Silvia Club of NSW

I have a predator inter cooler/radiator kit on my S15 and i suffered some overheating on the track 2 weeks back. One reason was probably that my thermo fan was going the opposite way (pushing the air back out that has come through the inter cooler and radiator instead of sucking more air in).

Now everyone says how important a radiator shroud is but there is not enough space to put the original one back on. I have thought about getting a sheet of heat proof material/foam and covering the side of the radiator but leaving a hole where the fan sits. What i want to know is...will this idea work the same as the standard radiator shroud? If i go ahead with this will i need to leave a bit of space in between the radiator and the heat proof material?

Also i have read that placing something (heat proof material) in between the radiator and the inter cooler would be a wise thing to do so it will force the air to be sucked in from the front and go through the cooler and the radiator and not just through the cooler and out the gaps in between.

Another idea was to make a duct from the front bar going to the air con condenser so air flow doesn't get wasted and is forces through the condenser, cooler and the radiator.

I also thought about putting 2 12" thermo fans in front of the condenser so it can push more air though the condenser, cooler and the radiator.

An air division plate. Do these really work?

A radiator cap that holds more than the 0.9 bar

A new thermostat.

Also an oil cooler

Comments on my future plans would be great as i would be so pissed if i overheat on the next trackday.

A picture of the kit is included below.

what's a predator kit?

*no space for the std shroud. - why?

*diversion plates can make a difference. how much depends on the front end's design. on an S15,they're more a place to put stickers than anything else.

*foam between gaps in radiator/intercooler/condensor cores to the radiator support does help. plastic or alloy sheeting from the edges of the front bumper mouth to the face of the core can help force air though the radiator/FMIC/etc and block air from going around the sides.

*fans pushing through the condensor - will work,but not as well as placing them behind and sucking through the core. the fan body is in the airflow blocking it slightly,and you lose a small percentage of efficiency with the smaller intake area through the rear of the fan.

*thermostat - if it's working,leave it alone. low opening temp thermos are used to mask other problems. they're not a proper solution.

*high pressure cap - again,not a good idea. it'll handl;e a few more degrees before boiling at a higher pressure,but you also put extra pressure on the whiole system. you're more likely to blow hoses and pop radiator end tanks.

*oil cooler - a good idea. run it to one side of the bumper. go brand name on these. just china kits are not going to save you money compared to trust or such when the core cracks and you sieze a block.
they won't be paying for a new engine for you.


Justin...

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STI - Made in Texas,not Japan.

The predator kit is an inter cooler and radiator kit that is mounted behind the radiator support.

The reason why there is no room for a standard shroud is that the cooler and radiator sit pretty close to the engine so close that the engine fan had to be removed when installing the kit.

The reason why im not putting the fans on the engine side is that there is already a 10 fan that came with the kit and thought another 2 12" fans would make a noticeable difference when it comes time for them to kick in.

So basically air diversion plate is useless. Don't bother with the radiator cap or thermostat but do everything else though on the list.

Also I am going to put spacers where the bonnet attaches to the hinges to lift it up and release some under bonnet temps.

Fit the biggest fan you can to the rear of the radiator.

One big fan is better than two small fans. It's simple math, really.

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huh?
it originally has a 10" and i want to add another 2 12" fans

Replace the 10" fan with the biggest one that will fit on the radiator core.

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lol fan pushing against the air flow was most likely the culprit...

anyways, build a shroud so all ur air from the front bar goes through the rad.

build shround to seal the gap on the sides between the rad and intercooler.

basically dont let any air get out anywhere.

my old setup, see shroud, helped alot


imo mid mount with a/c is a stupid idea, theres enough heatsoak issues without the a/c

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formerly 3AM

agreed get the fan going the way it is meant too spin, then see what happens but a shroud is pretty much a must.

also the shroud needs room between it and the radiator otherwise it wont work as the air wont flow through the entire core so ur idea on covering the side of the rad. with heat proof matierial around the fan wont help, probally worsen it (unless you could leave a gap like a shroud), but filling any gaps between a/c condensor, IC., rad with the material will

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"Best Signature Ever Inserted Here"

I've heard nothing but bad things about these kits. The concept is sound but it just doesn't seem to work. Everyone who installs them has overheating issues.

I guess thats why they sold a bunch of them off cheap just to get rid of them

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Disclaimer: I actually DO know everything

Sil80 - SR20DET 231rwkw
Silvia Race Nugget - SR20DET 225rwkw
Stagea - DeathWagon - RB25DET 185rwkw.

My Lame Gallery: http://www.toomuchboost.com/gallery/main.php

I think I probably had more success than most, but then mine was made to my specs by PWR not an off the shelf kit. I looked at the faults of the Predator kit and made improvements.

I have a brand new 16" SPAL fan with twisted blades if your interested. It is ultra thin which is what you need with that kit in place.

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I didn’t break it, I just modified the operational status...
There are 10 types of people in this world, those that understand binary, and those that don't.