Mishimoto universal oil cooler kit questions

Originally Posted by Oso

I was gifted a 10 row mishimoto universal oil kit. I was banking on ordering one from Z1 but i figured give this one a try. I am very grateful for the gift but after stalking the forum and searching through threads it seems like there are a lot of mixed reviews in terms of oil cooling. I am all over texas and my temps usually stay around 210-220 which is annoying in the 100 degree heat when you really want to have some spirited driving because the temps just shoot up.

I am almost for sure the 10 row wont cut at this point. I have seen people raving about the 34 row kits but I see complaints with people saying they have to block it off to allow temps to get warm enough and also the nightmare with the thermostatic plates failing. I found the mishimoto thread with the failed gaskets. My kit came with the non-thermo plate, so i a bit better in regards to that.

My plan is to just order in a 25 row radiator only, (sweet spot between 19-34 row, I guess) and get an aftermarket bracket to keep it nice and clean. I would assume universal radiators are interchangeable so i can still use the kit for all the plumbing. So I'm looking at probably $250 out or pocket for radiator and bracket hardware to make this work. I would hate to invest all this and find out i went down the wrong rabbit hole.


TLDR: Gifted an oil cooler - wasnt the one i planned on buying but should I try to make it work?

Originally Posted by BettyZ

Anything sold by mishitmoto is not worth putting in your car. I'd bite the bullet and get a Z1 kit. With your current plan, you'd save 300 bucks if nothing goes wrong. It's a mishitmoto, so something will go wrong, you'll likely dump all your oil all over the road and be out 9k for a new motor and install.

10-row will do nothing for you. Did the cooler come with the AN fittings for the cooler itself?

People blocking off their coolers do so bc they live in colder climates. I don't think you'd have an issue with that in Texas.