Champion 26" Radiator Review
So I see no issue with putting a 26 in a 22 hole but is there that much more to be had in doing so really? is there a BIG gain, I have my remote filter mounted on the forward end of the pass frame rail and would need to relocate again if I was to run a 26" and Im just not seeing the gain in it as such, thoughts?
Well, the 22" radiator has a core that's roughly 18x22, while the 26" radiator has a core that's 18x26. The math works out to say that the 26" radiator has 8% more surface area, which is actually a pretty big deal when it comes to heat transfer. And if you're comparing an aftermarket radiator with an OE radiator, the aftermarket ones are usually 3 core instead of 2, so, more cooling again.
I don't think they're always needed. Most people can keep their engines cool with a 22" radiator as long as the rest of the cooling system is up to spec or improved (higher flow water pumps and a good fan). If your 22" radiator keeps your car cool, you don't need one. In my case I was swapping from a /6 to a LA engine so the radiator had to change anyway, and the 26" 3 core isn't much more expensive than a 22" 3 core. And since nothing is numbers matching on my car anyway I figured I'd rather install the 26" and be done with it. The 22" would probably have worked fine, but the 26" also allowed me to use the Ford Contour dual electric fan set up, which works great and it less expensive than the fancy aftermarket electric fans, despite having a great cfm rating and being designed and tested to last hundreds of thousands of miles in its OE setting.
Is this a common problem with these? I don't want to buy something and regret it.
The most common problem with them is the radiator having a little warp to it across the mounting points. Some are worse than others. The mounting flanges on the radiator are generic, so you have to drill new mounting holes in the flanges to use the stock mounting points on the radiator support. I've never heard of one missing any welds, and the weld quality on mine is great.
The quality control is a little lacking, not all of them are perfect. I think the biggest thing is to buy from a seller that you trust and that has a good return policy, in case you get one you're not happy with the first time around. Or you can pay 2-3x more and get a quality brand name, but not all of those are always perfect either.
