Should You Fit Newer and More Efficient Radiators to Your Heavy-Duty Truck?
If you have a heavy-duty truck that is designed to haul a considerable load, you know that you need to pay special attention to its cooling. You're working in an environment that is known for oppressive heat as it is, so the vehicle will undoubtedly generate a lot of energy when it is fully laden and working under pressure. You need to make sure that your cooling system is as efficient as possible, and you must pay most attention of all to the quality of the radiator. Are you working with outdated or inefficient technology here, and if so, what should you do about it?
How the System Works
As you know, your radiator has to be very efficient at exchanging the heat pulled out of the engine block when it is under load.
When the vehicle is in motion, hot water feeds into the radiator's inlet tank before being distributed across its core. This core is made up of tiny tubes that are set out in a matrix pattern and laid out in several rows or stacks. The water is circulated through all of these tubes and moves to the opposite side of the radiator before it is directed back to the engine once again.
In between these tubes are a number of fins. As the water flows through each tube, the heat is transferred to the fins before being released to the atmosphere and the design of the radiator is crucial to its overall efficiency.
Older Technology
Many older vehicles are fitted with a five-row radiator core, but with technology, that may be somewhat out of date. The individual tubes and fins are smaller than in modern radiators and may not enjoy the more efficient design found today.
Better Design
You may benefit from fitting a new, smaller but more modern radiator that has a different tube design. Each tube has tiny dimples stamped into the surface which can cause the coolant inside to swirl. This extra movement increases heat transfer, and a number of additional fins are added in this design. More attention is paid to the first couple of rows as well, as this is where most of the cooling takes place.
Fitting Replacement
So if you find that you are having problems with cooling on your older trucks and have not upgraded the radiator in some time, perhaps you should fit a new, high-efficiency version instead.
Reach out to a supplier of truck parts, such as Isuzu truck parts, to learn more.