The radiator
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The Expert Advices | 5 tips for improving the efficiency of the cooling system (without changing the radiator)
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5 TIPS FOR IMPROVING THE EFFICIENCY OF THE COOLING SYSTEM (WITHOUT CHANGING THE RADIATOR)
24 April 2022
It is always difficult to keep an eye on the cooling of your kart's engine, especially when temperatures rise. In addition to the air temperature, that of the asphalt also affects it a lot, which can exceed 60°C in the summer, because the radiator, being mounted a few centimetres from the ground, is hit by the air it heats up. Many kart drivers, if they cannot keep engine temperatures under control, meaning around 48-50°C, get discouraged and resort to radical interventions, such as changing the radiator with a new model, that is perhaps larger, hoping for greater performance. In reality, sometimes small tricks are enough to improve, quite significantly, your system’s efficiency. In this article, Marco Malverti, owner of New-Line Racing, guides us in identifying the causes that can make the cooling system work badly and to correct the most common mistakes that are made, explaining how to intervene step by step. By acting on all of his advice, you could reduce the water temperature by up to 5°C, even in extremely hot climates.
“You can improve the efficiency of your cooling system just by avoiding the most common mistakes”
1 Correctly tilting the radiator, depending on the ambient temperature
Many kart drivers neglect, or do not even know, the angle of their radiator and do not adjust it according to the ambient temperature and that of the asphalt.
With ambient temperatures between 10°C and 20°C, the optimal angle is 45° with respect to the horizontal plane. With temperatures between 20°C and 30°C it is held around 55°, a position which is also defined as the standard angle. Above 30°C of ambient temperature, it can even reach an angle of 60°.
On the other hand, when temperatures drop below 10°C, it is much better to keep the radiator lying down, with angles even lower than 40°, rather than having it vertically with the shutter closed (in this regard, read "Expert advice - Kart radiators: how to manage low temperatures with air shields"), above all because the aerodynamic drag is reduced.
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