I need to get a new radiator and I have been looking at a lot of different ones. Looks like I can get a stock type radiator for under $100 but since I am going to use the car for hpde and autox I want to get a better one. Seems like there is a huge price difference between them, FM has one for about $500 and then there are racing ones for about half. Not sure which I should get, or how to decide.
I have looked at the Koyo, Mishimoto and flying miata.
I just got a CxRacing radiator in the mail for my Miata. I can't speak for cooling ability yet but the construction looks pretty good.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/CXRacing-Aluminum-radiator-Mazda-MIATA-99-05-MT-2000-/390283797075?hash=item5adeba2253&item=390283797075&pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr
IIRC the FM radiator at that price point is their crossflow radiator, right? That might be overkill.
Do you have temperature issues with the stock radiator in place? If not, get a stock one with metal end tanks as it's usually the tanks that go. IIRC FM sells those, too.
Out of the rest of the bunch I'd probably get a 37mm Koyo - again the 55mm is overkill IMHO for an N/A car.
We don't sell a stock replacement for the NB, only the NA. For the NB, we only offer the crossflow. Great rad, might be overkill for some. But you can never be too cool, as James Dean might have said.
well the crossflow is going to be overkill at this point but I do have plans to do a turbo so maybe this is an investment in the future. i guess i will have to weigh my options.
I remember Keith mentioning in his Miata Performance Projects book that the OEM radiator from an automatic transmission Miata has more capacity than the one from the manual transmission.
Yup, approximately double. But later testing has shown that a good core design trumps a big core.
You might want to look for a Mazdaspeed Miata radiator (for the NB). It is somewhat better at cooling than the standard NB radiator.
Keep in mind that replacing the radiator does effect autox classing.
The stock MSM radiator is better than a surprising number of aftermarket ones according to our testing. Good piece. Just make sure you're getting an actual MSM radiator and not just one that will FIT an MSM.
I put in the radiator barn stock replacement. Cooling my stock motor at Sebring on a 95 degree day was marginal until I taped up the ducting, since then it's fine.