Show Cooling Basics - Row Quantity vs. Tube SizeIn the radiator core, coolant flows through tubes. The tubes are joined together by the fins. The more tube-to-fin contact area; the more heat can be exchanged. One way to increase the contact area is to use more tubes. This is accomplished by adding another row. Another way is to use larger tubes.  Row QuantityThe number of rows is often referred to as the core number. For example, a 4-row radiator can be called a “4-core” radiator.
Tube SizeThe tube size listed is the width of the tube. Wider tubes have more surface area. This means they can dissipate more heat. How does this affect performance?In the old days, with copper/brass radiators, more rows meant more cooling. However, it also made the radiator thicker. This adds air restriction, making it less efficient. It is also harder on the fan. For mechanical fans, this means more parasitic power loss. More rows also means the rear tubes are less effective than the front ones. As air flows through the core, it picks up heat. By the time it gets to the back row, it is warmer than when it started. This means less heat can be removed from the rear tubes. As more rows are added, this becomes a bigger issue. Aluminum radiators have helped to solve these problems. Because aluminum is stronger, the tubes can be wider. This means more contact area without significantly increasing the thickness of the radiator. For Example
In this example, the 2-row radiator has more cooling capacity than the 3-row. Is a 3 row radiator better than a 2More rows meant more surface area in contact with the fin and consequently a higher heat rejection. So a 3 row was better than a two row and so on. When aluminum radiators came around the rules changed. Cooling engineers concluded that by lowering the fin height you could stack more layers of tubes.
How many rows in a radiator are best?Summary: as a general guide, 3+ radiator rows stands to benefit a high performance or heavy duty vehicle. 1-2 is usually stock standard but can be highly efficient for more strenuous uses depending on other core specs.
What is the difference between 1 row and 2A 1-row radiator has one row of tubes. A 2-row radiator has two rows of tubes.
Are 2 pass radiators better?A double pass radiator is considered an upgrade over a single pass. All else being equal, a double pass radiator can increase cooling efficiency 5-10%. It works well in street and race applications.
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Radiator 2 row vs 3 row
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