Cold Case or Mishimoto radiator?

[roaniecowpony]

Anyone have comments about which has a benefit over the other? (yes, ~$300 is a benefit).

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[vaJLUR]

I've used Mishimotos in the past on go fast cars and would do so again if I needed to for the JL.

One thing I see looking at the specs between the two the CC is nearly an inch thicker, as advertised anyways. That may be an issue on install and require some more massaging than the Mishimoto (not anything new for aftermarket radiators).

I do appreciate that Mishimoto at least provides an installed pic

 

[yokramer]

Mishimotos warranty is no joke, Ive seen people have radiators replaced because a stick went through them. They are a no questions asked if it goes bad we replace it company.

 

[John Benoit]

Anyone have comments about which has a benefit over the other? (yes, ~$300 is a benefit).

I had a bad experience with aluminum radiators. 2 Cold case cracked in the exact same place. First one happened in a couple of months, second in 9 months. I also tried a Griffin, it lasted almost 2 years. Cracked in the same spot. Passenger side down an inch or so on the engine side where the tubes meet the tank. The solid aluminum radiators cannot handle all of the flexing if you Offroad a lot. Your better off with the factory radiator.

 

[Old Jeeper]

I had a bad experience with aluminum radiators. 2 Cold case cracked in the exact same place. First one happened in a couple of months, second in 9 months. I also tried a Griffin, it lasted almost 2 years. Cracked in the same spot. Passenger side down an inch or so on the engine side where the tubes meet the tank. The solid aluminum radiators cannot handle all of the flexing if you Offroad a lot. Your better off with the factory radiator.

X2

 

[roaniecowpony]

Interesting. I thought the OEM radiator was aluminum. Sounds like the mounting needs some isolation/flex.

 

[John Benoit]

Interesting. I thought the OEM radiator was aluminum. Sounds like the mounting needs some isolation/flex.

Doesn’t help. I isolated all three radiators. The cooling fins on the factory radiator are aluminum, the tanks are plastic with a rubber o ring type seal.

 

[CarbonSteel]

Sounds reminiscent of the 2011-2016 Ford Super Duty trucks where the radiator support was not rigid enough and was being used as part of the structure. Flexing too much would pop the radiate though it was plastic/aluminum just the OEM JLs are.

 

[CptFloridaMan]

Interesting. I thought the OEM radiator was aluminum. Sounds like the mounting needs some isolation/flex.

Wonder if the mishimoto is prone to cracking like the cold case then cause my plan was always to swap the radiator around 80,000 miles as preventative maintenance to avoid being stranded.

 

[Jeffy56]

There may be something to that. Not high dollar, but an all alum from R.E. failed one month after the warranty. Core to tank leak, my old Ranger 4x. The lower tank frame had finger 2 sized studs into rubber grommet supports. 2 bolts up top secured it, lottsa flex. WTF?

 

[roaniecowpony]

Wonder if the mishimoto is prone to cracking like the cold case then cause my plan was always to swap the radiator around 80,000 miles as preventative maintenance to avoid being stranded.

I dunno, but the Mishi "no questions" warranty is looking better. Lets see... $400 - $500, two or three times out of pocket....or $800 ish one time.

 

[zouch]

i don't know Cold Case, but have many 10s of thousands of miles on a Mishi in my old J**p, and plan to trade one in to my Diesel at the first possible excuse.

FWIW, the Griffin i had in there before the Mishi also performed well until it leaked, and it cost a good deal more than the Mitsu.
of course, we could have a leak with any of them; you don't have to look far to find stories of the stock plastic-tanked rads leaking where they are bonded to the core.

 

[wjcubellis]

Anyone have comments about which has a benefit over the other? (yes, ~$300 is a benefit).

I had issues with Mishimoto on my TJ. It kept leaking at the seam between the fins and the frame. They replaced it once with the caveat that they would not replace it again because the TJ frame was too rigid or some BS. Of course the replacement leaked within a year or 2. On the TJ forum they recommended sticking with the MOPAR OEM. While they will fail, the average was 7 years. Oh yeah, I also tried 2 cheap auto part store versions and the last about 1.5 to 2 years. Some used to have a "lifetime" warranty but I didn't want to go thought the trouble every 2 years.
Went with the MOPAR OEM and it's been solid for years. I bought a 2nd one as a back up as inventory was getting low.

 

[CarbonSteel]

I guess that I will find out--I pulled the trigger on a Mishimoto. Honestly, I do not see how the Mishimoto or the Cold Case would be more prone to cracking versus the OEM.

The OEM has plastic tanks crimped onto an aluminum core. I would expect the OEM to leak from flexing before an aftermarket solid aluminum one would.

 

[mwilk012]

I guess that I will find out--I pulled the trigger on a Mishimoto. Honestly, I do not see how the Mishimoto or the Cold Case would be more prone to cracking versus the OEM.

The OEM has plastic tanks crimped onto an aluminum core. I would expect the OEM to leak from flexing before an aftermarket solid aluminum one would.

The OEM is flimsy and flexes, the solid aluminum are rigid and crack.

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