad (and the ducting into it) - that's virtually horizontal too.

vojx

Original Poster:

271 posts

244 months

Tuesday 11th March 2008
quotequote all
looks like i should keep it as is - expect i'll be glad i didn't mess it up big style

i'll do some digging on the Elise . . .