Alloy radiators from China?

[Defendozer]

Hi folks,

Just wondering if anyone has had any experience of these alloy radiators off fleabay?

Aluminum Radiator FOR Land Rover Defender Discovery 300TDI 2 5TDI 90 110 TDI | eBay (http://m.ebay.com.au/itm/121336397061?cmd=VIDESC&gxo=true)

Does anyone know what the quality would be like against say an Allisport alloy rad?
I really prefer to support professional smaller businesses like Allisport etc with a guarantee of a top quality product but at under half the price is it worth being a cheapskate??

Cheers, Remo.

[THE BOOGER]

Hard to say from the pics I have used Allisport intercooler on a 300 tdi before no problems but as you say half the price of an Allisport. The welds look ok in the pics but they would have shown only the best :) The chinese have been putting out some good stuff recently but there is still a lot of shoddy stuff as well. Maybe worth a try at that price how bad can it be ;)

[Judo]

The "top" bung is in a different spot yeah? So, wouldn't it be under the cover plate thingy? Doesn't seem like a very good fit!

[Bigbjorn]

Have a look at Home - Speedway Motors, America's Oldest Speed Shop (http://www.SpeedwayMotors.com). Click on Street Catalog then Cooling. They have quality stuff at very good prices and their freight charges are very reasonable.

[Toxic_Avenger]

A radiator is only as good as its core.
End tank design can assist somewhat, but whether it's a 'good' or 'bad' radiator all comes down to the quality of the fins and tubes - where the engine heat exchanges with air.

How to test- if you are a tinkerer, get a cheap thermocouple with digital readout, or a decent multimeter with temp function, and measure heat dissipation across the core (or end tanks if you can). If you want to get real tech, do one test at idle and one at a set speed.
Graph results, compare radiators, and tell us how you go!
Surely others in need of some results would be happy to chip in for research costs ;-)

[redrovertdi]

As far as knocking Chinese product dont think that English stuff is always perfect, i had to threaten to post on land rover forums befor i got a good result after being lied to for months, did finally get a happy ending

[Toxic_Avenger]

As far as knocking Chinese product dont think that English stuff is always perfect, i had to threaten to post on land rover forums befor i got a good result after being lied to for months, did finally get a happy ending

Consumer law is a tricky thing across borders. Glad you got what you wanted in the end.

How did that one hold up, other than leaking like a seive?
Looking at it, those fins seem WAY too spaced out to be efficient?
Fin density is a double edge sword- too many and it's a airflow resistance issue, too few, and you physically don't have the surface area in the fins to effectively dissipate heat.

[Svengali0]

I recently opted for a locally made copper replacement for my 300 130. Rumour has it that the chinese ones on ebay are ok- very good in terms of weld quality- just fitment is slightly nightmarish. At the end of the day, if the fit is too tight, then things are going to rub through- which can lead to finding out the hard way...

[THE BOOGER]

Did a little research on that company they design in Melbourne and apparently own the factory in china so if QC is ok then they may be all ok

WorleyAutoParts (http://www.worleyautoparts.com.au/Home/About)

buying direct from them is a little cheaper than ebay for some of their radiators:)

[Defendozer]

Thanks for your replies everyone, you've given me some good points to consider.

Yes the quality of the core was my main concern, either because of leaks or poor cooling efficiency however like someone mentioned for that price it might be a worthwhile experiment, I would think that nearly anything (so long as it doesn't leak) would be better then the 19yo corroded stock radiator currently on the Landy!!

I'll look into it more over the next couple of weeks as I get the time and report back on what I decide.

Thanks again, Remo