Track Test Tech | Kart radiator track test: given the same dimensions, how much does the type of radiator core count?

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test KART RADIATORS: GIVEN AN EQUAL SURFACE AREA, HOW MUCH DOES THE TYPE OF RADIATOR CORE COUNT?

Yanek Sterzel

19 August 2021

It might come naturally to think that the larger the surface area of a radiator’s core, the greater its ability to cool. With the help of New-Line Racing, which provided us with three different types of radiator cores (the “Standard”, the “MAX” and the new entry “MAX2”) of identical dimensions, we discovered that there are other parameters that greatly influence a radiator’s effectiveness. For example,…

test in points

What

Given the same radiator core surface area, analyze how much the constructive and structural characteristics of the core can affect cooling capacity.

How

With the assistance of New-Line Racing, we carried out three identical track tests using 3 different radiator cores, each featuring different structures and design characteristics, but identical radiator core surface areas.
The three cores tested were:
– Standard
– MAX
– MAX2

Where

At the “7 laghi kart” track – Castelletto di Branduzzo (Pavia) – Italy

Conditions

For once, the conditions of the asphalt and the track, in terms of the amount of rubber on the asphalt, were of little importance. What may be worth noting is that the temperature of the asphalt reached about 45° C on all 3 tests. Furthermore, the test took place at the hottest time of the day, more precisely from 12.25 pm to 1.18 pm.

Weather

29,7 / 31,4°C

IN THEORY

SURFACE AREAS

Speaking of radiator cores, the first variable that influences their performance is undoubtedly the size of the radiator core itself. Purely theoretically, the larger the surface area, the greater the ability to exchange heat. In this test, the surfaces of the cores were not a variable, but a fixed constant. Indeed, the 3 radiators tested all had the following measurements:
– Width 245 mm
– Height 420 mm

Those are the dimensions of the RS model radiator in the New-Line Racing range, a size “M”, so to speak.

What changed were the other elements, which you can see by clicking on the buttons on this slide, as well as the thickness, which varied by 5 mm depending on the core.

IN THEORY

TUBES

In order to flow from the upper to the lower end of the radiator, water moves through long, thin ducts called tubes.
They are positioned side by side at a set distance. They can be [1] single or [2] dual, meaning there can be a tube that measures the total thickness of the radiator, or there can be two tubes, one front and the other rear, spaced apart. The number of tubes and their dimensions obviously influence the radiator’s ability to dissipate heat. In theory, dual tubes allow air to make contact with a greater surface area. Incoming air makes contact with the first tube and is then channeled into the space between the first and the second tube. Subsequently, the flow of air also makes contact with the second tube, dissipating the heat more evenly along the entire thickness of the radiator.