I believe aluminum is actually not as good a thermal conductor as copper. In any case, cooling will be functions of radiator size and fins per inch as well as air flow through the radiator. Increasing any of the above will remove more heat. Sometimes simple things like louvers located towards the rear of the hood and/or fenders will reduce air pressure buildup under the hood and thus allow more air to flow through the radiator when the vehicle is moving.
Unless the present system has capacity problems maintaining the correct temp, an aluminum radiator will not make a difference. If the system has a 190º stat and the current radiator just cannot keep up on a very hot day, and there are no internal problems such as clogged passages, nasty high viscosity coolant, etc, then an aluminum radiator of comparable size will have more capacity to cool. I have never understood some people on some sites posting the have a 180º stat, and the vehicle will not cool on a mildly warm day below 210º, so they buy a new high capacity aluminum radiator and now it runs 160º all day no matter how hot. No radiator, regardless how big it is will cause a vehicle to run cooler than the thermostat temp that is installed unless it has some magical power to override a mechanical thermostat. So I don't understand some ads I have seen in the past stating something like this radiator wiill lower your operating temps by 40º.
I believe aluminum is actually not as good a thermal conductor as copper. In any case, cooling will be functions of radiator size and fins per inch as well as air flow through the radiator. Increasing any of the above will remove more heat. Sometimes simple things like louvers located towards the rear of the hood and/or fenders will reduce air pressure buildup under the hood and thus allow more air to flow through the radiator when the vehicle is moving.
I always thought aluminum was a better conductor of heat, but not as good a conductor of electrical current flow. The key word is thought, I may be wrong on both counts.
Copper is better then aluminum. On computer heat sinks, the metal that sits on the chip to "pull" the heat away, copper is better the aluminum.
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2000 Tundra Access Cab
Survived 5 tropical storms and 5 hurricanes
Survived a baseball sized hail storm
Hosted numerous tailgate parties
Water balloon refilling depot
Served as a portable pool
"I remember a Senator once asked me 'when we talk about CIA why we never use the word the in front of it.' And I asked him 'do you put the word the in front of God?'"
-Richard Hayes, The Good Shepherd
good place to ask this question- what's the norm on an extremely hot summer day for the coolant temp to be at while sitting stationary? mine tapped 216 F today sitting in a parking lot w/ the AC on (it was 109 here today)
__________________ 2000 Tundy SR5 4.7 w/ S&S Headers, K&N FIPK w/ Custom Heat Shields, Unichip, Full Custom Exhaust w/ high-flow cats, Magnaflow 14" dumped, Qtech Exhaust cutout, Bilstein 5100's, TSB'd front calipers, rear AAL, plus some aesthetic and sound modifications
Generally, copper conducts better and faster ( electricity as well as heat ) because it weighs more, thus is a better heat sink.
However, aluminum dissipates faster ( its thermal conductivity is higher )
Which one is best for a radiator with a liquid medium ?
Tough question indeed !
Let's remember that the thermostat will dictate at what temp. the radiator will start doing its job. Also, how many layers of coils does it have ? and what is the size and concentration of the fins ?
At the end of the day, the copper radiator will weigh more, cost more and will be able to store more heat, but the aluminum one will dissipate that heat faster.
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Boosting happily ...
List of mods ( growing Daily ): L.E.D.s inside , Camper Shell with inside lights, Back up sensors and Camera , Subwoofer and Amp , Scangauge II , Hellwig Rear Bar , Billet Rear windows hinges, K&N Air Intake , Heated Seats, Tailgate assist bar, Westin Bull Bar and Skid Plate, Under hood lights, 1.25" Spidertrax spacers in Front, 1.75" wheeladapter spacers in back, Ultimate window tint, Multivex Mirrors.
I always thought aluminum was a better conductor of heat, but not as good a conductor of electrical current flow. The key word is thought, I may be wrong on both counts.
In most cases materials that are strong electrical conductors will also be strong temperature conductors. Copper is a superior conductor of both over aluminum, but is denser so there can be a net gain in vehicle performance by scrubbing weight over cooling performance.
good place to ask this question- what's the norm on an extremely hot summer day for the coolant temp to be at while sitting stationary? mine tapped 216 F today sitting in a parking lot w/ the AC on (it was 109 here today)
What are you using to determine that you are at that exact temp?
