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Installed a CSF Radiator

mmdb

Drag Racing Champion
Location
California
Ended up dowsing the garage in radiator fluid during the install. Fitament is good, not great. I had to use straps to hold the radiator in place rather than the supplied clamps. All in all, it's cheap insurance. Temps remain constant as far as I can tell.
 

mmdb

Drag Racing Champion
Location
California
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Al_in_Philly

Autocross Newbie
Location
Philadelphia USA
Automobiles are systems: every component interacts to some degree with every other component. So, when you modify an engine to pump out more power, it also is producing more BTU's which need cooling by the radiator. This is further exacerbated when part of one's modification includes a more effective intercooler which heats up the air before going through the radiator. So upgrading one's radiator ought not be overlooked, especially when mods begin adding more than 20% more power (i.e. 20% more heat to be shed by the radiator).
But it's not quite so simple: you don't want to reduce too much of the heat from the engine's coolant either. It is possible to modify one's cooling system to the point where one's thermostat is opening and closing much more frequently than the engine was designed for. This can happen when a car has an upgraded radiator and driven moderately in very cold conditions. Additionally, a hyper-efficient replacement radiator in frigid weather can create more intense changes between the heated engine coolant and the chilled radiator coolant when the thermostat is opening and closing. Gradual changes between these two temperatures is usually preferable to extreme temperature shifts in the coolant--especially for an engine with a poorly designed thermostat/water cooler housing, like the EA888. So getting a radiator which best matches one's cooling and driving needs is an important consideration. Obviously, this is less of an issue with the California based OP than it would be for a Canadian like Daks. My guess is that the CSF radiator wouldn't be so uber-effective that it might cause many issues, but I'd look into that aspect if I were adding it to a DD car where they have genuinely serious winters. My 2 cents (US and Canadian).
 

TheMuffinMan

Go Kart Newbie
Location
Virginia
How does this interact with an upgraded intercooler such as APR's? This is clearly a larger unit, are there any space concerns? Or does the OEM unit have that much wiggle room that this just slots right in?

That DSG cooler looks pretty slick too.
 

mmdb

Drag Racing Champion
Location
California
I have an AMS intercooler though I'm not sure if it's thicker or thinner. Any thicker, it might be a challenge to install.

I JUST ordered the auxillary cooler that fits on the passenger side that'll flow radiator fluid. I'll post up pix as I install. My car is a manual btw.
 

GTI Jake

Autocross Champion
Location
Charlotte, NC
I have an AMS intercooler though I'm not sure if it's thicker or thinner. Any thicker, it might be a challenge to install.

I JUST ordered the auxillary cooler that fits on the passenger side that'll flow radiator fluid. I'll post up pix as I install. My car is a manual btw.

Do you track the car?

I’ve never seen;

-A tuned MQB car with stable coolant temps in track conditions above 85*F ambient.

-Any MQB car with coolant temp issues on the street.
 

TheMuffinMan

Go Kart Newbie
Location
Virginia
I have an AMS intercooler though I'm not sure if it's thicker or thinner. Any thicker, it might be a challenge to install.

I JUST ordered the auxillary cooler that fits on the passenger side that'll flow radiator fluid. I'll post up pix as I install. My car is a manual btw.

Looks pretty comparable to the APR one as there isn't any trimming required for mounting it up based on their instructions.

https://www.amsperformance.com/cart/ams-2015-vw-golf-r-front-mount-intercooler/

Do you track the car?

I’ve never seen;

-A tuned MQB car with stable coolant temps in track conditions above 85*F ambient.

-Any MQB car with coolant temp issues on the street.

The implication here being that all tuned R's on the track have cooling issues? I've always been a fan of over-building in preparation for issues rather than run into them and fix after. Having a dual-pass thicker radiator in addition to an upgraded intercooler seems like a no-brainer to help reduce the chances of cooling issues for track?
 
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yakev724

Go Kart Champion
Location
NYC
Car(s)
2015 S3
Would strongly consider going this route if not for 1) lack of competitive products and 2) lack of "scientific" testing. CSF site just shows various temps with their gear installed, no controlled env. before/after. Which would be great marketing had they produced it (or chosen to share).

Money no object, their 3 rads, an RS3 bumper (for more airflow), and a wavetrac would already be in my car. I've seen it get quite warm on track with ambient temps in the 90s and surely they help *at the margin*, hard to know quite how much with the little info out there.
 

anotero

Autocross Champion
Location
Hither and thither
Car(s)
Mk7 GTI
Automobiles are systems: every component interacts to some degree with every other component. So, when you modify an engine to pump out more power, it also is producing more BTU's which need cooling by the radiator. This is further exacerbated when part of one's modification includes a more effective intercooler which heats up the air before going through the radiator. So upgrading one's radiator ought not be overlooked, especially when mods begin adding more than 20% more power (i.e. 20% more heat to be shed by the radiator).
But it's not quite so simple: you don't want to reduce too much of the heat from the engine's coolant either. It is possible to modify one's cooling system to the point where one's thermostat is opening and closing much more frequently than the engine was designed for. This can happen when a car has an upgraded radiator and driven moderately in very cold conditions. Additionally, a hyper-efficient replacement radiator in frigid weather can create more intense changes between the heated engine coolant and the chilled radiator coolant when the thermostat is opening and closing. Gradual changes between these two temperatures is usually preferable to extreme temperature shifts in the coolant--especially for an engine with a poorly designed thermostat/water cooler housing, like the EA888. So getting a radiator which best matches one's cooling and driving needs is an important consideration. Obviously, this is less of an issue with the California based OP than it would be for a Canadian like Daks. My guess is that the CSF radiator wouldn't be so uber-effective that it might cause many issues, but I'd look into that aspect if I were adding it to a DD car where they have genuinely serious winters. My 2 cents (US and Canadian).
What?
 

scrapin240

Drag Racing Champion
Location
IzzaGolf
Car(s)
Golf
I really didn't have any issues with my CSF Rad install and CTS Direct Fit Intercooler. I haven't had any limp conditions on track with the Rad and CSF DSG cooler.

And yeah the Pink VW fluid is super sticky.
 

jimlloyd40

Autocross Champion
Location
Phoenix
Car(s)
2018 SE DSG
I really didn't have any issues with my CSF Rad install and CTS Direct Fit Intercooler. I haven't had any limp conditions on track with the Rad and CSF DSG cooler.

And yeah the Pink VW fluid is super sticky.
All antifreeze is sticky.
 
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