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V6 cooling system upgrade options?

losh1971

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I noticed the VR runs pretty hot in this weather. It's worst when towing or going up hill. I have seen temps when pushing it with aircon on as high as 3/4. What is the easiest or cheapest option to keep it a tad cooler. I sometimes switch off the air if going up steep hills in the summer. Everything is stock, except I have a trans cooler. My rad is ali with plastic tanks, which I'm not sure if that maybe should be replaced for something better down the track.
 

EYY

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Have you ever had the radiator cleaned or replaced? The stock system is adequate for the v6 but is on the edge for the v8. You shouldn’t have any issues if all is working as it should even towing with ac on, on a hot day.

Pretty common for the temp senders to read hotter than they should though. Seems to happen when they go bad.
 

losh1971

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I will replace the sender then. Rather than have the rad cleaned i think a replacement would be better. It looks to me like a fairly cheap rad. Its only an ali with plastic tanks. Although having said that its still strong, as when it boiled and pushed coolant out the overflow onto the ground it never leaked.
 

losh1971

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Would a decent rad from the rad shop work better than the one I have @EYY
 

lowandslow

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For a V6 a $90 ebay special will do. Used one on our super 6 and currently got one in the daily wagon. No probs at all.
 

EYY

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Yep the eBay cheapies are the go. They came with a plastic one from the factory with the v6 and even the v8’s changed to the plastic tanks in vs s2. No need to get fancy with radiators or pay a premium price when dealing with mostly stock vehicles.
 

lowandslow

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and for $90 if you get 3-4 years out of it, your likely to have sold the car by then.
 

gtrboyy

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vs v8 s3 has an extra core.

Thought the vp ran hot when first got it..assumed it had wrong sender untill bled system 3-4 times over 2 month period.

Then with tuned memcal ran much better & seemed to stay cooler as thermofan cut in much less.

Still kept old thermostat & junk looking radiator it came with...flushed system untill orange/brown water was gone lol
 

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VS S2/S3 has one less core from factory (plastic/alloy) than earlier models (copper/brass) from what I’ve seen and been told. All 4 s3’s v8’s I’ve owned had only the two core plastic radiators and I can only assume they were all stock but may not have been
 

gohrdrgomad

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I noticed the VR runs pretty hot in this weather. It's worst when towing or going up hill. I have seen temps when pushing it with aircon on as high as 3/4. What is the easiest or cheapest option to keep it a tad cooler. I sometimes switch off the air if going up steep hills in the summer. Everything is stock, except I have a trans cooler. My rad is ali with plastic tanks, which I'm not sure if that maybe should be replaced for something better down the track.
If the alloy fins are choked up with roadkill bugs n g-hoppers or bent/dinted the cooling ability reducess. You can spend some time picking them out with some tweezers then give the area a hose out. Give it a flush with a cleaner and fill with new coolant ( penrite consitrate) dilute at 50% for maximum cooling and freezing properties. Even check the thermostat is opening fully.
 
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