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View Full Version : Mattsons Vs PRC Tri-5 Radiator setup



1957randy
02-10-2014, 06:14 AM
Hi Guys,

I was ready to order my radiator and noticed Mattsons Custom Radiator was in our vendor list. I know a few here have used PRC. I was wondering if anybody has had any experience good or bad with Mattsons. Quality, customer service or build time ?

Thanks

Randy

JT56
02-10-2014, 08:15 AM
Randy I cant say anything about the comparison between the two. What I can say is I own a PRC and run it for almost 3 years and have no issues with it. You might want to call each one of them and tell them its down to these two and why should I buy yours?

I will tell you not to use the orange anti-freeze, because it will stain the aluminum! They make green now for aluminum.

Joey

1957randy
02-10-2014, 01:28 PM
Thanks Joey,

I went with the Mattson unit. It is a little more moneythan the PRC, but the hard lines are included for the A/C. Shipping is also free for members of our group. PRC told me 5 weeks. I think Mattsons is going to beat that. I'll keep everyone posted. JR took my order and was very helpful and excited at the opportunity to satisfy my needs.

Randy

JT56
02-10-2014, 03:45 PM
Great Randy, posts some pics and keep us posted

OLKY55
02-10-2014, 05:47 PM
I would be interested in hearing how it works out. I was talking to Mattson's about my overheating problem. I wanted to try one of their sidewinder fans with my Griffin radiator, before I go to a cross-flow. He mentioned that they've built some triple-pass units for a few high horse Texas cars.

Rick_L
02-10-2014, 06:01 PM
Thing is, double and triple pass radiators have their own issues. They aren't going to help much at low rpm. Air flow is king there.

JT56
02-10-2014, 08:08 PM
Surface area is key too

chevynut
02-10-2014, 08:53 PM
I never did understand the whole "multi-pass radiator" hype. From an engineering perspective it makes no sense to me. Sure, it sounds good from a marketing point of view..."hey, I have a triple-pass radiator" which makes it sounds like a high performance thing.

But it's a fallacy, in my opinion.

Convective heat transfer out of a radiator depends on three parameters.....h x A x deltaT where h is a convective heat transfer coefficient that is a function of surface roughness, airflow, etc., A is the area of the radiator core, and delta T is the difference between the radiator fin temperature and ambient temperature. That's all there is to it on the outside. Inside, as coolant flows and heat is removed, the coolant has to conduct heat to the tubes. A higher flowrate means better conduction.

So let's look at two radiators with the same convective heat transfer coefficient, and the same area. The only difference is one is a "one pass" where all the tube are in parallel, and the other is a 3-pass where three groups of tubes are in series. Essentially, the tubes are just plumbed differently and they're otherwise identical. Let's say the radiator core is 15" x 30". which is fairly typical.

The 3-pass radiator is essentially a long radiator 5" tall and 90" long. The other single-pass parallel tube radiator is 15" tall and 30" long.

Because of the design of the 3-pass radiator, the speed of the coolant through it will be triple that of the single pass. However, it has three times the distance to flow, so logic tells me that the exit temperature and heat removal is about the same. In fact, the 3-pass would have a slightly higher overall resistance to flow. At typical flow rates I think you would have turbulent flow in any radiator.

Remember these facts when thinking about a cooling system.....As the coolant flows through a radiator, heat is removed by the air flowing across it. The amount of heat that's removed determines the average temperature of the coolant in the entire system. Convective heat transfer is greatest when there's a large difference between the ambient temperature and the average radiator temperature. Higher coolant speeds improve heat transfer by reducing the fluid boundary layer..up to a point where you have turbulent flow.

This is also why restrictors make no sense from a heat transfer point of view. If you slow the coolant flow down, the difference between the entry and exit coolant temperatures will be higher. That means the average radiator surface temperature will be lower, which in turn means there is less heat transfer out of the system, so the system temperature will rise. The more heat you can pull out of the system, the lower the system temperature will be.

So I can see no engineering explanation as to why a 3-pass radiator would be superior to a one-pass design of the same size. I would like to see data from testing of these radiators. Perhaps the higher flowrate, causing more turbulence offsets the increased flow resistance? I'm not sure.

But marketing hype doesn't care about engineering analysis.

Rick_L
02-11-2014, 09:41 AM
I think you answered your own question. It's the extra turbulence from the higher flow velocity. All other key parameters are the same as you point out.

But you also have a larger pressure drop through the radiator. This in turn may cause a need for a better water pump - one with less leakage across the impeller.

The Nascar guys use multi-pass radiators. They even put a pressure gauge on the inlet pressure to the radiator. If the pressure drops during a race, it's because there's a coolant leak or other problem. This gives the driver an indication that something needs to be done to refill the cooling system or the engine is going to overheat to the point of blowing up.

1957randy
02-27-2014, 10:11 AM
Follow up to my Mattsons radiator setup:

I ordered A full radiator and core support system Februray 10th and received a call today February 27th, it was complete and being shipped.

Talk about service, less than 2 weeks and they gave me a discount for being a Tri-5 member.

JT56
02-27-2014, 10:38 AM
1957Randy...great news;congrats.