Anybody replaced them and have pics?
Not stainless steel but Aluminium from Saldana racing. Replaced both rads in my car with these. Cost is around 900$ each and they retail via Euroquipe in Chicago (great service, very friendly and they ship quickly) Ferrari OEM rads retail for 1100$ and are plastic & overall cheap. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
This thread may also be useful to you but I don't have an opinion on the work it takes to replace them since I had it done by my shop. I actually used 2 different shops since I changed the left and right side at different times but neither of them said anything about being difficult to swap the oems for these. http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/348-355-sponsored-bradan/359411-355-radiator-failure-upgrade-long-post.html
I am such a sad excuse for a human. Why do SS rad pictures just look so freakin' cool??? Must have....
Until they exploded (about 1 year apart from each other) the OEMs were cooling just fine. My car's temp sits precisely at 190 almost all the time. Replaced 1 passenger side in 2012 and driver side rad in 2013 and all is well. Temp is still consistently at 190. Perhaps it's a "placebo" effect but I feel much more confident having these 2 rads in the car opposed to the craapp ones from Ferrari. They worked well and did last almost 20 yrs but was so surprised at how they were made.
I'm not sure it's totally fair to describe rads that lasted 20years as being "craapp"! - There are plenty of BMW owners who would have loved to have had rads last that long!
Well, obviously I'm biased because they went 1 year apart and even if 20 years old, car only had 15,000 miles. If it ever happens to you, put the Saldana one that costs 900$ side by side with the OEM plastic 1100$ from Ferrari and you'll feel the same.
Mileage makes a difference in tires and sometimes brakes. Age is what kills radiators. Most car makers would like to have 20 year radiators.
LOL @ COMPLAINING ABOUT A RADIATOR BREAKING ON A 20 YEAR OLD CAR. EPIC. MAYBE IF YOUR CAR DIDNT "SIT" FOR 20 YEARS WITH "ONLY" 15K, THEY WOULDN'T HAVE BUSTED.
Let's get something clear, I am not "complaining" that they broke... I am "complaining" that the replacements from Ferrari cost 1100$ and are made kinda cheap therefore I reccommended the ones from Saldana which are 900$ and are all aluminium and way better. And no need for all caps, it's rude and unnecessary. Someone started a thread on rads and I contributed by posting my opinion, advice, experience and photos which is what you're supposed to do in a forum. Please tell us what you think, not about me but about the rads in your Ferrari, how did you fix them? What do you reccommend?
I write with caps locks; occasionally the key gets stuck or I forget, its not rude...its English and the way I write sometimes, this is a public forum. I do apologize that it is unnecessary from your perspective. I reread your posts, I do agree that the Ferrari ones are expensive. I have a f355 with high miles right now that has never had any radiators replaced. When cars sit, things erode. These cars are old now. Mercedes Benz radiators are lucky if they make it to 15 years, sediment clogs radiators and cooling capacity is greatly reduced. Coolant turns acidic when not changed often and the problem is worse when the car sits with low mileage use. I do like the aluminum ones you did from Saldana, I think it is a much better replacement for the money, thank you for the recommendation. I for one do not agree with some of the "ferrari tax" on these items which is why I did my own engine belt service, header weld instead of replace, engine mount change, gearbox leak repair, suspension repairs, aftermarket brake pads, interior leather dye instead of expensive replacement that goes bad again, goo gone instead of stickynomore, SDL elmination with 1.5 v signals, bypass pipes, porsche valve replacement instead of the $1000 dollar ferrari one, and the list goes on and on. I bought my car for low price and I could never fathom paying $1100 for a radiator. I will probably try to have the rad recored by a local radiator shop or have a custom fab job like the one from Saldana if it becomes an issue. I read that one guy actually used a stick of jb weld on the joint to stop a leak, that I may pass on although I am DIY guy. These cars pack alot of heat and things are under a ton of stress. They are race cars that are unfortunately needy from time to time. I drove the car daily for a few months without any problems. When it sits problems arise. That happens with every brand marque however.
Anyone who installed these Aluminum radiators from Saldana racing. And if so can you see a noticeable improvement i.e. is the car running cooler? Please share, thanks.
temp is the same...for me, my car is precise like a clock at 190 and stayed that way even with both Saldana rads installed.
Why would you expect lower temps? Thermostat set low temp. Fans control max temp within limits. Under extreme conditions where fans can keep temp below 190 then maybe there would be some effect.
Very true....engines have a min/max ideal operating temp....you don't want to go over or under. Our race car cooling systems are designed to keep the engine operating temps within those specs.......you can over build a cooling system which cost not only more $$$ but also adds unnecessary weight; and the benefits of this overbuild????? NONE!!! It is all about cooling efficiency....what good does it do to have coolant at 190 deg if the heat build up in engine/components is not being transferred properly into the coolant system...believe it or not this was a major issue with the Porsche 917 (especially the 917/30) which is an air cooled engine.....we could not use conventional cylinder liners and wound up coating the AL cylinders with what is now known as Nikasil. Even though we were turning our gear driven fan at 2% below the speed of sound we could not extract the heat from the cylinders using a steel cylinder lining....however it did produce a nice lump of melted aluminum..lol
So the only advantage from the OEM plastic ones is they are better built and slightly more cost effective?
They are night and day....when you put them side-by-side. The Oem ones may do the job but they look flimsy and,in my case, both rads cracked on the edge tubing which seems to be plastic, not the rad itself. No way the Saldana ones would ever crack there, ever.
