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Boss Radiator vs Revan/Shelby/C&R racing radiator (pics inside)

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So I bought this radiator over a year ago and I'm just now getting around to installing it. I thought you guys might like some comparison pics of the stock Boss radiator vs this beast so here they are !

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Wow that's huge! I'm a fan of the Fluidyne or 302S radiator.
 
2012Boss302 said:
That IS nice. If you don't mind, what does something like that cost ??

I got it from Revan racing:
http://www.revanracing.com/products/gt-radiator.html
 
NFSBOSS said:
That's pretty pricey compared to the FR 302S and Fluidyne.

How much is the 302S radiator ?

They were a bit cheaper when I bought it but the cost of raw materials is going up everywhere.

The 302S radiator has plastic tanks, this thing is all aluminum. Also, the 302S doesn't have an AC so I'm not sure if that radiator will work with the stock condenser or if you have to do an AC delete or custom brackets ?

I've never seen the fluidyne unit but I'm sure it is nice too.
 
Rusty67 said:
How much is the 302S radiator ?

They were a bit cheaper when I bought it but the cost of raw materials is going up everywhere.

The 302S radiator has plastic tanks, this thing is all aluminum. Also, the 302S doesn't have an AC so I'm not sure if that radiator will work with the stock condenser or if you have to do an AC delete or custom brackets ?

I've never seen the fluidyne unit but I'm sure it is nice too.
No, it's all aluminum.......I have had it in my car for over 3 years now. It definitely works with the AC, as I just deleted mine 3 weeks ago. No modifications are necessary for it to work with the AC.

Rehagen has it for $675.00 http://www.ebay.com/itm/FORD-RACING-2005-2014-MUSTANG-GT-ALUMINUM-RADIATOR-2012-2013-BOSS-302-/150934218059?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item232461654b
 

TymeSlayer

Tramps like us, Baby we were born to run...
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Levittown has it for $644

http://www.levittownfordsupercenter.com/ford-racing-mustang-aluminum-radiator-p-1691.html

Ford Racing 123 for $632

http://fordracingparts123.com/engine-parts/cooling/radiator-05-13-mustang-gt-m-8005-mgt/?gclid=Cj0KEQjw3IieBRDl1oG0gr_PweoBEiQAwGHVw94Wg9HLT6JCSqpbpal26WScE33mpuQVH3Qvard3d6QaAqEA8P8HAQ
 
Is it thick enough to interfere with the AC condenser? I was under the impression that the AC condenser was behind the radiator and smaller until I removed the Bumper cover and looked at the plumbing... And the fins are paper thin and brittle. But at least the AC condenser takes all the damage!
 
cloud9 said:
No, it's all aluminum.......I have had it in my car for over 3 years now. It definitely works with the AC, as I just deleted mine 3 weeks ago. No modifications are necessary for it to work with the AC.

Rehagen has it for $675.00 http://www.ebay.com/itm/FORD-RACING-2005-2014-MUSTANG-GT-ALUMINUM-RADIATOR-2012-2013-BOSS-302-/150934218059?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item232461654b

Ah ok, that makes sense. Thanks for straightening me out. I got into an argument about the Boss 302R radiator vs the stock one with a Ford parts guy and he swore they were the same.

We should see if we can get all the data from the different radiators and find out which one has the best cooling ability. Obviously we already made the investment in the bigger radiator but it might be useful for other people in the future doing the upgrade.
 
Rusty67 said:
Ah ok, that makes sense. Thanks for straightening me out. I got into an argument about the Boss 302R radiator vs the stock one with a Ford parts guy and he swore they were the same.

We should see if we can get all the data from the different radiators and find out which one has the best cooling ability. Obviously we already made the investment in the bigger radiator but it might be useful for other people in the future doing the upgrade.
I have tested just about everything including the C&R (except the Fluidyne unit that John has). A radiator swap makes a negligible difference in cooling. The Tiger hood is wicked "cool", but does virtually nothing for cooling. The GT500 fan can't hurt, but doesn't make a significant difference in cooling.

Here's what works:

1) Short shift at 6500-7000 RPMs. No thanks.
2) Remove the stock grille. Good for 15*-20*
3) Remove the AC condenser. Good for 10*-15*
4) Put in an appropriate sized air-to-oil cooler and oil cools by 20*-30*

The stock cooling system on the Boss is actually very good for the water/coolant. In fact Ford did a great job blocking off the area around the radiator to channel air through it as well. It's just that the marketing department won the grille design argument ;) If you're tracking the car moderately, the water-to-oil cooler is good enough. If you're aggressively tracking the car, install an air-to-oil cooler. The issue is getting enough air across the (any) radiator. That's the single most effective cooling mod you can make.
 
Actually I did get to test the Fluidyne unit, but it was in a rental track car I drove at Chuckwalla. It was integrated with the air-to-oil cooler. It worked just fine on the car I was beating on :D Since it didn't have a temp gauge, nor had I driven a stock GT on their track in the same temps I have no idea how much it lowered temps. The car didn't come close to overheating though in two hard days of desert driving.
 
I did notice Ford put quite a bit of work into directing air flow with the rubber air divertors for the radiator.

What do you think the difference is in air flow vs a modified stock grill, the 302S grill and a billet grill ?
 
Rusty67 said:
I did notice Ford put quite a bit of work into directing air flow with the rubber air divertors for the radiator.

What do you think the difference is in air flow vs a modified stock grill, the 302S grill and a billet grill ?
The 302S grille made little to no difference for me. The issue with the stock grille design are the horizontal plastic slats. They are narrow at the front of the car, but if you pull it off and look at the backside, they're at least twice as wide as they taper. There's really little room for air to flow through them even with the fogs removed. The fogs are at the outside edge of the radiator surface area whereas the area covered by the horizontal slats are directly in front of the radiator. Temps with the billet grille were virtually identical to running with no grille.
 
Excellent info. I guess I should just ditch the stock grill and go with a billet one then. I was going to either modify the stick grill by drilling the fog lights and cutting the sections that are blocked off for no reason or get the 302S grill. Sounds like that isn't going to really get me anything for my troubles.
 

drano38

Wayne
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Lots of people have had good luck with the billet grills.
I have a Saleen grill, which is 5 bar plastic, slats are not wedge shaped, so lets in a lot of air.
I don't have add-on coolant/oil temp gauges, but my Aeroforce gauge showed cooler coolant (cylinder head) temps after installing the Saleen--don't remember how much though.
Saleen grill replaces entire unit. With a billet, you need the grill and a surround.
 
That is what I've been seeing. It looks like there aren't any billet grills available for the Boss surround so I'd need to get a GT/V6 surround and get a billet grill for the GT.
 

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