When to use a higher pressure rad cap?
 

I've noticed that some of the aftermarket rads (like the Jackson Racing) even come with them.


Can I run an upgraded cap with the OEM rad safely?

A cap ain't gunna make ya or break ya.

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I've been using a higher pressure radiator cap for over a year now. You won't notice a difference except now when your coolant hits 250f you'll know it's not boiling.

When your headgasket is dying but you want to keep tracking. Wish I was joking but I ended up "patching up" the problem to finish the season and rebuilt later. It worked, until it got worse.

A lower temp thermostat is more useful than a higher pressure radiator cap.

Honestly, I'd advise against running a higher pressure radiator cap unless you've upgraded all the components which would see pressure to a point where they're rated to take the pressure you want to set and then some for safety. This is basically what I did. After swapping my radiator, I also swapped out the hoses and the filler neck before switching to a higher pressure cap.

Did you use a raw egg to fix the problem temporarily?

lol no, but if there's any interesting stories about it...

I think ole @humfrz may have some 'back in the day' stories about using eggs to fix cars.. or should that read carts??

This won't be an issue.

Well, I preferred to eat the egg and use raw oatmeal to put in the radiator to fix a small leak. If a radiator hose had split, duck tape it up and don't put the radiator cap back on.


hints by Bubba

So when you say "this won't be an issue", by implication I'm taking it that you're saying the factory radiator with plastic end tanks known for cracking over time due to heat cycling, and the hoses and plastic filler neck engineered specifically for the rated pressure of the cooling system won't be harmed or experience accelerated wear in any way by changing the pressure relief valve to open at a higher pressure?

Or maybe, just because people don't immediately see their cars blow up doesn't mean something is a good idea and totally harmless. Pressure systems are serious business. It's not significantly costly to upgrade the related components to handle higher pressures if you have a reason to do so. For the vast majority of people running a higher pressure cooling system is completely pointless and buying a higher pressure radiator cap is a waste of money.

You're overthinking it Tristor.

U mad cuz u got roasted

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3psi difference = roasted :w00t:

Also stay away from TRD radiator caps, they will totally ruin your coolant system.

But its TRD breh [emoji2380]

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I have a Jackson Racing rad cap for sale. Only $300.
#tunerlyfe #zomgpowers

I recently read an article on why the NASCAR teams run 290 degree water temps at very high pressures and that's because it allows them to run with the front grill mostly taped off for better aero. In qualifying they will entirely cover the grill, often blowing out water toward the end of qualifying.

For us plebeians... the only reason I could see wanting a high pressure cap is for the road race car where I could spend several laps in a tight draft. The tight draft take a LOT of air away from my cooling system and temps can spike - having a little extra wiggle room in terms of boiling point in that momentary condition is good. The water is hottest at the end of its loop as passes the last exhaust valve and if your system temp is below the boiling point but the water at that very localized exhaust valve area could still cavitate and lead to problems. On my inline 4 in the previous car I warped the head at Cyl 1 on several occasions and finally jumped to a more robust cooling system overall - however a high pressure cap may have also been a workable solution but ultimately I wanted to be able to run in a draft for 30 minutes if the race dictated the necessity.