JPaul
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I was perusing parts recently to see if there was anything else I wanted to replace once I put the H3 down for the season for a refresh, when I noticed something peculiar.
It turns out, the GM OEM radiator is listed as having a core thickness of 1.06", which supposedly the majority of aftermarket versions also have (but I have doubts). Whereas the CSF produced version, (stock type, not the all aluminum one), is only listed as a 7/8" thick core.
Since I have both, with the CSF currently installed and an old leaky GM OEM sitting in my barn, I went out to verify these dimensions. I used a thin piece of copper wire, bent an "L" at the end, marked off 7/8", 1", and 1 1/8" with a sharpie, and then checked the thickness of the cores. Sure enough, the CSF is only 7/8" thick, while the OEM was 1" thick. That is a difference of 12.5%. Frankly, that is quite a difference.
And right before I was about to hit "Post", I thought of checking something else. The number of tubes. Maybe the CSF has more than OEM to compensate? WRONG.
The CSF has 57 tubes. OEM, 62. So not only is the CSF thinner, it has fewer tubes! Rough math puts it at 20% less cooling than GM OEM.
Needless to say, since I have already put 4 years on the CSF I am going to get a new GM radiator and switch them out while doing the refresh.
Here are the other ones I could figure out based on photos and details on Rockauto:
The photo for the Agility was highly suspicious as it had been edited in Paint or something to black out labels that were on the upper tank. Still, 67 rows isn't anything I saw on any of the others. Since it is only $97 I might buy one just to see what it is really like. I also checked NAPA just for kicks, and it turns out that their house brand part # is sourced from the same manufacturer. But for nearly 3 times as much of course. I won't be near the closest NAPA that has one in stock to get a visual on it until September 7th, so if anyone else wants to see if their local NAPA has one and wants to check out the core thickness and tube count, that'd be cool. NAPA part #: NRC NR2855B
Also noteworthy is the prodigious amount of part numbers that are either just, or end with, 2855. That means they are likely all the same, and judging by the fact that the Spectra and Ultra-Power have 57 rows, while the others have 61, It's likely a crapshoot as to which one you will get. Also worth pointing out is that other than the GM which I have verified, and the Nissens and Denso radiators, I am not entirely confident that any of the others that are listed with a 1 inch core thickness really are that, especially since the CSF is also made in China like the rest of this group and it has the same tube count as some of them.
Lastly, only Koyorad lists 5 plates for the transmission cooler, all the rest that list the number of plates puts them at 4. GM does not list how many plates it has.
The short of this is that there is clearly a reason other than source of origin that some radiators are cheaper than others, and also demonstrates why people have better luck with the GM OEM than a number of cheaper replacements, especially the CSF.
It turns out, the GM OEM radiator is listed as having a core thickness of 1.06", which supposedly the majority of aftermarket versions also have (but I have doubts). Whereas the CSF produced version, (stock type, not the all aluminum one), is only listed as a 7/8" thick core.
Since I have both, with the CSF currently installed and an old leaky GM OEM sitting in my barn, I went out to verify these dimensions. I used a thin piece of copper wire, bent an "L" at the end, marked off 7/8", 1", and 1 1/8" with a sharpie, and then checked the thickness of the cores. Sure enough, the CSF is only 7/8" thick, while the OEM was 1" thick. That is a difference of 12.5%. Frankly, that is quite a difference.
And right before I was about to hit "Post", I thought of checking something else. The number of tubes. Maybe the CSF has more than OEM to compensate? WRONG.
The CSF has 57 tubes. OEM, 62. So not only is the CSF thinner, it has fewer tubes! Rough math puts it at 20% less cooling than GM OEM.
Needless to say, since I have already put 4 years on the CSF I am going to get a new GM radiator and switch them out while doing the refresh.
Here are the other ones I could figure out based on photos and details on Rockauto:
Code:
Manf. SKU Core Tubes Price (2024)
CSF 3720 7/8 57 $85
Spectra CU2855 1 57 $89
Ultra-Power 2855 ? 57 $78
TYC 2855 1 61 $96
Agility 8012855 1 67* $97
OSC 2855 1 61 $160
OSC 13017 1 61 $123
Koyorad A2855 1 ?? $132
FVP RAD13017 1 61 $134
Denso 2219403 1 62 $136
Nissens 606649 1 62 $156
GM Genuine 22000 1.06 62 $293The photo for the Agility was highly suspicious as it had been edited in Paint or something to black out labels that were on the upper tank. Still, 67 rows isn't anything I saw on any of the others. Since it is only $97 I might buy one just to see what it is really like. I also checked NAPA just for kicks, and it turns out that their house brand part # is sourced from the same manufacturer. But for nearly 3 times as much of course. I won't be near the closest NAPA that has one in stock to get a visual on it until September 7th, so if anyone else wants to see if their local NAPA has one and wants to check out the core thickness and tube count, that'd be cool. NAPA part #: NRC NR2855B
Also noteworthy is the prodigious amount of part numbers that are either just, or end with, 2855. That means they are likely all the same, and judging by the fact that the Spectra and Ultra-Power have 57 rows, while the others have 61, It's likely a crapshoot as to which one you will get. Also worth pointing out is that other than the GM which I have verified, and the Nissens and Denso radiators, I am not entirely confident that any of the others that are listed with a 1 inch core thickness really are that, especially since the CSF is also made in China like the rest of this group and it has the same tube count as some of them.
Lastly, only Koyorad lists 5 plates for the transmission cooler, all the rest that list the number of plates puts them at 4. GM does not list how many plates it has.
The short of this is that there is clearly a reason other than source of origin that some radiators are cheaper than others, and also demonstrates why people have better luck with the GM OEM than a number of cheaper replacements, especially the CSF.
