C3 Tech/Performance V8 Technical Info, Internal Engine, External Engine, Basic Tech and Maintenance for the C3 Corvette
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

Silla Radiators

Old 06-21-2006, 09:01 PM
  #1  
Kalway
Safety Car
Thread Starter
 
Kalway's Avatar
 
Member Since: Dec 2004
Location: San Diego CA
Posts: 4,071
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default Silla Radiators

Anyone know anything about em? They come with a lifetime warranty and a 4 row heavy duty one is only ~$180
Old 06-21-2006, 09:34 PM
  #2  
I'm Batman
Team Owner
Support Corvetteforum!
 
I'm Batman's Avatar
 
Member Since: Oct 2004
Location: Springfield MO
Posts: 23,831
Likes: 0
Received 6 Likes on 6 Posts
St. Jude Donor '07

Default

Why not just go aluminum for about the same price?
Old 06-21-2006, 09:50 PM
  #3  
Kalway
Safety Car
Thread Starter
 
Kalway's Avatar
 
Member Since: Dec 2004
Location: San Diego CA
Posts: 4,071
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

Find me a 4 row aluminum that will fit without issue for under $250, then.
Old 06-21-2006, 10:21 PM
  #4  
...Roger...
Race Director
 
...Roger...'s Avatar
 
Member Since: May 2006
Location: Dayton, Ohio
Posts: 16,528
Likes: 0
Received 37 Likes on 32 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by Kalway
Anyone know anything about em? They come with a lifetime warranty and a 4 row heavy duty one is only ~$180
What is the BTU rating?Does it compare to original?
Old 06-21-2006, 10:26 PM
  #5  
Kalway
Safety Car
Thread Starter
 
Kalway's Avatar
 
Member Since: Dec 2004
Location: San Diego CA
Posts: 4,071
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by dwncchs
What is the BTU rating?Does it compare to original?

Heh the original is 25 years old. I would think ANYTHING new would be able to beat the original.
Old 06-21-2006, 10:37 PM
  #6  
Meh
Team Owner
 
Meh's Avatar
 
Member Since: Apr 2006
Location: Monterey, CA
Posts: 29,335
Received 51 Likes on 28 Posts

Default

Will it fit? That's the big question.
Old 06-21-2006, 10:39 PM
  #7  
pef427
Burning Brakes
 
pef427's Avatar
 
Member Since: Dec 2004
Location: Nederland Texas
Posts: 1,020
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Default

Originally Posted by Kalway
Find me a 4 row aluminum that will fit without issue for under $250, then.
Summit, Jeg's, etc...my local speedshop for $179. I then took it to a local radiator shop along with mine for a pattern and the rad. shop ordered a couple of aluminum necks and for $35 walla! It fits perfectly. It is 2 rows of 1" aluminum tubes. Make sure you get the fully welded one. No epoxy.
Old 06-21-2006, 10:41 PM
  #8  
...Roger...
Race Director
 
...Roger...'s Avatar
 
Member Since: May 2006
Location: Dayton, Ohio
Posts: 16,528
Likes: 0
Received 37 Likes on 32 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by Kalway
Heh the original is 25 years old. I would think ANYTHING new would be able to beat the original.
If the original was 3400 BTU and the "new" one is 3200 BTU then your going to fight to keep it cool.
Old 06-21-2006, 11:10 PM
  #9  
Meh
Team Owner
 
Meh's Avatar
 
Member Since: Apr 2006
Location: Monterey, CA
Posts: 29,335
Received 51 Likes on 28 Posts

Default

Originally Posted by pef427
Summit, Jeg's, etc...my local speedshop for $179. I then took it to a local radiator shop along with mine for a pattern and the rad. shop ordered a couple of aluminum necks and for $35 walla! It fits perfectly. It is 2 rows of 1" aluminum tubes. Make sure you get the fully welded one. No epoxy.
Old 06-21-2006, 11:24 PM
  #10  
Glassbowtie77
Melting Slicks
 
Glassbowtie77's Avatar
 
Member Since: Jul 2004
Location: Long Island New York
Posts: 2,577
Received 2 Likes on 2 Posts

Default

I replaced mine with a Silla radiator, it fit perfectly and I have no cooling issues with it. I bought it off Ebay for $150. and free shipping.
Old 06-22-2006, 02:35 AM
  #11  
Kalway
Safety Car
Thread Starter
 
Kalway's Avatar
 
Member Since: Dec 2004
Location: San Diego CA
Posts: 4,071
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by pef427
Summit, Jeg's, etc...my local speedshop for $179. I then took it to a local radiator shop along with mine for a pattern and the rad. shop ordered a couple of aluminum necks and for $35 walla! It fits perfectly. It is 2 rows of 1" aluminum tubes. Make sure you get the fully welded one. No epoxy.
2 rows? The original is a 4 row, how can a 2 row aluminum radiator be more efficient than a 4 row copper/bronze?

Maybe a radiator expert can chime in here for me and explain why aluminum radiators cool better than copper/bronze ones. My experience with cooling is mainly with computers and the best cooling for CPUs is with copper. Copper has better heat transfer but takes a little more flow to keep it cool, while aluminum is quicker to cool off, but doesn't transfer heat as well. Silver is the fastest heat transferer but due to cost isn't really any benefit over copper.
Old 06-22-2006, 02:58 AM
  #12  
Meh
Team Owner
 
Meh's Avatar
 
Member Since: Apr 2006
Location: Monterey, CA
Posts: 29,335
Received 51 Likes on 28 Posts

Default

http://www.dewitts.com/pages/whyaluminum.asp

My copper/brass radiator did a good job cooling. When it sprung too many leaks to fix, I went with aluminum. It was very impressive how it would now just sit on 180 all day long no matter what.

