who has one installed and are they worth it? do they really lower temps by 20-25 degrees? they are expensive as hell but im just curious if they are worth it or its all just smoke and mirrors... thanks

 

Well i havnt installed the be cool brand after market radiator and i cant really comment on there 20 degree drop claim but heres some info that might help. As far as the temperature is concerned it dosnt really matter what radiator you have if your thermostat dosnt open till 200 degrees and the fans dont kick on till 220 your temp will hang around 200. Where it makes a difference its its ability to cool. In the example above although the temp will hang around 200 with a factory radiator or the be cool radiator when the thermostat does open and the fans kick on the be cool radiator will cool the temps down much faster than a factory radiator. Another scnario is high performance motor generate more heat so the wilder you motor the harder it is for your cooling system to keep up especially on a hot summer day. The be cool radiator will be able to cool motors down where a factory radiator will be overwhelmed. Now in alot of cases the factory radiator will suffice with mild builds but since these cars tend to have some cooling issues anyways its a good idea to beef up the cooling system when you start making modifications. Now the final piece of advice i have is the construction of a be cool radiator vs a factory radiator. A factory radiator is made of copper tubeing and eather plastic or mettal tanks on eather end. A be cool radiator will be made from aluminum. As you probably know aluminum transferes heat much better than copper and where copper will "rust" and furter lost its ability to transfer heat and eventually leak a aluminum radiator will not be nearly as effected and will last longer under normal circumstances. The next thing is i cant speak for be cool as i havnt used one but usually there radiators are larger and thicker and also use a larger diameter tubeing further helping its ability to transfer heat. So as you can see an aftermarket aluminum radiator has alot of advantages. As to how much of a temperature drop you will see depends on your set up (you can make a factory system run cooler as is if thats what your going for). One final comment there are many other options if you want a aftermarket alumin radiator without the price. Many companies offer "universal" aluminum radiators at a fraction the cost. I use the largest one summit racing offers for $170 its twice the size of a factory radiator and twice as thick. I swear even if the car blew a hose and all the antifreeze leaked out that thing could still cool my motor off lol.

 

I have a be cool radiator, and love it. When I put my 383 in the stock radiator wasn't cutting it. I was lucky and got mine from a friend and the car cools well on one fan unless it's extremely hot. I must admit that my old rad. had alot of miles on it and I am sure the flow was down on it. But I am very happy w/mine....

 

I also have a BeCool radiator in my 84 T/A. I did notice a drop in temperature but it's key to note that your thermostat and fan must be operational or it won't do you any good. The main difference is that the BeCool units are aluminum and are thicker, but if you get the direct replacement for your year it really is a "plug and play". The only modification I had to do was figure out the new angle for the fan to bolt in strait (which they mention in the directions you will have to do). All in all, I love it.

 

My '91 factory radiator is a 1" aluminum core with plastic tanks, as are most third-gens. With a clean radiator, a 170 deg. thermostat, a good water pump, and a good fan and shroud, this stock (except for the thermostat) setup is good for at least 450 non-AC horsepower. I have this setup with my 120,000 mile original radiator and my engine runs at 175 deg with the single fan setup. Don't waste your money on an unnecessary radiator!

 

i can run my 305 for a few track passes before my fans even kick on with a new factory replacement modine..... if your engine is overheating on something other than a 400 SB or a big block with the factory setup you have a problem. as stated above save your bux and throw them at me instead lolz.

although i do prefer my 2 fan setup on my iroc as opposed to my rs....... personally i just don't enjoy wasting money on fancy things unless they are needed though so to each his own....