Heat exchangers what are the differences

[SVTcobraGirl]

are there any major differences between the different brands?
looking at LFP and fluidyne. I saw that LFP's is a dual pass. Does that mean its any better? what do i need to look for in one?

 

[Snakebite2k3]

im getting mine in 2 weeks. im going with the Gords H/E but i heard allot of good things about the LFP dual one.

 

[SVTcobraGirl]

ah another brand.. too many to choose from! Guess anything is better than stock though

 

[SlowSVT]

A dual pass radiator routes the coolant from one side then to other, then back again. No real advantage. It's like splitting a radiator in half and then re-connecting it end to end. The end result is you expose the same volume of coolant over the same surface area as a single pass cooler. I prefer the single pass because the water moves slower through it which should be easier for the pump to push more volume. Other then that I don't think it makes much difference.

For an H/E get the biggest one you can fit in there. Consider a Gord's H/E. Not sure if Fluidyne or LFP have changed their design but Gords is/was the largest H/E available.

 

[mrose75]

So the bigger the better???

 

[Mr. Couper]

yes, and dual pass is good. i have the one from lfp. it looks great.

 

[SVT_4_me]

More heat can be transferred to the air in a multiple-pass heat exchanger than in a single-pass exchanger. In a multiple-pass heat exchanger, liquid makes multiple passes through the heat exchanger. Each time the liquid passes through the heat exchanger more heat is transferred to the air. In a dual-pass heat exchanger liquid passes through the exchanger twice.

 

[SlowSVT]

More heat can be transferred to the air in a multiple-pass heat exchanger than in a single-pass exchanger. In a multiple-pass heat exchanger, liquid makes multiple passes through the heat exchanger. Each time the liquid passes through the heat exchanger more heat is transferred to the air. In a dual-pass heat exchanger liquid passes through the exchanger twice.

So what your saying is that two radiators, one a single pass the other a dual pass with the exact same surface area moving the same volume if coolent will cool at different rates. Could you explain how that works in a little more detail. If that's the case then a triple pass radiator should cool better then a dual pass radiator, correct?

 

[ViciousJay]

they all work the same.. i went with LFP cuz i got a deal on it plus free shipping... other then that a H/E is a H/E... look to the future when buying parts... do you plan on a turbo? centrifical s/c? kb or whipple? then go from there...if turbo or centri i should do waste your time cuz youll need something else entirely... if a twin screw then gords, lfp, fluidyne...etc are all good choices... the cheaper the better in my eyes..

 

[SVT_4_me]

So what your saying is that two radiators, one a single pass the other a dual pass with the exact same surface area moving the same volume if coolent will cool at different rates. Could you explain how that works in a little more detail. If that's the case then a triple pass radiator should cool better then a dual pass radiator, correct?

ok maybe i am thinking about this wrong, but... if you assume that the coolant flow rate would be equal with both a single pass or dual pass exchanger, wouldn't the coolant be exposed to the heat transfering media for longer with a dual pass heat exchanger, thus transfering more heat?

 

[SlowSVT]

Your forgetting the coolant in the dual pass will be traveling thru half the tranfer tubes (radiator) and then back thru the other half which means it will have to flow at twice the velocity as a single pass to equal the same volume. The coolant in the single pass will move slower since it has twice the number of tranfer tubes to travel through at one time.

Like I said. I don't think it makes much difference from a cooling perspective. The single pass should be somewhat less restrictive to flow then the dual pass due to the slower moving coolant that doesn't have to travel through two sets of tranfer tubes at half the cross section.

 

[PistolWhip]

More heat can be transferred to the air in a multiple-pass heat exchanger than in a single-pass exchanger.

That is highly debatable. Most of the dual pass H/E's and single pass H/E's are very close in size. That means that the cooling surface area is also very similar. If we are talking about two H/E's that are exactly the same size and the only difference being that one is "dual pass" and one is not, the single pass system should be a tad bit more efficient than the double pass. My theory is that you are passing the already cooled water back through the H/E behind the hot, entering water. You are then in turn saturating the already cooled water with heat from the entering water. In a single pass H/E all of the passing air is hitting the water at the same time and allows the entire cooling surface area to be used all at once, for all of the water that inside the H/E.

That being said, after much research and debate, I got the AFCO single pass from RPM Outlet for $199. The price can't be beat and I really think the double pass design is nothing but gimmick. Until I see true #'s that prove me wrong, I'll continue to believe that.

 

[03SD]

I went LFP...works great but it dents easily from small rocks while driving.

 

[NorCal04Cobra]

We just put our Gords on a few weeks ago. Looks great as it fills the entire space and hubby says it was easy to install. Just ported our Eaton and have not had any heat issues at all with our set up. There are many threads on this board about H/E and I went round and round trying to choose which one to get. I went with Gord's and didn't mind paying more for it.

 

[SlowSVT]

NorCal

Get a grill guard for the HE. The fins on the Gords HE are not as stout as the stocker and bend pretty easily

 

[NorCal04Cobra]

The grill guard from Gords?

 

[SlowSVT]

If I recall correctly the Gords HE grill used a Diamond mesh screen. I liked the Chicago LCD powdercoat square mesh better which looks to be less restrictive then the Gords unit. Either or

 

[PERCULATOR]

Anyone got any pics of their covers?? I've been interested in see how different ones look.

 

[snake134]

THEY ALL WORK GREAT, VERY MINIMAL DIFFERENCES IN IAT2 TEMPS.....i would go lfp dual pass, and get the stencil (get SVT, so ppl can see you wanna race even if they're in front of you, and then they can see how your car looks from the back after they race:coolman

 

[coild]

Is there any 'seat of the pants' difference in power with an aftermarket HE, or is the stock one adequate?