I dug up some old threads on the aluminum radiators and found several discussions on quality issues. Not to start any kind of argument here, honestly just looking for the best option for my issue, but have the issues been sorted out now or can it be assumed the current stock would be prone to the same failures?

 

I bought the CSF aluminum radiator from Roger two years ago and was amazed at the fit and quality. The car runs cooler and the needle barely gets into the "normal" range. For an '85S, originality is not going to add much to the value so I would go with the aluminum. Roger or Mark - can't go wrong either way.

 

 

And it is hands down the best aftermarket solution out there. Actually, unless one wants to spend $2k with Porsche, it's the only solution.

 

Kudos to Mark @ 928 Intl for working with CSF to define an all new alloy radiator with the same dimensions as the original stock radiator.
Quality is excellent and they have been in service for over two years (correct me here Mark) with zero issues so far.

 

I think if you do your research that these older alloy radiators were made by other parties such as Devek.

We do not have much of a choice these days. There are only two radiators available that I am aware of - CSF for $595 or Porsche for circa $2000. Any other radiator is not a direct fit and function alternative.

 

That's good to hear!

Are these plastic side tanks apart of the new aluminum radiator, or are they replaced entirely in the new design?

 

Pardon my ignorance on these radiators, but if the car originally had the oil cooler (I'm not sure if mine does), could this be just be blocked off instead of drilling?

 

The new Rads that Mark and Roger sell are all Aluminum (no plastic tanks), they come with an oil cooler and I believe they all come w/ the Trans cooler for the Automatic.
if your 928 is a manual then just leave in the blocking plugs and don't use the additional trans cooler.
I've personally installed two of these and the quality and fit was great, I'd suggest you purchase some new decals to top off the stock look

Dave

 

And I keep the decals in stock as well as the new radiator 8>)

 

Do I need to start a hoarder's collection of radiator end tanks too?

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The radiator cores expand and contract with changes in heat/temperature. The original design, with aluminum cores and plastic end tanks worked pretty darn well at tolerating the various stresses caused by "hotter right side, top hotter than bottom, rear rows cooler than front rows" heat distribution. The core would bend and twist, and the plastic tanks and the o-ring seals would follow along and keep the coolant inside. The all-aluminum replacements with soft-drawn and annealed/stress-relieved end tank welds do a pretty amazing job too. At the end of all this, the radiator itself needs to be able to move around relatively freely. To that end, users would do very well to replace the work-hardened and heat-cured radiator supports whenever a new or repaired radiator is put back in the car. If your car still has the original pieces, it's a good idea to replace the support rubber even before the radiator fails. I know how tempting it is to just do a little adjustment on those top supports. The radiator is loose there after the rubber shrinks and hardens, so I'll just get rid of the play... Much better to replace those pieces with nice new flexible rubber pieces. That allows the radiator to move around as it expands and contracts, unconstrained by the body mounts. Consider also that movement of the chassis in front can apply even more odd stress to the radiator as you drive, and especially if you happen to jack the car up by just one of the front jack points at a time. Do any adjusting of the support brackets with the engine hot and running, and leave a little room for it to wiggle in the rubber.

Roger/Mark/Vendors -- be sure to remind radiator and tank/seal buyers that these need to be replaced. It would seem like a good warranty requirement.

 

392 CSF radiators sold to date so lots of real world experience out there.

 

I'm another fan of the CSF radiator that Mark and Roger sell. It's first-class construction and a perfect drop in fit, and it looks great too! No end tanks to worry about.

Put the new decals on it and you are good to go.

 

Quick update guys, I got a CSF radiator from Roger and am planning to install it as soon as it warms up a bit outside. Thanks for all the help!