VW Aluminum Heater Core

Has anyone tried a VW aluminum heater core? It appears to have much more surface area than a chevette core. I know its aluminum but a few other parts in my system are also. I'll be using water wetter to combat the mixing of metals. Should I give it a shot or stick with chevette?

Anyone?

I haven't tried a aluminum HC before, but I would think that the temps might not be as good as a copper HC. Only because copper spreads heat better than aluminum.

I was also wondering about the VW heatercores, and the cube design radiators that danger den ship...like this one: http://www.caseetc.com/cgi-bin/caseetc/WC-416.html. Ate these things any good? It looks a lot more compact than the chevette and the VW heatercores, but it also looks a little odd . Any information would be appreciated.

Cube radiators tend to have low flow rates but they cool ok for the compact size.

Thanks Bender...sorry for the thread jack. Do you know of anywhere that sells the heatercores pre-modded for 1/2" OD fittings? I know danger den and d-tek have them, but they are like $55, and I really dont want to spend that much. Thanks.

bafbrian said:

I haven't tried a aluminum HC before, but I would think that the temps might not be as good as a copper HC. Only because copper spreads heat better than aluminum.

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...but Al radiates heat more effectively, I guess it really depends on the CFM you're puttin' through the heatercore, if its low, my guess would be that the aluminum wouldn't necessarily have a negative effect.

Jon

i don't think the performance would be much different. As daedelus said, Al radiates heat off very very well. Give it a shot bender, i bet you get equal performance to your average copper heatercore, and that VW core looks mighty sweet.


good luck,

J.

Copper is superior in thermal conductivity, by a large margin. Aluminum is a good thermal conductor, but it's not in the same class as copper.

That said, most people water cooling a computer are only looking to get rid of a hundred watts or so. A nicely designed Aluminum radiator is more than adaquate for this task.

The only remaining issue is the kamakozi interaction between Aluminum and other metals. If you use tap water, the Aluminum core will develop a leak sooner or later if you have a copper block. If you use distilled and keep the liquid non-conductive (water wetter, occasional water changes changes, etc.), the core can easily out-live your computer. If you get paranoid, you can get a magnesium anode from your cooler supply store for under $10, just pay attention to how it's grounded.

If you run a TEC, I would HIGHLY recomend a copper core. But for regular PC wattage, it's just a matter of convienience. Just pay attention to what liquid goes into your PC, and you'll be fine.

Again, regarding thermal properties, Copper has Aluminum beat hands down in EVERY respect. But getting rid of a hundred watts or so is easily done in either Aluminum or Copper. Surface area and CFM play a much more inportant role than what the core is made of at these low tempature differentials (ambient vs. water temp).

Right now I'm running a '90 VW FOX Heater Core. I'm only running it passively right now, but just judging by the design it should be a great rad. I'll be hooking up some fans today as I have finally decided on a design for my shroud. Try checking a local junk yard for a better deal than ebay can offer. I got mine for $10, but I had to pull it.

Bender said:

Has anyone tried a VW aluminum heater core? It appears to have much more surface area than a chevette core. I know its aluminum but a few other parts in my system are also. I'll be using water wetter to combat the mixing of metals. Should I give it a shot or stick with chevette?

Click to expand...

From the look of the photo, the VW core looks more restrictive for airflow because of how tightly the fins are placed. This will also aid in dirt becoming embedded in the core.

If I use the core it will be getting a 235 CFM Comair Rotron Major. I don't think air restriction will be to much of a problem. As long as I use a nylon stocking as a filter the core will never get clogged. Water wetter will keep things nice and clean even with an aluminum core and copper block. I'm still not quite sure what core to go for. The VW looks very high quality but I dislike the fact that it uses plastic fittings. I know the plastic is quite strong but I like soldering barbs on permanently.

Some plastics are really tough stuff. It does look like its made really nice.