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View Full Version : Transmission cooler types and how good are they?



Pro-Tour Heavy Chevy
08-17-2006, 09:12 PM
I have been stumped by the recent styles of trans coolers that are out on the market, Tube and fin, Heat sink, Stacked plate and some other heat exchangers that defy description. I have use tube and fin and am familiar with the stacked plate design, but what about the others. My current application could use one of those Heat sink street rod styles (24" dual-pass) but what really works best. The trans is a th-200-4r with a 2200 non-lock up converter and about 360hp.
http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=FLD%2DFHP%2D10026&N=700+4294888847+115&autoview=sku
This just one of the styles by Fluidyne that intrigues me.
What has worked for you?

Texas Hotrod
08-20-2006, 02:56 PM
For something cheap, easy and really cools the fluid? I keep a selection of used a.c. condensor cores. Import cars have smaller condensors compared to what goes on a Suburban/truck, so it depends on how much room you have to mount one.
They don't look high-tec, but there's no doubt that they do cool good.
I flushed mine out w/a can of aerosol trans cooler flush (it was dirty inside) and ran the return line to a remote mounted hudraulic filter.

I have seen the generic coolers from the local parts store, the good ones from Summit/Jegs and I have a Derale unit that I picked up and never installed. I just don't see how such a small cooler can keep a tranny cool. Non-lock/high stall creates a lot of heat, even more while driving aggressively/racing. I think most coolers are intended for secondary use, a primary cooler needs to be as big as possible.