Answer
May 31, 2023 - 04:10 AM
The best radiators are built using copper and brass fittings when talking about OTR or RV vehicles but are difficult to obtain and are expensive. These are cost prohibitive when comparing to Aluminum and plastic bodies sometimes costing as much as 3 times as much.
Most of the OEMs have gone to the aluminum plastic bodies for cost, of course, but also because they are lighter and at times will vibrate a bit less on the application. A diesel engine has over 50 separate harmonics with different amplitudes that the engineers have to work with and that doesn’t include the vibration from the operation of the vehicle. As an example the radiator for a diesel tractor being used in a rock quarry has different needs than an over the road CAT running back and forth from NY to LA. So the best radiator is difficult to define without knowing the conditions of use.
As far as manufacturer quality, that’s difficult to nail down as well. The materials are primarily the same. Coatings are different. Products from Europe seem to have better coatings but are difficult to obtain due to transport and contracts and also they are expensive. But from an aftermarket perspective, typically the people building for the aftermarket are often the same companies building for different OEMs. So since many of the materials we’re talking about are much the same whether coming from Asia or Mexico that portion of the product quality would be equivalent.
This answer is not really an answer as much as information for the reader to make a good decision about what they’re purchasing. ©2023 Mr. Cool Marine LLC
Most of the OEMs have gone to the aluminum plastic bodies for cost, of course, but also because they are lighter and at times will vibrate a bit less on the application. A diesel engine has over 50 separate harmonics with different amplitudes that the engineers have to work with and that doesn’t include the vibration from the operation of the vehicle. As an example the radiator for a diesel tractor being used in a rock quarry has different needs than an over the road CAT running back and forth from NY to LA. So the best radiator is difficult to define without knowing the conditions of use.
As far as manufacturer quality, that’s difficult to nail down as well. The materials are primarily the same. Coatings are different. Products from Europe seem to have better coatings but are difficult to obtain due to transport and contracts and also they are expensive. But from an aftermarket perspective, typically the people building for the aftermarket are often the same companies building for different OEMs. So since many of the materials we’re talking about are much the same whether coming from Asia or Mexico that portion of the product quality would be equivalent.
This answer is not really an answer as much as information for the reader to make a good decision about what they’re purchasing. ©2023 Mr. Cool Marine LLC