I have a problem where my 2000 4x4 V8 is overheating when pulling a travel trailer during the peak of the heat of day. I would like to quantify how much more the coolant is heating up.
i have never seen mine go above 197* it has been into the 100's for sure all since last week and a/c is always on and i sit in minor traffic but i do sit at some point and still never goes higher.....
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2005 Toyota Tundra Blue Steel Metallic (SR5® Access 4.7L i-Force V8 with VVT-i)
(K&N 77 Series Intake, ScanGauge II, Nokya Yellow Fogs (as DRL), Black Headlights, Tinted Side Markers, BSP Logos, Black Side Molding, Black Billet Grille, Red V8 Grill Logo, Custom Black "TRD Off Road" Graphics, Custom V8 side fender logos, 6000K HID Headlights (Halogen High Beam) Kenwood Deck, Infinity Speakers, Alpine 5-Channel Amp, 12" Infinity Sub(Custom Box)
(Future: Magnaflow 22" Single-Dual Exhaust, Electric Fan Conversion, Infinity Mono Amp For Extra Sub Power, Rims and Tires (17"))
i have never seen mine go above 197* it has been into the 100's for sure all since last week and a/c is always on and i sit in minor traffic but i do sit at some point and still never goes higher.....
Its true in your case, but attach trailer (roughly 5,000 lbs) and drive trough that same traffic your talking about. Trans fluid gets very hot, on top of radiator working overtime also... + Condenser is super hot = so it all adds up, and since his truck is not new, I guess radiator can't keep up with cooling (and probably mechanical fan is not in great shape either). One of the main reasons I've upgraded my radiator. And since my upgrade, I have nothing but happy days when I tow.
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2006 Toyota Sequoia Limited 4x4 w/ lxr package, 7008 navi, rear entartaiment system, 20" x-sp enkei.
2001 Toyota Tundra SR5 4x4 - TRD 9+Psi Supercharged, JBA Ceramic Headers, Walboro 255LPH Fuel Pump, 1UZ Rods, 20" x-sp enkei wheels, 7009 navi w/custom JBL wire harness + OEM XM/Sirus radio, drive by wire, and many other mods.
The original question kind of got things down a rabbit hole. The OEM radiator IS aluminum with nylon endtanks. Aftermarket units, made from aluminum, will likely have aluminum endtanks. Any improvement in cooling over an OEM radiator in perfect condition would be due to design differences, like the number of rows in the core or cross-flow vs. vertical flow or surface area, etc.
Using a scan gauge, my truck with stock cooling setup stays below 200* at all times. I'm in Florida with ambient temps upwards of 95* and humidity in excess of 70%.
Poor cooling is likely a result of: 1) obstruction of the radiator due to debris, 2) poor flow through radiator due to scaling or gumming, 3) stuck or partially obstructed thermostat, 4) defective water pump (impeller spinning or excessive pitting on the impeller or water pump housing), 5) possibly a bad fan clutch (would only show during stop-and-go conditions). All of this assumes that there's enough coolant in the system and there is no trapped air.
What are you using to determine that you are at that exact temp?
I have a problem where my 2000 4x4 V8 is overheating when pulling a travel trailer during the peak of the heat of day. I would like to quantify how much more the coolant is heating up.
You should also mention that you have SC on your truck and your trailer is 26'-0" long. I know those details make a big difference, since SC is running very close to cooling capacity as it is. With big trailer its a must to have bigger radiator.
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2006 Toyota Sequoia Limited 4x4 w/ lxr package, 7008 navi, rear entartaiment system, 20" x-sp enkei.
2001 Toyota Tundra SR5 4x4 - TRD 9+Psi Supercharged, JBA Ceramic Headers, Walboro 255LPH Fuel Pump, 1UZ Rods, 20" x-sp enkei wheels, 7009 navi w/custom JBL wire harness + OEM XM/Sirus radio, drive by wire, and many other mods.
Temp difference w/Aluminum Rads
2000 Tundy SR5
Linear Mode
