Aluminum vs brass Radiators

Aluminum is lighter, copper/brass transfers heat faster. Either advantage is minimal. I'd go with the cheaper one as long as it's a quality one. Don't waste money on a chinese radiator.

 

Aluminum radiator will corrode faster,copper will crack easier.
Maybe ask which is best suited for the fluid you put in the engine??
Ask the manufacturer off your antifreeze fluid which he thinks is best and works with his fluid.

 

well if you are going to replace the radiator go to a 3 or 4 row for better cooling,,I would buy the copper,,,use premix red antifreeze, change your hoses and clamps too

 

This Freightliner oem radiator is aluminum with plastic tanks. 1st failure occured at 450,000 miles, plastic tank split. Brand new exact replacement lasted about 900,000 miles, similar plastic tank failure, this time at seam.
$2900 for oem from Freightliner causes me to go to local heavy duty radiator shop who builds me a 4 row copper with brass tanks for $900, installed 1 month ago. Will keep you posted, but my gut tells me all metal properly built has the advantage. The copper/brass radiators in all of my Studebakers are just fine, after 60+ years

 

The all metal (copper or aluminum) radiators allow them to be welded and repaired by a competent welder. You really can't weld plastic tanks to repair ruptures.

That is what we install on all trucks that come in with busted plastic tanks.

Don't forget to ground the radiator to the chassis..

 

You can not use DCA4 in an aluminum radiator, we used dex-cool or dex-cool plus never had problems, that was before 2008 so it may have changed. Clean coolant is very important.
Just a thought!

 

Let me chime in as all these discussions show up in google search years later. Yes copper brass all metal are fantastic. PROBLEM is the brackets, etc they WELD to them RUST. Sure you can weld them back on. Good luck lining up the holes when it all goes back together after the welding. Know what doesn’t rust? Plastic. It’s a trade off folks. I had a plastic lasted over a million. Read on here horror stories of plastic going half that. I had a fancy metal Detroit radiator cost twice what a plastic did. It didn’t last. Crack in the brass lower coolant pipe connection.

So if you’re coming here like I did years later and want an honest update, an opinion on metal vs plastic here it is!

They’re both fine choices. Ideally metal SHOULD last longer, do they always? Clearly no. OEMs choose plastic. Today’s parts aren’t made like they should be. Nobody warranty’s anything. Detroit warranty is pro rated and you need receipts of a coolant change every year. After all that you get $80 off a new radiator.

The deck is stacked against you folks. You can’t win. Change the radiator every 3 years if you’re keeping your truck. Or do like the mega companies that actually make money and I mean like 2k a week on each truck after they pay the driver (check some of their financial statements at earning season it’s amazing) and trade them in each year.

 

When aluminum and plastic radiators first hit trucks, I thought no way, but to my suprise they held up well. I have a 97 international pushing 1 1/2 million miles on it's original radiator. I did have one plastic tank replaced somewhere around 750,000 or so.