Time for a cooling system refresh - OEM radiator still the way to go?

[LSBNick]

This is all very interesting as I’ve only read/seen good things about CSF as a whole. I’ve had one on my car for almost a year now with absolutely no issues. Car hasn’t seen a track day, but does see spirited driving on street and plenty of mountain runs which can last a few hours. Coolant temp always stays dead center, not once creeping past it.

[Rich022]

INA is a good brand for pulley's and tensioner. I have currently on my M3. Shouldn't worry about them.

eacman is right- for the CSF radiator to work properly (i went thru this myself) it requires higher airflow or more negative pressure in your engine bay (ie hood vents or something) to pull the air thru that radiator.
I"ve Been running a Nissens for almost a year now. paid 285$ from FCP. Now $434-uff.

Anyone have negative issues with Nissens vs. BMW poor cooling etc. ?

[t44tq]

CSF, Mishimoto- all Chinese crap. Avoid. Inconsistent quality, poor durability.

Aluminum radiators have to be properly made or they often leak at the welds.

[t44tq]

They probably get away with it because Nissen is an OEM(anufacturer), maybe for some JDM car, but not for BMW, which is what we care about.

Nissens is a Dutch company- they don't make radiators for Japanese cars. They make them for some cheaper Euro cars, AFAIK.

[TeddybearCup]

Yeah, for track use. Including long sessions (45minutes and up) in 100F heat, or dual driver duty at the track.

[Tbonem3]

Better meaning what - for track? Because nothing is better than OE for a street car, and even amateur track days. OE rad (modine) is never Inadequate so nothing can be "better." Almost everything is a compromise in one direction or the other.

[TeddybearCup]

So to sum up the thread:
Move away from CSF, avoid Nissens.
BMW OE is good but out of stock.
And Koyo, PWR, and Zionsville are all better than OE?

Currently have CSF which didn't perform any better than a beat up OEM one (needle still creeps to the upper dot in mild midwest weather), so looking to swap it out.

[wahsm]

This is one thing that I noticed which bugs me a bit about FCP's labeling. The tag looks like the part itself is OEM but it may mean the *manufacturer* is *an* OEM but not always THE OEM like you mentioned...

They do tag original manufacture as OE on their website, OEM is not considered OE. They have a page about the differences on their website.

[wahsm]

Plastic was an issue on E36, not E46, but it certainly is good to have a quality alternative when all the other e46 m3 specific radiators are worse than stock. Haven't seen a bad word of the Koyo.

Yeah everyone that owns one has been happy with it, myself included. Never heard of issues with the OE radiation and plastic, but figured if I can avoid plastic, not a bad idea. This car see sees maybe 4500 km a year, so may be the last radiator I have to buy for it.

[KaktusJaque]

Hello new to this forum. Mostly been on E46fanatics. I am about to do my cooling system. I was considering the Mishimoto radiator. Has anyone used one and what are your thoughts...or is it still OEM.

[Cronenberged]

I'm surprised no one is mentioning the PWR radiator as a good all aluminum alternative. It's the same capacity as the stock radiator and they're considered one of the best in the racing industry. I'm assuming this is why ESS only recommended them in a previously posted statement. Even their oil cooler uses the stock mounting. Only downside to PWR I can see is that they only have a 5 year warranty and the return policy with FCP imo makes getting OE/OEM more appealing. That and in cost comparison I can save around $300 with the modine.

[Aeko]

They probably get away with it because Nissen is an OEM(anufacturer), maybe for some JDM car, but not for BMW, which is what we care about.

This is one thing that I noticed which bugs me a bit about FCP's labeling. The tag looks like the part itself is OEM but it may mean the *manufacturer* is *an* OEM but not always THE OEM like you mentioned...

[Tbonem3]

Plastic was an issue on E36, not E46, but it certainly is good to have a quality alternative when all the other e46 m3 specific radiators are worse than stock. Haven't seen a bad word of the Koyo.

[wahsm]

Why's that? It's double the cost.

Not when I bought it. And I prefer not to have plastic on my radiators, car has stayed pretty cool on track with it as well, helps to have a little extra capacity. I'm sure new OE would have been better with my old one, but Koyo has a good reputation in the JDM tuning scene and been happy with it. Good alternative to OE.

[Tbonem3]

koyo... glad I went with it over OE.

Why's that? It's double the cost.