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      06-01-2020, 10:50 PM   #80
joeo
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Drives: 2009 Crimson Red 135i
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2009 BMM 135i  [9.50]
I didn't have an IR temperature probe, just my trusty hand. At those temperatures, hoses to both coolers were hot to the touch. Take that for whatever it's worth.

You are correct that the coolers should be the same size and have the same restriction to have even flow to each, however, if one is larger it should have more flow. It's very similar to two resistors in parallel. I humbly disagree with plumbing them in series being best practice.

In Carroll Smith's book 'Tune to Win':
"When using multiple heat exchangers remember that the greater the difference in temperature between the liquid to be cooled and the air that is doing the cooling, the greater will be the temperature drop across the cooler. That has two ramifications of interest to us. First, plumb multiple coolers in parallel rather than in series. Second, do not mount your oil cooler directly ahead of or behind your radiator."
If you plumb them in series, your second heat exchanger will have low efficiency since the inlet fluid temp will already be lowered. Heat exchanger efficiency is Tin-Tout/Tin-Tamb where
Tin = inlet temperature
Tout = outlet temperature
Tamb = ambient temperature

-Joe
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