CSF Radiator: Reviews

theDreamer

Thought it would be a good idea to catalog a place for reviews on this radiator since a few people have been picking it up from NA to boosted cars.

My car:
2009 370z 6MT
GTM Stage I Supercharger
CSF Radiator
GTM 25 row oil cooler

Fitment was great, Baker Tuning had no issues putting it in. Quality seems to be on par with other radiators from comparing them to 350z upgraded radiators I have seen. Weight of the radiator is the same as the stock so no savings with that.

Daily driving:
Prior to the radiator change I was running water temps daily of around 220-240. Traffic driving I could see 240 very quickly from just a short 20-30 seconds of idle in 90 degree weather. Once I started to move a little the temps would drop maybe 5 degrees but the moment airflow slowed it would quickly jump back up. My intake temps while driving would range from 10 over ambient to 30-40 over at idle with the amount of heat. Oil temps ranged around 220-230.
After I upgraded the radiator it has been 100 degrees or higher driving and I rarely get above 220 in heavy traffic. Normally I stick around 200-205 in this heat and sitting behind other cars in traffic. Intake temps are about the same so no change with that, oil temps there might be a slight drop as I still see 220 but it drops down to 210 quickly after I start to move forward.

Highway:
Open highway prior to the radiator I would see around 210-220 water temps and if I got on it hard I could push it to 240 very quickly. Air intake temps were about 5-10 above ambient and oil temps varied based on airflow, outside temps were in the 90s.
Highway driving after the upgrade I could stick to 200 water temps while driving on the freeway and this was put through a very long test drive. Houston to Dallas is about 3.5-4 hours and on a cruise about a month ago I could keep the temps below 205. This was driving at 75-85mph, RPMs were just at 3k or higher for most of the trip. Now this is not pushing it to the level of track testing as you spend most of your time in the 5k or higher range, but for street driving I found the radiator to more than handle itself.

The worse I have been able to push this radiator was 228 on the street in 105 degree temps outside, and about 3-5 minutes of heavy driving in the upper RPM range. About 2 minutes after I was finished and cruising the temps dropped from 228 to 205 quickly. Prior to the CSF radiator the temps would maybe drop to 220 during cruising after a hard run like that. Also, outside temps prior to the upgrade were 90s and now they are 100+ everyday so I definitely have not been giving the radiator a break.

Overall I would say this is a great upgrade for boosted cars looking to keep the temps down. Now for some pictures:

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daisuke149

good review man! ive had mine for a while now too

SPOHN

NIce review. This is on my next year plan along with something else if it plays out right.

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advan37

Nice write up !! I'm also planning to get one , maybe next year. I upgraded my coolant thermostat recently , it reduce my coolant temp for almost 6c or so , it was 103c (220F) in traffic befor but now 94-96c which is actually good.

How is AC now? do feel its better in traffic?

theDreamer

I actually never thought about the AC until the last couple of days. I would say it is stays very cold even if my temps rise above 220. Basically if there is any airflow to the radiator it will be cold.

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theDreamer's Z // Fast Intentions // Uprev // GTM // HKS // TEIN
theDreamer's Silvia // URAS // GREDDY
Houston Zs // Facebook // Twitter // Instagram

advan37

In my case , when coolant temp reach 220F the AC not blowing much/enough cold air and sometimes the AC compressor shut down untill temp come down , of course this only in traffic in very hot day (at night its ice in any condition).

Now after upgraded the thermostat i feel better.

advan37

Btw , how many layers of the core in this CSF radiator?

fuct

yea a detailed break down of the differences over the stock unit would be cool.

good write up OP.

wind.zero

The radiator is a radiator/condense combo, right? So the shop had to completely evacuate and recharge your A/C system after installing the CSF radiator. That is the only thing keeping me from doing this myself. I also think GTM is working on some high output cooling options.

Looks really good though and something I need given the heat wave this summer in Texas.

theDreamer

I think the design of it is meant to be more efficient than OEM and larger, both play into providing better cooling. Downside is it is a single core like OEM.

Here are some specs on it:

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theDreamer's Z // Fast Intentions // Uprev // GTM // HKS // TEIN
theDreamer's Silvia // URAS // GREDDY
Houston Zs // Facebook // Twitter // Instagram

jnaut

Very informative...Good write -up

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Best 1/4 mile 12.24 Best mph 114.5_______

SPOHN

Yea, I forgot about the GTM cooling options. I need to wait for that.

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advan37

If is has at least 2 cores even with same size you will see more cooling.

Anyway its still better than the OEM , thanks for information.

theDreamer

Oh I know, one reason I was a little disappointed at first.
Though after install and running it I would say it is a solid upgrade for the amount of power I have, though better cooling is always better.

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theDreamer's Z // Fast Intentions // Uprev // GTM // HKS // TEIN
theDreamer's Silvia // URAS // GREDDY
Houston Zs // Facebook // Twitter // Instagram

98intrigue

Mine is still sitting in my trunk...but after your review, I think I'll install it this weekend.

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