Third Radiator Kit anyone?
 

I was wondering if anyone has installed this part. Sounds like a good idea to me, specially living in South Florida. Anyone can think of any negative side effect?

Thanks,


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A third radiator is used in the X-51 powerkit. It extends across the entire center bay in the grill. It comes with ductwork, but no separate fan & is plumbed in series with the side radiator. FVD in Florida sell a parts kit for it, and probably others. Including coolant, it may add 10-15 pounds to the nose of the car. The bumper cover has to come off for installation & the cooling system properly bled of air.

My car never ran hot, but it seemed like a good idea to beef up the cooling system, in conjunction with other work. The only negative effect I can think of is wallet deflation.

I had it in my 996 and it help keeping the temp down.
It's a good move.

Also the tiptronic cars have the 3rd radiator.

What is the function of the center radiator in the Tiptronic equipped 997/997S? Does it provide additional cooling for the engine like the third radiator does in the X51 equipped 997S or does it provide cooling for the automatic transmission?

Yeah but it's for the transmission not the engine.

On tip cars it's a trans cooler. On X51 cars it's an add'l coolant radiator.

What happens when you have an x51 with a tip?..GR

There's a complete DIY with pictures on RennTech for the 3rd radiator. Go into the 996 section and do a search for Third Radiator Install....complete with pictures.

I would assume trans cooler, i could be wrong though.

It seems like a good idea to me if you're south of the Mason-Dixon line. There is some weight gain up in front (maybe 25 lbs with coolant counted in) but the aid to the engine can't be discounted. Perhaps with a GT3 nose you can get more effective airflow over it.

I think the X51 kit is only available for cars with manual transmission, or at least that is the case for the 996 series.

Nikos.

With the 997 it's available with the tip as well.

If you are having overheating issues (over 260 or so), then the middle radiator is probably worth considering. I have tracked my 997S several times, and never experience overheating problems. It seems to level off around 250. Other than the cost, the downside is the inherent risk of problems/leaks. Porsche locates the radiators where they are very much at risk for damage, and the only thing worse than the OE arrangement, is adding more surface area and hose connections to that potential problem. If it ain't broke.....

If your coolant temps ever reach 250F, you have some serious problems with the car and need more than a few extra radiators to correct it. :icon501: