The next part of my off-season build is a replacement full-size radiator & fan. I haven’t actually had any issues with the OEM radiator or fan, and while it’s seen better days it has been holding up fine – only allowing temps to creep up once, on an extremely hot day while autoxing, and even then the temps only crept up after I turned the car off and allowed the car to sit, with the fan not running.

However, with the OEM radiator using plastic ends, its days are limited, eventually forming cracks and leaks. With no day like the present, I decided to order a new radiator and fan to run starting in the 2021 season. One of the most well-regarded radiators in the Evo world is the Sheepey/CSF radiator. This is an all-aluminum hand-welded radiator with fan shroud and an SPAL fan. It should have more cooling capacity than the OEM setup, and I believe the radiator + fan setup should be slightly lighter than factory, though that will mostly come from the fan.

From what I understand, most aftermarket radiators are no better than factory – I’m honestly not sure how much that is actually true – most people who run Evos and just do street pulls would not and should not see a difference, as the thermostat targets a temperature for the coolant. One would only notice a difference if their car was overheating in performance driving in the same situation where their OEM radiator held up fine.

Another thing this radiator improves is the location of the upper radiator hose – instead of crossing over the front in front of the exhaust manifold (for no apparent reason), the hole is moved right above the lower hose location and thus will be a straight shot back, Evo 6 style. Anyway, we are ready to get this bolted in soon, along with a few other goodies for the off-season…

Car runs great with it installed, and adds some additional room in the engine bay. The shorter, more direct route of the coolant hose no longer passes directly in front of the exhaust manifold. Both should add some additional cooling capabilities to the Evo. The hump does mean there is no longer space for the air guide for the intake, however.