Interesting Jeep Gladiator engineering article

Interesting article from a former Jeep engineer on how they solved cooling issues with the new Jeep Gladiator pickup contraption that can to 7500lbs. I don't quite see the point of the Gladiator, but that's okay.

https://jalopnik.com/the-engineering-behind-the-jeep-gladiators-tow-rating-1833657453
What I enjoy most about the article is how it slaps the dogshit out of all the wannabe "engineers" that think all they have to do is slap on an electric fan and some chinesium 3 row all aluminum radiator and they can outsmart some pretty smart folks and make a better cooling system.
 
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Blaine, you mean you're not a Mishmoto fan? :ROFLMAO:

Kidding of course.
No, not really. I've asked CBR to put together a TJ radiator and fan package so we have an alternative and he won't do it. Says it is too hard to make work when it gets hot.
 
No, not really. I've asked CBR to put together a TJ radiator and fan package so we have an alternative and he won't do it. Says it is too hard to make work when it gets hot.

My understanding is that GenRight runs the Griffin aluminum radiators on their vehicles. They also sell them as well. I talked to them on the phone about this at one point, and he told me they've had nothing but success with the Griffin aluminum radiators. Of course that could have just been a sales pitch, who knows.

I know that Griffin makes a package for the TJ, which is the only reason I'm throwing this out there. Not sure if this is one you've tried or not.
 
My understanding is that GenRight runs the Griffin aluminum radiators on their vehicles. They also sell them as well. I talked to them on the phone about this at one point, and he told me they've had nothing but success with the Griffin aluminum radiators. Of course that could have just been a sales pitch, who knows.

I know that Griffin makes a package for the TJ, which is the only reason I'm throwing this out there. Not sure if this is one you've tried or not.
I have a Griffin in the driveway right now that is leaking. It is at least the 2nd one doing so in the same rig.
 
I have a Griffin in the driveway right now that is leaking. It is at least the 2nd one doing so in the same rig.

Another one bites the dust. What's the deal with all the leaking aluminum radiators? Is it the welds that fail? Are they just exceptionally shitty welds, or what?
 
Another one bites the dust. What's the deal with all the leaking aluminum radiators? Is it the welds that fail? Are they just exceptionally shitty welds, or what?

I think that a lot of the incidents come from low-quality products; I can't count the number of times I've seen a thread on radiators where someone bought an aluminum model that was WAY cheaper than a quality aluminum radiator has any right to be.

Also - and this is off-topic - I trust approximately 50% of what GenRight tells me.
 
I think that a lot of the incidents come from low-quality products; I can't count the number of times I've seen a thread on radiators where someone bought an aluminum model that was WAY cheaper than a quality aluminum radiator has any right to be.

Also - and this is off-topic - I trust approximately 50% of what GenRight tells me.
That and the Griffin is not way cheaper than anything and still has the same issues. We tried Wizard Cooling and the core started leaking from the tubes at a random spot.
mark dumais radiator.jpg


At sub 5000 miles, they denied the warranty claim due to some gunk in the lower hose neck. Claimed the gunk is what caused the leak. No amount of explanation on my part would get them to understand that even if half the tubes were filled with gunk, the internal pressure does not change. The only thing that happens is restricted flow through sections of the core. No gunk could raise the pressure high enough in a functional radiator to create a leak because that isn't how it works. They did not give a shit.

The other side of that is we did a flush before we installed the radiator. I'm not sure where the gunk came from. I'm not entirely convinced the owner did not mix coolant types. The only issue with the radiator was the leak, no diminished cooling.
 
It’s a shame that someone doesn’t make an actual quality aluminum radiator for the 4.0. I suspect if a quality one was made that didn’t leak, people would buy it.
 
It’s a shame that someone doesn’t make an actual quality aluminum radiator for the 4.0. I suspect if a quality one was made that didn’t leak, people would buy it.

People buy the junky ones all the time, so yeah, they'd probably buy a nice one if it was available. Question is: why would it be available?
 
I spent a lot of money trying to make an aluminum radiator and electric fan work in my TJ. It worked fine as long as you didn't drive over 60mph when the ambient temperature was above 80 degrees.
 
It’s a shame that someone doesn’t make an actual quality aluminum radiator for the 4.0. I suspect if a quality one was made that didn’t leak, people would buy it.
CBR makes one. I just can't justify the 600 dollar price tag when I can make an OEM work for about 1/2 the price.
 
