So I was bored one day and thought to myself, would it be possible to replace the stock radiator with an aftermarket one like a Mishimoto or something and still be able to add other bolt-ons like intercooler or oil cooler etc. Anyone here know of or having any experience in this area? Any knowledge is welcome as long as it's informative. If anyone knows of ones that fit please give name and dimensions.

 

Do a quick search thru the FS files. There was one for sale, in the box, just a day or two ago.

 

http://www.mishimoto.com/mishimoto-a...uctdescription

This for example, for this specific radiator, i'm wondering will it fit a n18 MINI without trimming anything?

 

Hi,

I had PWR fabricate me a bigger core radiator. It is basically the same frontal area and fittings as the stock, but thicker. Also, the core quality is much better than stock.

PWR is one of the worlds leading radiator / intercooler / oil cooler manufacturers. They make cores for F1 teams, world rally championship, nascar etc, so the quality of the product is excellent.

The only thing is this will only fit with the AC condensor removed, so really is only suitable for a dedicated racecar. However, they do have the measurements on file, including side tanks and hose positions etc. I have it fitted to my car with a bigger intercooler (evolve) and a small custom oil cooler.

I have the fabrication drawings etc. If anyone is interested contact PWR, they have it under file under "mini challenge 32mm radiator (no AC)"

By the way, anyone doing serious racing in the R56 will run into coolant problems if they are running a larger intercooler. That is why I had the radiator made

 

I'm surprised not many people are saying anything, did I scare ya'll away?

 

Upgrading a radiator isn't really on people's priority mod list as its very likely only a few cars are tracked.

I was casually looking around the other day and saw that CSF makes a radiator for our cars. It did not mention having to delete AC

 

The OEM one in my MINI lasted more than 200K with regular flushes and was only changed out due to the old one being removed for another repair. Mishimoto made one for my R53, but if not mistaken at least for my model, some trimming was required for the front wall, and probably not much of a "bang for the buck" mod.

If you are looking for lower running coolant temps, I have used this product before. Temps were reduced by at least 5* .


http://www.europaparts.com/red-line-...ter-355ml.html

 

Yep.... used that on all my sport bikes. Going to have the system flushed soon and will add this.

 

A lot of tracks don't like when you use that.

 

2 serious questions, not being a smart ***:
1) Why?
2) How do they know?

I use it in all my vehicles, but I've never been to a formal race track.

 

1. It is very slippery when spilled (all anti-freeze) .... since few race cars are going to have freezing issues, they typically run plain old H2O which is actually all the 'coolant' you need ... it is very effective.


2. "real tracks" do safety inspections b4 the car is allowed on the track . . .


I tried it in my 79 and can't say I noticed any difference. But I also run only 20% a/f . . .

 

Some food for thought about your temp. Remember the temp in out cars are controlled but the computer. I've attached a thread from an Aprilia forum I frequent. I understand motorcycles are different the our cars but our aluminum in our motors are similar. Also remember the coolant on bike typically get changed much more frequently then in a car. Straight water is fine for a race car due to the limited mileage and time in the motor. Most race cars get serviced much more regularly then the average street car.

The guy posting under the name Amauri is a former Aprilia race team mechanic and probably the most knowledgeable person in the US about Aprilia's. Just to give a little background on the guy. He's not another keyboard tech.

http://www.apriliaforum.com/forums/s...t=water+wetter

 

Time to revive an old thread...

I track my MINI and water temps get up there and worse the oil temps go up also. I am thinking if I keep the water temps down, the oil temps will stay down. I know, get an oil cooler, but I am not thrilled with the aftermarket ones that are out there. Besides, keeping the engine cooler will help with other things.

So,does anyone know if there is a bigger radiator for the N18s? I looked up PWR and they only list non-S... Have not tried contacting them. It seems that a one-off radiator will be really expensive.

All of the aftermarket ones I can find are for the R53s; non for the R56.

 

What do you consider "up there"? As is well known, in sport mode the max coolant temp comes down to 180. I haven't datalogged it at the track but I don't recall seeing high coolant temps from any of my track days. I'll check in a few weeks at Laguna Seca

If you're looking for lower than 180 - perhaps that can be tweaked with a tune?

 

I wish the sports button did that for my car. Don't know why it is different for you. My MINI (2012 same as yours) runs at 216 all the time on the road, sports button or not. But on the track it hits about 235 F maybe higher (been a while since I have last checked). It is the oil temp that I have a real concern with. On the track it will run about 250 F and sometimes higher. My thought is if I can keep the water temp down the oil temp will stay down as it is water cooled.

 

Yeah I saw you also have a 2012 so I figured it was the same. What is your production date? Mine is April 2012, I did some searches and found posts that say it is a 2013+ feature, maybe it was a mid model-year change. The other thing to try is turning on the AC. It looks like Manic can set it to be 175-180 all the time , so maybe it's an excuse to get tuned. Probably easier and cheaper than a bigger radiator plus you get the power, what's not to like?

Obviously since the engine temp is controlled by the ECU, a bigger radiator might help you stay closer to 215 but won't get you any lower.

 

Anyone know the stock dimension for automatic gearbox radiator N18 engine? I have came across one of the aluminum radiator for AT they come with 3 different thickness 26, 32, 40mm.

 

Mine is actually a very early 2012 with a 2011 delivery, so no mid-model change.

I have thought about a MANIC tune but the lower temp seems to only come with the lower level tunes. But they seem to be willing to work with people so it might be worth a try. You're right, though, the tune would be cheaper and more fun...

I anticipated that I would not go below 215 with a bigger rad, but that would likely be good enough for what I want and need.

I was wondering about the funky water pump drive arrangement these engines have and whether that might be slipping. My belt is relatively new (only about 10K miles). Maybe I should look at the water pump drive wheel. However, this is likely a long shot as it seems as though it has always been this way, except the oil temps are running a bit higher.

Say, I would be interested in hearing about any data you get. What app are you using to get it?

Thanks for chiming in.

 

Where did you find that? Is that the engine radiator that also does the AT or is it a separate one for the AT alone?
26 mm seems pretty thin (about 1", next is about 1.25" and 1.6) I wonder if the fat one would fit my car?

 

I have a Marshall temp gauge so I see water temps all the time, and use an OBD2-BT adapter with Torque for quick checks, and RaceChrono at the track to datalog.

 

Sorry for the confusion, what I find is engine radiator for AT.
Core size: 390x328x26mm
Core size overall size: 682x350x36mm
Pipe diameter inlet/outlet: 26, 32, 40mm

 

Thanks, both of you.

I have a ScanGage mounted to read water and oil temps, boost and volts. For the track, Harry's lap timer for data logging but engine parameters are limited.

As for the Radiator...I wonder if the AT rad core size is larger than mine? Hmmmm, I wonder what would happen if I were to run engine oil through the tranny connections on the radiator...Just thinkin' here...

 

Just placed an order for a R56 radiator; the core will be 1 3/4" thick.
I looked around and could not find anything.
$570 shipped to me.
They say it can cool effectively up to 400 hp.

 

Don't mind sharing the link, where to get this thanks.

 

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