Tunnel Coolers?

jrlastofthebreed · Jan 20, 2019

Has anyone here used tunnel coolers on a 4 stroke? I have punched holes in 4 radiators now. (even with steel guards) and i would also like to save weight. or at least move it lower and back.

If it matters this would be going on a mountain horse or maybe an ARO.

Where do you buy coolers? sled junkyards?

Pics and advice is greatly appriciated

wwillf01 · Jan 20, 2019

Arctic cat 480s work well... Mylers can make one for you.. and I think c3 has one ...

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Norma Stitz · Jan 20, 2019

I got one off eBay for pretty cheap but I was surprised how heavy it was. Way more weigh than two rads.

wwillf01 · Jan 20, 2019

For sure heavier .. ton more coolant when I did it ..

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jrlastofthebreed · Jan 20, 2019

Did you guys notice a difference in the weight feel? since it was down low? How about temp control. Is it worth the effort over rads?

jacmmaxwell · Jan 20, 2019

I have one in my kit that the prior owner had setup on a yz450. I have not hooked it up yet due to my thermostat setup is not ideal for it yet.

I also have a skidoo summit rev cooler I saved out of an 04 that would be a perfect cooler for a snowbike kit. I'll try to get some pics of both my setup and the rev cooler.

I'd have to ague that if you removed your radiators and went to the cooler your looking at a VERY small weight gain and from the reports of those that rode with my kit before I owned it the cooler was flat out the most consistent runner out there. I don't think your adding any additional coolant, cooler weighs about as much as both radiators only a bit more ... this depends on cooler ( rev cooler would be heavier ) weight is going to ride very low in the chassis. Your not going to notice it.

Norma Stitz · Jan 20, 2019

What’s a rev cooler?

wwillf01 · Jan 20, 2019

jrlastofthebreed said:
Did you guys notice a difference in the weight feel? since it was down low? How about temp control. Is it worth the effort over rads?

So temp control is super.... Perfectly stable .. weight wise I did not on icy roads not so good the bike would get pretty warm......

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M5- · Jan 20, 2019

What are you using for rad guards? I'd be looking at those if you've punched 4 rads.

M5

jrlastofthebreed · Jan 20, 2019

M5- said:
What are you using for rad guards? I'd be looking at those if you've punched 4 rads.

M5

I punched 2 holes in the left radiator with stock plastic guards. Then i got the Unibiker guards and they work pretty well. End of the year last year i punched both in one day. Both very small pin pricks after a very bad impact but still. I just tend to hit a lot of trees, saplings ect. haha

jacmmaxwell · Jan 20, 2019

Norma Stitz said:
What’s a rev cooler?

03.5 - 07 skidoo Rev chassis has the cooler below. It's larger than what is in my kit but sized to fit very easily into a timbersled kit... even the narrower kits should not be a problem. It's sitting on my '14 mountain horse in the pics and its aprox 1" narrower than the inside dimensions of my kit ( if someone needs measurements I can get them.

Also here is the cooler in my kit, as I understand it was made just for the kit and yes consistent temps were the case. He ran scratchers on long road sections so he could just rail the road and never had to stop and let it cool, WFO powder days it cooled and allowed the EFI to operate as it was intended... deeper the snow the better it coolers ( regardless of outside temp )

wwillf01 · Jan 20, 2019

Also Flo billet gaurds with the fins work really well keeping the sticks out...

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Norma Stitz · Jan 20, 2019

I’d sell this one 60$ delivered USA if anyone wants to tinker with this idea.

CATSLEDMAN1 · Jan 20, 2019

HEAT exhange'n

A couple of years ago my riding partner and I decided the only way to make out KTM's run consistent was to go to heat exhangers/ tunnel coolers.
The first ones we made we ordered the raw aluminum extrusion from WALH Bros, we bought 2' of their standard aluminum material. So we cut it down and made two 12" long coolers mounting them in our MH kits at the start of the rear pan. Dan is still running that same kit in his 2019 aro kit on a his 450sxf big bore kit.

This last fall to make a shop project I bought more of Wahl' extrusion and built two 3 1/2" x 11" coolers that fit inside the TS tube frame just in back of the countershaft and ahead of the rear pan. The idea was " lets see how it works ", and moving weight forward.