What I enjoy most about the article is how it slaps the dogshit out of all the wannabe "engineers" that think all they have to do is slap on an electric fan and some chinesium 3 row all aluminum radiator and they can outsmart some pretty smart folks and make a better cooling system.

Yeah it's no Turbonator, that's for sure

85295
 
It’s a shame that someone doesn’t make an actual quality aluminum radiator for the 4.0. I suspect if a quality one was made that didn’t leak, people would buy it.
Some small town radiator shop could possibly build one for you to meet your requirements.

@mrblaine I can only speculate, but I’m guessing the engineers over at Jeep map out the heat exchanger requirements and contract the exchanger out to a radiator builder/supplier who designs and builds it to meet their Jeep engineer’s requirements...This contract could get scooped up by any number of radiator companies, correct? Who also build aftermarket radiators.

My thinking goes along the lines of the Radios in vehicles and who builds them. Most OEM radios are built and supplied by the same companies who build and design aftermarket radios such as Alpine, Pioneer, and Clarion for example.
 
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Some small town radiator shop could possibly build one for you to meet your requirements.

@mrblaine I can only speculate, but I’m guessing the engineers over at Jeep map out the heat exchanger requirements and contract the exchanger out to a radiator builder/supplier who designs and builds it to meet their Jeep engineer’s requirements...This contract could get scooped up by any number of radiator companies, correct? Who also build aftermarket radiators.

My thinking goes along the lines of the Radios in vehicles and who builds them. Most OEM radios are built and supplied by the same companies who build and design aftermarket radios such as Alpine, Pioneer, and Clarion for example.
I believe your speculation could be very accurate. I just don't know how to find that product yet. I see lots of crap, very little that I look at believe it is the same as OEM.
 
I believe your speculation could be very accurate. I just don't know how to find that product yet. I see lots of crap, very little that I look at believe it is the same as OEM.

The OEM option may well be that product, because at current it's likely the only option that's capable of fulfilling the TJs cooling needs at a palatable price point, as you stated. Market demand drives supply, so maybe there's something not enough demand for an additional option. Furthermore, insofar as the TJ is concerned, there are only two kinds of radiator purchasers: those that want a factory radiator, and those that do not...so once a customer falls into that latter category there's no reason for an aftermarket company to make and sell an affordable, quality product that completely mimics the OEM product while still not being that product when a cheaper, inferior, aluminumier option is easier to move. It also prevents said aftermarket company from competing with the as-of-yet-unknown OEM supplier, which would almost certainly be a losing battle. On the side of the OEM supplier: why try to sell a generic version when you have brand-name selling power and - likely - some paperwork that says you can't do exactly that? Pure speculation on my part, admittedly, but it seems logical on the surface.
 
Question is: why would it be available?

Because on built 4.0s (i.e. ones with a lot of boost, turbo chargers, or high horsepower strokers), you need extra cooling capacity. You can't just throw extra horsepower at a car and expect the cooling system to keep up. Well, to some degree perhaps, but a good example for instance is some of these guys running 4.6 strokers with superchargers in addition. The factory cooling system won't cut it once you get to that level of horsepower.
 
Because on built 4.0s (i.e. ones with a lot of boost, turbo chargers, or high horsepower strokers), you need extra cooling capacity. You can't just throw extra horsepower at a car and expect the cooling system to keep up. Well, to some degree perhaps, but a good example for instance is some of these guys running 4.6 strokers with superchargers in addition. The factory cooling system won't cut it once you get to that level of horsepower.

Okay...but those are all different scenarios than what you previously mentioned, which I may have erroneously assumed to be a stock-replacement example. If we're playing with displacement and forced induction, then most bets are off because "an actual quality aluminum radiator for the 4.0" likely won't cover those bases.
 
Okay...but those are all different scenarios than what you previously mentioned, which I may have erroneously assumed to be a stock-replacement example. If we're playing with displacement and forced induction, then most bets are off because "an actual quality aluminum radiator for the 4.0" likely won't cover those bases.

I should have been more specific. I'm referring to a replacement radiator that fits in the stock location without modification, but offers improved cooling performance.

These types of radiators are offered from places like Griffin for instance. They make a radiator that fits in the stock location, requires no modification to fit, and has more cooling performance than the stock radiator. It also pairs the radiator with a high CFM electric fan. Charles Warner of Magnum Powers and Golen have used these radiators (and others) on high horsepower 4.0 builds. Of course as we've heard from Blaine, even the Griffins have issues with them apparently.

So that's what I'm referring to here. If you have a stock 4.0, an upgraded radiator will serve no purpose as we all know.