The radiator was also tested at Buttonwillow Raceway during days with ambient temps as high as 98 degrees. With the stock radiator, and ambient temps in the mid-80s, water temps in the 240 range were seen. With the CSF radiator temperatures did not go higher than 238 even though the ambient temps were over 10 degrees higher and the car’s heater didn’t have tube run at full blast to keep the car out of limp mode. If we wanted water temps to drop below 220 we simply had to back off for three corners. On the cool-down lap temps for water would drop to 200-190 and the oil temp would go down from 289 to 240. By the time we would get to the garage both temps would be at 185-190. With the stock radiator, it would take several minutes of idling in the garage to get down to that, and that was with ambient temps being in the low to mid-80s. Not the mid to high 90s. The car never went into limp mode despite the 98-degree heat and pushing it hard.
We feel that the CSF radiator is an essential upgrade if you live in a hot climate or do performance driving on the track, particularly in hot weather. It is also an important upgrade if your car is tuned to produce more than stock levels of power. The radiator’s quality, fit and finish, and ease of installation are superb. The CSF radiator is a great complement to your FL5 or DE5!
Mike Kojima – MotoIQ Editor in Chief