What I have found running coolers on the 4 stroke bikes is:
its doesn't take much of a cooler to kick azz on radiators

I run the right radiator so its easy to fill the system and its where my bypass hooks up, I have the right side radiator covered front and back.

with a home machined thermostat with the newest style THERMO BOB 90 CENTIGRADE thermostat my temps are up, but always spot on..............no, yesterday in 30 degrees snowing all day and new powder I had 160 to 190 temps, afters installing heated bars you feel the differneces all day and temps are always around and around.

one of my small 3.5" x 11" coolers will get rid of all the heat a 500KTM can make. I've proved that to myself.

spring riding in 60 degrees temps slow riding in the trees with all my covers and foam and blankets on my bike runs the same as winter, just never goes over 190 degrees.

a 2013 KTM500 exc runs better at 190 degrees than 160 no doubt.

mrsnow · Jan 22, 2019

Flap

If you run a cooler you will need a snow flap at least on the packed trails it keep snow dust on the cooler. ?

jacmmaxwell · Jan 22, 2019

Hmm, no flap on mine and it worked great... he did run scratchers on the roads.

CATSLEDMAN1 · Jan 22, 2019

packed trails and snoflap

I have a scratcher on the rear of my ski to drop when in concrete. My hyfax will heat before my bike with the two little coolers.

Sno flap, not necessary to keep a KTM or Wr450 cool, but I like to ride with guys that use them, I like guys with big ones even more.

jrlastofthebreed · Jan 23, 2019

CATSLEDMAN1 said:
A couple of years ago my riding partner and I decided the only way to make out KTM's run consistent was to go to heat exhangers/ tunnel coolers.
The first ones we made we ordered the raw aluminum extrusion from WALH Bros, we bought 2' of their standard aluminum material. So we cut it down and made two 12" long coolers mounting them in our MH kits at the start of the rear pan. Dan is still running that same kit in his 2019 aro kit on a his 450sxf big bore kit.

This last fall to make a shop project I bought more of Wahl' extrusion and built two 3 1/2" x 11" coolers that fit inside the TS tube frame just in back of the countershaft and ahead of the rear pan. The idea was " lets see how it works ", and moving weight forward.

What I have found running coolers on the 4 stroke bikes is:
its doesn't take much of a cooler to kick azz on radiators

I run the right radiator so its easy to fill the system and its where my bypass hooks up, I have the right side radiator covered front and back.

with a home machined thermostat with the newest style THERMO BOB 90 CENTIGRADE thermostat my temps are up, but always spot on..............no, yesterday in 30 degrees snowing all day and new powder I had 160 to 190 temps, afters installing heated bars you feel the differneces all day and temps are always around and around.

one of my small 3.5" x 11" coolers will get rid of all the heat a 500KTM can make. I've proved that to myself.

spring riding in 60 degrees temps slow riding in the trees with all my covers and foam and blankets on my bike runs the same as winter, just never goes over 190 degrees.

a 2013 KTM500 exc runs better at 190 degrees than 160 no doubt.

I apologize but I want to make sure i understand you. Your set up includes one radiator up front and one home make one in the kit frame? Or just the one in the frame?

I really like the idea of the frame mounted one. Its very protected and have a lot of air/ snow flow. I might have to try that one.

I am assuming if i build one i would remove my 2 current rads and install some sort of shroud to block airflow to my engine?

Thanks for the ideas!

needpowder · Jan 23, 2019

Right hand radiator

When I ran one on my CR 500 I deleted the left radiator and just kept the right. It’s an easy way to Fill and check your level. Just block off the radiator so it doesnt assist the cooling. I had radiator guards so even with my left radiator removed the plastic bolted up nice. I also ran scratchers. They came in very handy occasionally.

CATSLEDMAN1 · Jan 23, 2019

jrlastofthebreed said:
I apologize but I want to make sure i understand you. Your set up includes one radiator up front and one home make one in the kit frame? Or just the one in the frame?

I really like the idea of the frame mounted one. Its very protected and have a lot of air/ snow flow. I might have to try that one.

I am assuming if i build one i would remove my 2 current rads and install some sort of shroud to block airflow to my engine?

Thanks for the ideas!

I have my right radiator as mentioned to make filling easy but I have the radiator covered front and back.l

I removed my left radiator. My heat exchangers are plumbed to the inlet and outlet that used to be my left radiator.

The small cooler shown in picture is duplicated one the right side, so two 3 1/2" x 11" heat ex changers.

My bigger single cooler I ran last two years did rub on my track at times, another reason I wanted to make two small coolers in side the frame and flush with the bottom of my frame. I have run just one of the small coolers in Dec powder, and it was covered with snow most of the day.

Tunnel Coolers?

It seemed like a good idea at the time

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