Last edited by Meh; 06-22-2006 at 03:00 AM.
Old 06-22-2006, 04:45 AM
  #13  
Kalway
Safety Car
Thread Starter
 
Kalway's Avatar
 
Member Since: Dec 2004
Location: San Diego CA
Posts: 4,071
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by Me2
http://www.dewitts.com/pages/whyaluminum.asp

My copper/brass radiator did a good job cooling. When it sprung too many leaks to fix, I went with aluminum. It was very impressive how it would now just sit on 180 all day long no matter what.
Makes pretty good sense. Can't make the tubes on a copper/brass radiator as wide due to weight. So they just use a bunch of small ones.

On there it mentions visteon only makes aluminum radiators. A visteon radiator at kragen is only $244... However there are no specs listed.

Last edited by Kalway; 06-22-2006 at 05:06 AM.
Old 06-22-2006, 05:47 AM
  #14  
jerrylee
Pro
 
jerrylee's Avatar
 
Member Since: Jan 2006
Location: New York
Posts: 599
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by Kalway
2 rows? The original is a 4 row, how can a 2 row aluminum radiator be more efficient than a 4 row copper/bronze?

Maybe a radiator expert can chime in here for me and explain why aluminum radiators cool better than copper/bronze ones. My experience with cooling is mainly with computers and the best cooling for CPUs is with copper. Copper has better heat transfer but takes a little more flow to keep it cool, while aluminum is quicker to cool off, but doesn't transfer heat as well. Silver is the fastest heat transferer but due to cost isn't really any benefit over copper.
A 2 row radiator has bigger tubes in it's cores...I believe the c/b uses a tube which is 3/8"--so 4 x .375=1.5"...........and the alum. radiator uses tubes which are 1"--so 2x1"=2"......................Also I believe c/b has a fin height of 1/2" as apposed to 3/8" for aluminum giving u more levels in it's core.....plus look at the C6-ZO6..GMinstalled a single row alum. to cool this bad boy.........
Old 06-22-2006, 07:23 AM
  #15  
PhotoVette1
Safety Car
 
PhotoVette1's Avatar
 
Member Since: Mar 2005
Location: Raleigh NC
Posts: 3,503
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
Default

Be careful with the cheap Chinese copper/brass radiators. If you look in them through the radiator cap hole, you'll notice that the internal welds are so bad that the coolant channels are almost half-filled with solder.
Old 06-22-2006, 09:54 AM
  #16  
I'm Batman
Team Owner
Support Corvetteforum!
 
I'm Batman's Avatar
 
Member Since: Oct 2004
Location: Springfield MO
Posts: 23,831
Likes: 0
Received 6 Likes on 6 Posts
St. Jude Donor '07

Default

The Summit-brand aluminum radiator is made by Northern. Very nice piece of work, fully welded. Some speed shops might also have them - I got mine for a good price at a swap meet from a semi-local speed shop.
Old 06-22-2006, 10:12 AM
  #17  
flood
Race Director
 
flood's Avatar
 
Member Since: Dec 2000
Location: CO
Posts: 10,896
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes on 2 Posts

Default

if it fits perfectly as an above poster pointed out thats a pretty good deal.

The issue I always want to know is if its fits perfectly. YOu dont want to mess around with it for hours trying to get it to work. The cooling capacity is important too but if you aren't running anything with a ton of HP it won't be a huge deal.

Just as a side note, my alum cools much better than the original but its also WAAYYY lighter. The original copper brass are pretty heavy.

Get notified of new replies

To Silla Radiators

Old 06-22-2006, 11:13 AM
  #18  
Kalway
Safety Car
Thread Starter
 
Kalway's Avatar
 
Member Since: Dec 2004
Location: San Diego CA
Posts: 4,071
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Default

Quick note, I read some old forum posts about how some of the universal Aluminum radiators from like Northern fit without modification. Can anyone elaborate on this? If I can get a universal aluminum that will fit fine I'll take it.
Old 06-22-2006, 12:41 PM
  #19  
...Roger...
Race Director
 
...Roger...'s Avatar
 
Member Since: May 2006
Location: Dayton, Ohio
Posts: 16,528
Likes: 0
Received 37 Likes on 32 Posts
Default

Originally Posted by Tom DeWitt
My god, this is the second thead about one radiator. You've spent days researching all these different companies and have enough information to write a book on the subject. You're never going to spring for an aluminum radiator regardless of the price.
I'm sorry about the attitude, but it just amazes me how some Corvette owners can drop 5k into building engines and then become squeaky tight about cooling it down. There was a day when Corvette people wanted the best for there car, not the cheapest thing they could find.

Serious people buy parts, dreamers post threads
Old 06-22-2006, 01:07 PM
  #20  
flood
Race Director
 
flood's Avatar
 
Member Since: Dec 2000
Location: CO
Posts: 10,896
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes on 2 Posts

Default

Originally Posted by Tom DeWitt
Serious people buy parts, dreamers post threads
I posted a thread, then bought your radiator!

thanks for that btw. The temp needle never gets above the thermostat temp

Thread Tools
Search this Thread
Quick Reply: Silla Radiators



All times are GMT -4. The time now is 12:07 AM.