Outer Limits 4x4 Board

as the heading, 308 driven buggy, front mount rad with thermos and engine fan or rear mount thermo

voted front, easiest way, no need for longer hoses, thermofan only has to kick in when needed. only drawback is in mud with the radiator clogging with goo.

I would've thought this decision is based around the design of the buggy. If theres space at the front put it there for simplicities sake. I was under the impression that rear mounted radiators where placed at the back due to space restrictions. Also when its behind you they are generally higher up and if somehow the radiators pierced you have a safety aspect come in with the possibility of boiling radiator fliud pissing all over you.

stuee wrote:I would've thought this decision is based around the design of the buggy. If theres space at the front put it there for simplicities sake. I was under the impression that rear mounted radiators where placed at the back due to space restrictions. Also when its behind you they are generally higher up and if somehow the radiators pierced you have a safety aspect come in with the possibility of boiling radiator fliud pissing all over you.

the reason I ask is to bas the buggy around. If the best way is front mount I can move the front diff forward for wheel base and approach angles et as rear is no prob, and it will centre the weight better any way

Tiny with this question the first thing that comes to mind is the Whiteknight rig, the radiator in that seems mounted behind the cab with thermos. It looks safe and out of the way so that it wont get clogged as stated, also I'd say that there would also be less chance of it getting pierced to.
But if wanting to do front mounted to stop mud, you could do closeable shutters on a leaver so the you could open it after the mud hole. They do that in some of the Scout mud bash rigs too I think.

Mere

MereMale wrote:Tiny with this question the first thing that comes to mind is the Whiteknight rig, the radiator in that seems mounted behind the cab with thermos. It looks safe and out of the way so that it wont get clogged as stated, also I'd say that there would also be less chance of it getting pierced to.
But if wanting to do front mounted to stop mud, you could do closeable shutters on a leaver so the you could open it after the mud hole. They do that in some of the Scout mud bash rigs too I think.

Mere

the main reason I would say rear is because of this as well as lenght of the nose for approach angle, however if it is front mont the front diff will go further forward with a more even weight distribution, what ever happens it will be a comprimise, but what are the pros and cons of both and why?

Mud could be an issue with front mount but easier to set up, rear is thermo only and harder to set up but is well protected

Mud should not be a problem on a rock buggy.

Radiator in the back should give better frontal visibility but will cost more to do due to the extra time, piping and pumps.

a rear mount radiator will allow a larger coolant capacity so the heat issue shouldnt be a real drama. most speedway guys run exhust pipe for the hoses . I would be more inclined to go this way.

Cheers

I'd say rear cause it is simple to do all you have to do is run longer pipes with an upgraded water pump. It cleans up the front a lot more, the thermos would be running no more than if it was front mounted and the only thing that has me wondering about some of the rear mounts I've seen is that they are mounted directly above the exhause

im going to move mine to the back with a reversable thermo for "cabin heating" in winter. move it back. keep the front tidy.

I say rear for clearer vision while attacking obsticles.. ?

Rear. If you're building the buggy around it it's not going to be all that hard engineering-wise and it's a much more sensible place to put something that is rather delicate and that works best if it is as clean as possible. Electric fans are preferable anyway, whether you put the rad at front or rear. Using metal pipes for most of the run to the rear is the way to go as these will also dissipate some heat.

Just my two cents' worth.

Jason

I personally think that Front is a sh1t load easier for out purposes as moving the front diff further foward isnt hard and it means we dont need to move the rear back anywhere near as far....

But rear mounted definatly has its advantages for sure.

screwy