Griffin Radiators and Thermal Products

FAQ's

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General Questions:

1) Does an aluminum radiator cool better than a copper brass radiator?
An aluminum radiator does cool better than a copper brass radiator. For example, an aluminum radiator with 2 rows of 1" tubes is equivalent to a copper brass radiator with 5 rows of 1/2" tubes. Aluminum provides high efficiency, is lightweight, and has a longer life compared to copper brass.

2) How does your radiator compare to a competitor’s?
Griffin is a true manufacturer. Almost anyone can buy components and assemble a radiator, and truth is that a lot of so-called manufacturers do just that. Griffin is an integrated manufacturer. We make the tubes, fins, headers, side bands, mounting brackets and tanks. By controlling every step of the manufacturing process, we produce a radiator with components that are performance matched for optimum cooling capability. A Griffin is more than some off-the-shelf; one-size-fits-all, cookie cutter product. It is a performance radiator made to meet your specific application.

3) How many degrees will my temperature go down if I switch to your radiator?
A decrease in degrees not only depends on the radiator, but also the other facets of your cooling system, such as fuel, moisture, pulley ratios, timing, etc. Griffin products are designed for a high performance level and are very competitive within the industry.

4) Is a thicker radiator a better radiator?
Thickness requirement depends on the application. There is no reason to build a thicker radiator than required to meet your specific cooling needs.

5) Is a cross flow better than a down flow?
The cross flow and down flow radiators work about the same. Selection is usually based on packaging the radiator into the engine compartment.

6) How many fins per inch do you use?
It depends on the application. More fins per inch generally increases the heat rejection capability of the radiator, but also increases the pressure drop through the radiator. The radiator needs to be properly designed to meet your specific engine cooling requirements.

7) On your race radiator sizes, is that the overall size or the core size?
The sizes listed for our race radiators are actual overall sizes.

8) Will I have to make any modifications to use your radiator?
Modifications should be minor but do depend on the specific customer application.

9) Why do you use epoxy on your radiators, and your competitors don’t?
Griffin uses epoxy to give extra strength to the tube to header joint. The epoxy also provides an extra level of leak protection.

10) Should I be using any kind of additive in the water to protect my aluminum radiator?
Griffin recommends a coolant that contains an aluminum protective additive.

11) What coolant to water ratio should I be using?
Generally the coolant to water ratio should be 50/50.

12) Should I run Redline "water wetter" in your radiator?
Redline "water wetter" is more costly than premium antifreeze, with no apparent advantages.

13) Can I get one of your 4 row aluminum radiators?
Griffin doesn’t recommend a 4 row radiator for street use; because of high air side restriction, excessive fan power would be required to meet idle requirements. All or most of our street radiators will use one of our 2 row 1" or 2 row 1 1/4" tubes. However, if you specifically need a 3 or 4 row aluminum radiator, Griffin has the capability to custom build one for you.

14) What size is the inlet and outlet?
Standard inlet and outlet sizes vary depending on the model.

15) My Griffin radiator cools just fine on the highway but the temperature begins to creep up if I get into traffic. What is causing this?
There can be many causes and the problem needs to be properly diagnosed. This is not necessarily indicative of a cooling problem. Front end air flow goes down with slow/no speed. It is only a problem if you get too hot.

16) My car runs hot on the highway and boils over in traffic? Is this a radiator problem? A hot running car needs to be properly diagnosed. It may be caused by a defective or undersized radiator; however, there may be many other causes such as a defective thermostat, water pump, low coolant, wrong pulley ratios, etc.

17) How do I mount one of your race radiators? Saddle mount with rubber isolators is our recommended mounting for a race radiator.

18) If I put a screw through the sideband, will it be strong enough to support the weight of the radiator? You must use enough screws to support the weight. Make sure the screws do not puncture a tube.

19) Will Griffin weld brackets on the race radiators? Griffin recommends cradle mounts but will weld brackets to the radiator if specifically requested by the customer. This will require an additional charge.

20) I bought one of your race radiators and it does not have a drain. Why? Since most racers don’t use a drain, Griffin does not put one on the race radiators. Also, given the variety of chassis, it is impossible to find one location that would suit every application.

21) What is the alloy that Griffin uses? Griffin uses 3003 as a base alloy. Our braze alloy is either 4004 or 4104. These alloys contain a significant amount of magnesium making them stronger than any alloy that can be used in a CAB or COB (also known as NOCOLOC) process.

22) Do you build triple pass radiators? A triple pass radiator is not a standard build; however, we can build one to a customer’s specific specifications.

23) How thick is the material Griffin uses for the radiator tanks? The radiator tank material used by Griffin is between .063 and 0.125" thick depending on the application.

24) What is the distance between the tubes? The distance between the tubes is 0.351" at the inside and 0.430" at the outside.

25) What is the height inside the tube? The height at the inside of the tube is 0.0511".

26) Why is Griffin’s core glued to the tank? Griffin’s core is always welded to the tank. Griffin does not use any glue in the manufacturing process.

27) How tall is your filler neck? Approximately 7/8" tall.

28) How far does the gambler neck extend toward the engine? It varies with each design.

29) How long are your hose connections? Hose connections are generally about 1.75". This can vary according to application.

30) What is the inside diameter of a -16 AN fitting? The diameter of part -16 AN fitting is .840 I.D. (slightly larger than 3/4").

31) At what temperature will the epoxy melt? Epoxy will resume curing at 375 degrees F and proceed to over cure.

32) If I weld brackets on your radiator, will it melt the epoxy? Welding brackets too close to the epoxy may raise the epoxy temperature over 375 degrees which will cause the epoxy to over cure.

32) If I melt the epoxy on your radiator, will it leak? Epoxy is not used to disguise leaks. It is added for strength and protection; however, epoxy will resume curing at 375 degrees F and proceed to over cure.

33) If I weld brackets on your radiator how do I keep them from melting the epoxy? Griffin doesn’t recommend welding brackets and by doing so the warranty will be void. If welded brackets are required, Griffin can do so prior to the epoxy process. The epoxy cures at 375 degrees. Welding after epoxy is applied may cause it to over cure.

100 Hurricane Creek Road, Piedmont, SC 29673 864.845.5000 • 800.722.3723 • fax 864.845.5001

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