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I purchased the PLM XL and it is well built, and bolted right up. I did grind about a 1/8 of an inch off one of the corners where it bolted to the bumper. Didn't have to but I am a perfectionist.
I also replaced my HE pump with the Bosch 010 which I would suggest unless you know yours has been replaced in the last 15,000 miles or so. They are cheap at $ 106.00 from FCP Euro.
Last edited by Fountain35; Apr 9, 2021 at 09:30 PM.
PLM Standard is a Direct Replacement HE and provides minimal cooling improvement. We consider this a stock replacement
PLM XL is a large Heat exchanger that will increase capacity and improve cooling. It is well constructed, rigid, and mounts easily. includes oil cooler mount
FTP HE is a boat anchor. It is Extremely heavy, Painted, And inneficient, no cooler mount -its a Frozenboost.com core
"PB5" Aka "DTK Reseller" Is a used radiator off of a bmw, The welds are absolutely atrocious and the inlet outlet placing is flawed.
Eurocharged unit is about the same as the PLM Standard without the direct fit or oil cooler mounting.
Weistec i have no comment on as i have no experience with it. no cooler mount
VRP Unit is a Dual Pass Tube and Fin design. It is the Largest Lower mounting heat exchanger on the market. The major advantage of our HE is that is the least restrictive unit you can buy. Lower restriction means faster flowing coolant which means lower temps. We have sold over 300 of this unit There is no cooler mount on this unit.
The VRP secondary HE is the single best HE you can buy. If you had to choose one of the above HEs and thats it choose NONE. Add a secondary HE ontop of your primary HE and you have the largest surface area largest capacity HE system per $.
Ofcourse the best option is a VRP secondary + A Primary of your choice.
Fin constuction is very important aswell. Generally the More Durable the fins the less efficient, The thinner fins cool more efficiently.
For a HE you want a Tube and Fin design VS a bar and plate. You want as little restriction for the fluid as possible.
Here is a chart we made by changing heat exchangers at the track. More than anything this chart shows the effect of reduced restriction in the circuit by swapping out a cooler or upgrading a pump. This is an old chart before we started making bay tanks and upgraded intercoolers. but it still holds true
Last edited by VictoryRoadPerformance; Nov 27, 2019 at 12:18 AM.
FYI the 2.25l water capacity stated on the PLM XL is not correct. In reality it's about 1.3L. I got one last year and was disappointed when I measured it. I messaged PLM about it and they said it should have 2.25l in theory. Well practically not.
Lower restriction means faster flowing coolant which means lower temps. You want as little restriction for the fluid as possible.
This is a common misconception. Not trying to start a flame war, this just needs to be clarified. Yes, sometimes faster flowing = better cooling but sometimes you can even have overcooling. Not necessarily an issue in our vehicles but just ask anyone who has ever had a thermostat stuck open. There is an optimal flow rate for any cooling system. The coolant needs a certain amount of time in the given heat exchanger/radiator to expel heat. If you're just blasting coolant through and it has very little time in the heat exchanger, then you're going to have heat soak. This is a grossly oversimplified explanation but basically the point is: more flow ≠ better cooling in every instance.
Inb4 anyone tries to take this out of context. Yes, in our particular M113k setup, we generally strive for a little more flow and increased surface area for improved cooling.
Last edited by 87geeinn; Apr 10, 2021 at 07:25 AM.
FYI the 2.25l water capacity stated on the PLM XL is not correct. In reality it's about 1.3L. I got one last year and was disappointed when I measured it. I messaged PLM about it and they said it should have 2.25l in theory. Well practically not.
The question is whether or not the temperature is lowered over the stock set up versus the PLM XL heat exchanger. Did you ever check to see?
The question is whether or not the temperature is lowered over the stock set up versus the PLM XL heat exchanger. Did you ever check to see?
Now you have me wondering...
It will be better, since the OEM one has 0.6l capacity and less material, so worse heat exchange. By how much compared to the stock one I don't know, since I never mounted my plm one, but sold it
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