Are aluminum radiators better than stock ? If so why ? I am getting ready to change mine out on my 77 Stepside.
Generally speaking, the advantage of aluminum radiators are that they are lighter in weight and do not corrode in the same way traditional brass/copper units do.
radiator Aluminum radiators are great deal because aside from lighter wait, you won't have problems with rust.
Aluminum radiators are better due to low weight and low cost. Co-efficient of Heat exchange for the aluminum material is higher than the stock so there is better cooling of the engine. The maintenance and repairing of aluminum is easily and less expensive. This is the reason; most of the manufacturer prefers same material for radiator. The main problem with this material is; it requires more corrosion inhibitors inside the coolant.
aluminum dissipates the heat faster than copper/brass. A 2 row aluminum radiator core will cool better than a 3 or 4 row core copper brass radiator
Copper is a more efficient heat dissipater than aluminum but the other components in a copper/brass/lead radiator minimize its overall effectiveness and actually make an aluminum radiator more efficient. As much as 25% more efficient
X2...it's more that aluminum allows the use of larger tubes, which have more surface area for heat exchange. Depending on the application, this can provide more cooling capability over a similarly configured brass/copper radiator (e.g., a two-row, 1-inch tube aluminum radiator will have more fin contact and cooling capacity than a two-row, 1/2-inch tube brass/copper radiator).
