Well, I track my G, and since it also has the JWT TT kit installed, it generates a good bit of heat. Never ran the coolant temp higher than 220, but I would still like to keep it cooler.

So, I looked around, and the AMS radiator looked like the best fit, and best radiator for the money. And if my G were stock, the AMS would be great. Of course, if it were stock, I don't think I would need more cooling capacity.
So, I had planned on doing the install in a Saturday afternoon. Shouldn't took to long. I was definitely wrong there!

So, going back to the fit; if my G were stock, the fit would be decent. You would still have to drill some new holes for the bottom mounting pegs to go into, as the AMS is sufficiently thick to make it impossible to get into the stock holes. The top mounting points have the same problem. This is solved by using extended bolts to bolt from the front. Not too difficult.

Now for the problem: The JWT TT kit has a long pipe the goes in front of the engine block and behind the radiator. Given a stock radiator, this is no problem. However, give a thicker radiator, the OEM cooling fans just won't fit, no matter what you do. So I got some thinner 12" aftermarket fans, and mounted them behind the radiator, as pullers, and since they are both thinner, and slightly smaller than the stock fans, and since I was able to mount them lower than the stock fans, I could get them in there, and still fit the long JWT pipe.I'm sure the fans aren't quite as powerful as stock, but they do pull a good bit of air, and I wired them up to the stock fan wires, so they should work.

Once everything is back together, it works good. Since my G is still up on jack stands (still have some other, unrelated work to do), I was not able to test the cooling capability under load, but I did high idle it for a while, and normally, I can get the temps to keep climbing until the fans kick in. Here, I could not get the temp to rise above 178 degrees, and the fans would not kick in. I could get the fans to turn on if I turned the A/C on (normal operating procedure), but without the A/C on, the temps would not rise at all above 178. With the A/C on, the fans kicked in, the the temp stayed steady at 178.

As a note, I run 50/50 coolant/water and Royal Purple Purple Ice (similar to Redline Water Wetter) We get some cold winters in Colorado, so I don't like to run 30/70, or even less coolant.

As I get some driving in, and especially another track day (August 25-26, Hastings, NE!!!), I will post back on the results.

Dave

 

Glad you got it to work. Did you consider the ForgedPerformance upgraded fans and shroud? Apparently they take less room than stock and flow much more air. Perhaps that alone could've sufficed...

 

Dave- Installing the AMS radiator in my 350Z track model (for the same reasons you listed) was also a PITA! The top and bottom mounting pegs could have been relocated to allow the thicker AMS core to fit better, but at least the stock fan shroud fit back on.

Best of luck out in Hastings!

 

Yeah, I looked at the pics, and there is about 1 inch of clearance between the back of my AMS radiator, and the JWT piping, so I don't think anything would fit.

Good idea, though.

Dave

 

picts?

 

Ok, here are the pics. As you can see, there is very little gap between the JWT piping and the radiator. The two 12" fans are actually mounted below where the JWT piping is.

Also, in the picture from the bottom, you can see the two fans better.

Dave

 

wow. that is pretty tight fit-

are you running a vented hood or the stock undertray?

 

Stock hood and stock undertray. Been thinking about the aluminum undertray. ARC, I think it is. Pricey!

 

Yep, it's ARC, and yep - IT'S PRICEY!!!

 

ARC and pricey are synonmous. Not sure if it would provide much benefit. though.

 

Sweet right up/ review.

 

Well, I found that the cheap Checkers fans I was using in place of the stock fans (because the stock fans would not fit) just weren't up to the task. The temps would start rising as I drove up a mountain, or if it sat and ideled in traffic with the A/C on.

So, I ordered this SPAL fan which is a dual 12" fan setup, slimmer than the stock one, and pulls 3168 cfm. Got it all hooked up, and wow, this thing pulls a lot of air!

So, this should be the ultimate cooling solution, but just in case, I also have a 5" push fan that pushes 313 cfm that I will mount to the front of my oil cooler, to keep my oil nice and cool. I will probably setup some sort of temp switch to keep from overcooling my oil, though.

 

Sucks you had such a hard time. That crossover pipe does make things a PITA. I was able to get it to fit on my Greddy TT sedan with less problems.

It was tight but did fit with some minor trimming of the stock fan shroud.

 

Very well thought out car mods and execution.
Other things to consider should cooling continue to be an issue for you:

1. Nismo thermostat
2. Thermal barrier coatings on turbos and pipes
3. Thermal dispersant coatings on lower oil pan
4. Venting of hood. You can go the cheap way with a couple of washers on the rear mount points to create a slit , or you can go to a replacement CF hood, or you can have a shop cut slits for you.
5. Increase the amount of oil, and decrease particulate size (particulates attract and hold heat in the oil) with a dual bypass filter system like the Amsoil BMK-13 and #100 size filter.

I am running 535 rwhp and go all day at about 195F temp on that arrangement(with regular thermostat), using a Koyo three core aluminum radiator, 50/50 water and coolant mix with Redline Water Wetter.

Again, I like your car and set up. Very nicely done!

 

And I am jealous of your car!

1. Once the thermo is completely open, it shouldn't make a difference, right? And the regular thermostat is completely open at 174, I thought...

2. Good idea, but with the turbos already installed, a bit pricey to remove, thermo coat, and reinstall.

3. Not as hard, but I do alreadly have the APS oil pan, which is finned for heat dispersion, as well as holding 1.25 more quarts.

4. Hmm, not sure if I want to ghetto washer space it, nor am I really interested in having slits or a CF hood. I'll have to think about that.

5. I use amsoil fileters right now, and amsoil 10w30. With the APS oil pan, and the oil cooler, I probably have about 1.5 to 2 extra quarts of oil in the system. I'll have to think about the dual bypass filter system, though.

Thanks for the tips!