22 replies to this topic

[BiMU]

Hi guys,

 

Just wondering if anyone's purchased one of these can can comment on build and quality?

 

http://www.ebay.co.u...=item2ed5345937

 

Looks good for what it is but never can tell.

 

Cheers

[matt050990]

It looks the same as all the Jap ones on there.

Most people say they are fine but a few disagree,

 

I guess its all down to each engines spec and condition but should be fine.

[Dzmarc]

I was looking at getting exactly the same one. 

As Matt said and after reading on here, most are mine, but some have experienced a couple of leaks from poor welding.

 

Saying that it does have a 1 year warranty.

[matt050990]

For the price I think its definitely worth a punt.

 

Most of them advise that it is fitted by a professional so im guessing it would void the warranty if it wasn't but I reckon its worth a shot.

 

I have seen them on there that come with silicone hoses for about £70, very tempted.

[BiMU]

So very tempted but I don't want to have to buy twice. I'll be running in a brand new rebuilt 1293 so may not risk it. Eeeek

[matt050990]

If your running anything that isn't standard I would recommend something a little more expensive, Minispares twin core has good reviews....

[matt050990]

This is the one im tempted by.....

 

http://www.ebay.co.u...=item3aa600db42

[Dusky]

I tried one of those rads too, just because I needed a quick rad. Cooled my 1330 fine ( 1330/aeg643 cam). untill I managed to smack the fan in the rad..

[Mini Manannán]

It looks too good to be true.  I'm not getting into the 'inferior Chinese products' argument but I wouldn't be buying it.

[ANON]

but they aren't chinese, the first one is even in this country...well...sort of

[Mini Manannán]

but they aren't chinese, the first one is even in this country...well...sort of

 

I beg to differ; from the eBay site on the very first link "Based in China, direct_tuningpart has been an eBay member since 12 Feb, 2004"

[timmy850]

 

but they aren't chinese, the first one is even in this country...well...sort of

 
I beg to differ; from the eBay site on the very first link "Based in China, direct_tuningpart has been an eBay member since 12 Feb, 2004"

 

Second one is the same
 

Based in China, gpi_racing has been an eBay member since 24 Oct, 2009

[Dzmarc]

Spoke to the guy at DSN last night regarding this, since I need a Rad. 

 

Firstly he said unless you have a fire breathing monster the standard 3 core would be fine for any normal mini. You have to remember these were on the early Coopers. 

 

Secondly he also said (and this is the interesting bit) that alloy rads actually have a worse heat transfer than brass by about 30% for the same size material. The reason they were original designed was for race purposes, mainly due to weight, and made ultra thin so as to negate the 30% inefficiency compared to brass. The thinness makes them a lot more likely to go pop too. He said a decent alloy rad for a mini that he would recommend would be in the region of £300. 

 

He also mentioned to avoid the rads which have the plastic header tank as they can be prone to leaking.

 

 

Based on all of that I just plumped for the standard brass Rad for £55. 

[Dusky]

I have to dissagree on 1 part, the standard rad for the cooper S was insufficent.

[ado15]

I have to dissagree on 1 part, the standard rad for the cooper S was insufficent.

 

In what way? Every single Mini to leave the factory, up to Mpi, ran the 3 core rad without any trouble. If there was an endemic issue, the factory would have dealt with it. The only time the factory changed anything was with the use of a 'hot climate' fan on some export models. Even the later models, where an electric fan was fitted, rarely saw the additional fan kick in.

 

Fundamentally, if your standard Mini overheats, there is a cooling system fault. The solution is to locate the fault and correct it. Not fit an oversized radiator and hide the, still existing, fault.