Your vehicle’s radiator does more than just keep the engine cool—it’s a crucial part of ensuring performance and reliability, no matter how you drive. Whether you’re tearing up the track, conquering off-road trails, or hauling heavy loads, your cooling system needs to be up to the challenge. To make sure our radiators are up to the task, there's something special inside our radiator cores—strutted tubes.
Strutted tubes are an evolution of the standard radiator tube, incorporating internal vertical supports to reinforce the structure. These supports prevent the tubes from expanding under high pressure and resist deformation from external forces, such as chassis flex. Traditional hollow tubes are susceptible to bending and cracking, especially when a vehicle encounters rough terrain or sudden jolts. By adding internal struts, we ensure that stress is distributed throughout the core rather than concentrated in weak points, much like how load-bearing walls in a house support its structure. This enhanced strength is critical for maintaining the integrity of the radiator under extreme conditions, whether it’s on the race track, in the desert, or hauling a heavy load uphill.
The benefits of strutted tubes extend beyond durability. The internal struts anchor the top and bottom flats of the tube together, preventing ballooning under high pressure—think of the difference between the cross-section of a hot dog and a football. This added structural integrity allows our radiators to handle significantly higher pressures compared to traditional welded tubes, improving reliability in extreme conditions. The increased rigidity also helps the radiator absorb more stress without the risk of bending, cracking, or leaking, ensuring longevity even under intense use. With greater pressure tolerance, these radiators can withstand the demands of high-performance applications, where cooling efficiency is paramount, and failure is not an option.
Another critical advantage of strutted tubes is their effect on heat dissipation. The internal supports increase the internal tube surface area, allowing for more efficient heat transfer from the coolant to the surrounding air. Greater surface area means improved cooling efficiency, which is crucial for maintaining optimal engine performance under load. The more efficiently a radiator transfers heat, the better it can manage temperature spikes, helping prevent overheating and potential engine damage. Additionally, we’ve optimized the tube design by increasing the wall thickness at the leading edge—the most at-risk area for stress. By thickening this section to 0.55mm while keeping other areas at 0.40-0.45mm, we’ve improved resistance to failure where it matters most. This reinforcement is especially beneficial in off-road environments, where rocks and debris can pose a threat to radiator longevity.
Chassis flex is a concern for both off-road and high-performance vehicles, and our strutted tubes help mitigate its effects. For trucks and SUVs, this added strength helps protect against chassis flex while navigating uneven terrain, preventing radiator failure due to excessive twisting forces. The rigors of off-roading subject a vehicle’s frame and components to significant stress, and a weak radiator can be a liability. By reinforcing the core with strutted tubes, we ensure that our radiators can endure the punishment of extreme trails, rock crawling, and high-speed desert runs without compromising performance.
For sports and muscle cars, the same reinforcement helps maintain structural integrity under high-speed cornering and aggressive track driving. A performance vehicle experiences significant lateral forces that can introduce flex throughout the chassis. Without a strong radiator core, this movement could lead to tube deformation or leaks over time. Strutted tubes provide an additional layer of protection against these forces, ensuring that the cooling system remains intact even under the harshest driving conditions. This is especially beneficial for vehicles running forced induction, where higher coolant pressures demand a more robust cooling solution.
Beyond structural integrity and cooling efficiency, strutted tubes also contribute to overall vehicle reliability. Radiators equipped with these reinforced tubes have a significantly higher pressure rating compared to those with traditional welded tubes, reducing the likelihood of failures in high-boost or high-load applications. This added pressure tolerance is particularly advantageous for turbocharged and supercharged vehicles, where cooling demands are even greater. By preventing premature failures and leaks, our strutted tube design ensures consistent performance, even when subjected to prolonged periods of extreme use.
In the world of high-performance cooling, every detail matters. With superior strength and reliability, our radiators are built to keep you moving, no matter the challenge. By incorporating strutted tubes into our radiators, we’re not just improving strength and pressure tolerance—we’re delivering a product engineered to withstand the harshest conditions while maximizing cooling efficiency. When you need a radiator that won’t let you down, whether on the track, trail, or highway, our strutted tube design is the ultimate solution for keeping temperatures in check and performance at its peak.
