legacycentral bbs

I am pretty sure my car needs a radiator, so I think I will go with an aftermarket aluminum one. I have seen Mishimoto and Koyo. I would like to get peoples thoughts and experiences with both. I do want a bolt in unit that hooks up everything like the original. I am going to run one from an auto parts car until I decide what to buy. All info appreciated.

Jeff

i got a mishimoto, great fit, no problems

I replaced mine with this one. SPECTRA PREMIUM Part # CU1819 from Rockauto.com. $90. But iv got a automatic. But its exactly the same as my stock one.

I'd suggest a standard Koyo replacement radiator. (not the racing all-aluminum radiator)

I have seen where there have been problems with the welding on the Koyo aluminum units. I really haven't seen anything about the mishimoto until I searched for a radiator for the car. The radiator I have out of the parts car is a Koyo replacement. The only thing I don't like is the apparatus and weight of the automatic cooler. I am going to weigh both and see what the difference is.

Jeff

The issues you mentioned are only on the racing Koyo radiator. Koyo provides Subaru their OEM radiators. They are the ones with the plastic end caps.

I finally replaced my Koyo all aluminum after about 30k miles. I couldn't pinpoint a leak, but it always smelled of coolant and needed periodic refills. When I pulled it to put in a Mishimoto, the Koyo was completely green on the back side. It had just been sweating green for quite awhile.

Something I found totally unexpected when I swapped radiators was that the Koyo replacement was right at 2lbs lighter than the stock radiator even though it had the auto trans cooler in it. I never expected that.
The stock radiator was good for 245,000 miles. Not too bad in my book.

Jeff