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Aluminum Radiators and High Performance Sport Radiators

You've heard about high performance sport radiators and aluminum radiators. You know that Griffin radiators are used in race cars, hot rods, and street racers. But why? What is the big deal about aluminum radiators?

First off, aluminum radiators are the high performance sport radiators. If you do not own a sports car, drag racer, muscle car, or vehicle with boosted horsepower, an aluminum radiator may not be the right option for you.

The main attraction of aluminum radiators, like those made by Griffin, is their sheer cooling capacity. High horsepower engines produce a lot of heat. If you don't have a big enough, powerful enough radiator, you are going to have heating problems. A high quality aluminum radiator provides 20% - 30% more cooling than an equivalent traditional radiator. So if you have an upgraded engine that is pushing 20% more horsepower, you should definitely consider an all-aluminum sport radiator.

Many aluminum radiators use one inch or larger cooling tubes to vastly increase coolant flow. In fact, almost all Griffin radiators are available with 1.25" and 1.5" tubes. Sport radiators are also designed to withstand higher coolant pressures. Some even come with ultra high capacity coolant pumps to force coolant through hot engines more quickly.

High revving engines, like those in drag racers, require super-fast cooling sport radiator. Also, most super-charged, turbo-charged, and nitrous-boosted engines require a high performance aluminum radiator.

Another key attraction of an aluminum radiator is its lightness. Far lighter than standard radiator metals like copper, steel, brass, and lead, aluminum sport radiators are often 40% lighter and take weight of the front of your car (an important consideration, especially for racers). Generally, a lighter front end means better handling. Race cars and small cars benefit especially from the lightness of aluminum radiators.

All Griffin sport radiators are made without any epoxy sealants, as are most of the top-quality makes of aluminum radiator. Epoxy does not transfer heat as well as metal but it is cheaper than all-aluminum. Most serious high performance radiator buyers will avoid epoxy-constructed aluminum radiators.