Slowridr

iTrader: (1)

Ive read say one has better inner cooling properties than the other while the other can actually have the best of both worlds if you just oversize it ???????

I need a down to earth explaination. Can anyone help me out with this?

Gonna run a tranny cooler and an engine oil cooler on my GTA. I also want to get an aluminum 3 core radiator.

It gets hot in Atlanta in the summer and I plan to drive my car to some car shows, cruise ins etc so Ill be on the road.

I like air conditioning and I plan to use it 100% of the time when its over 85 degrees. I know Ill need to provide cooling ability for my car.

This is what Ive considered

tell me where Im wrong and especially where I can go a little cheaper!

2 of these or something similar one for engine oil one for trans fluid.

http://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS/555/60345...ductId=1032940

or

http://www.transmissioncoolers.us/Me...roduct_Count=3

I think I will run fans on both coolers wether I have to by them separate or not. As a matter of fact heres a small cooling fan Ive found

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/8-INC...Q5fAccessories

and the radiator

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Twin_Turbo

iTrader: (25)

For a given area, a tube & fin design is usually more efficient since it has more sufrace area. However, the stacked plate design is much more durable and if you simply use a larger cooler it can get the same heat dissipating capacity.


The tube & fin usually has a higher pressure drop because of all the bends the tube makes, it's 1 continuous path throughout the cooler, the stacked plate can use the entire core at once, sort of like series vs parallel.

If the fins on a tube & fin setup are damaged the efficiency drops off as well.

I only use stacked plate because the only drawback is less efficient cooling that is easily covered by using an oversize cooler.

Slowridr

iTrader: (1)

So I guess a stacked plate w/ a fan is very good then. Where did you mount yours on your car?

Twin_Turbo

iTrader: (25)

A fan is not needed if there's sufficient airflow

Mine is in a somewhat unconventional location:

Reid Fleming

iTrader: (2)

Tube & Fin offers no benefit other than cheaper cost. The multiple 180° bends increase pressure. High pressure = high heat.

The Stacked Plate on the other hand is much like a radiator. A larger amount of the fluid is being cooled at any given time. (Think crushed ice in ice water compared to cubed ice in in water.......The crushed ice has more surface area in the water, thus it cools faster). It also doesn't have nearly as many bends as a Tube & Fin.

Picture below is for A/C condensers. Same idea as transmission coolers though. (Parallel flow = Stacked Plate)



As for coolers, get the LPD 4490 model in your link. That is the exact model I run. 11x12" stacked plate and has a low temp bypass feature. Not that important for Georgia summer weather. But handy for those cold winter days. Also is good for bypassing the radiator (which you would want to do). With the LPD design, you can bypass the radiator and not have to worry about overcooling the transmission fluid on a cold winter day.

I'm in Houston, so I know what hot muggy traffic is like during the summertime. I have mine mounted in front of the A/C condenser. But with a small air gap (just enough to get your fingers between.) The air gap helps as it allows both the condenser and the transmission cooler to cool off. No fan is needed for the transmission cooler. Above 40 mph, your air dam sends plenty of air up there (radiator fans are off at that point). Below 40 mph, the stock radiator fans will run and pull air through.