Revan Racing Expansion Tanks for 2013-14

[Slowponycar]

I got to work with Van to test fit the expansion tanks on a stock engine setup. :beer: They are BEAUTIFUL!!!!!:rockon: The craftsmanship is amazing. Ran into some small minor issues that Van will get worked out in a nice little kit to go with the tanks when they ship. YES, the OEM caps will fit on these tanks. I did NOT have to cut any hoses with this setup. It took less than ten mins to remove the OEM tanks. I used a syphon ($15 @Walmart) to remove the coolant, 10mm socket and ratchet wrench and channel locks. I would suggest that you either remove the radiator cover or cover it so that you don't scratch it like it did to mine lol.

Before....

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I removed the air filter, box and cold air tube. Just FYI, the OE hose clamps are glued to the hoses themselves. I'm not a big fan of the OE style clamps and can be hard to move, Van will have the a set of screw/band clamps that are easier to move and tighten rather than messing with the OE spring clamps on the supercharger tank fittings. I connected the supercharger tank hoses and had to slightly move the lower hose under the the bolt that the cold air slides on, used a rubber screw protector on the bolt and have no worries of it rubbing.

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Once both hoses on the supercharger tank are on and the tank is bolted tight, the hose with the T fitting gets in the way and cause it to get close the top pulley,



Van and I talked and came up with solution by using a zip tie. Connected the T fitting hose to the hose and fitting on the tank (opposite side of air box) fixed this issue.

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Radiator Expansion Tank went on with zero issues.
Added distilled water to fill up the rest of the tanks. Left about 1/2"-3/4" from the top of the tank for coolant expansion.

Finished Product...

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[fcettner]

Looks good!

 

[Van@RevanRacing]

These actually work and fit all 2011+ GT500's

 

[rotor_powerd]

Look good, seems like the intercooler coolant would get heat soaked easier and much faster in an aluminum tank rather than a plastic one though.

 

[BIRDDOC]

Nice write up Matt!

 

[Van@RevanRacing]

Look good, seems like the intercooler coolant would get heat soaked easier and much faster in an aluminum tank rather than a plastic one though.

That has been a long discussed and debated topic.

Think of it like electrical wire. The plastic around the wire is an insulator and keeps the electrical current contained.

Metal actually acts as a "conductor" and helps to "convect" heat. Plastic reservoirs actually "contain" or "insulate" the heat in the cooling system. The heat convection is done through the metal components of the vehicle. ie. engine block, heat exchanger, intercooler, radiator, all metal.

Look at all of the FR500 and other Mustang Race cars and they have metal engine coolant reservoirs.

Another reason Ford would put plastic reservoirs in the car.

1. Expense (the OEM are far less expensive)
2. The first thing a lot of people do when they lean into an engine bay is place their hands on the reservoirs. Plastic doesn't burn however metal reservoirs can cause a burn.

Van

 

[19COBRA93]

That's all find and dandy for engine coolant reservoirs where the coolant temp is the same, or nearly the same, as engine bay temps. But for intercooler reservoirs where you're trying to keep your coolant under 100 degrees and that metal tank is soaking up the 200+ degree engine bay temp, that's counter productive.

A simple test would validate this as well. Two similar cars, one with a plastic tank, one with a metal tank of the same/similar capacity. Run both up to operating temp, shut them off, and check intercooler fluid temp. Shut the hoods for 5 or 10 minutes. Open hoods, check reservoir temp again. I'll bet a 12 pack the car with the aluminum tank has a significant higher reservoir fluid temp than the car with the plastic reservoir.

 

[Van@RevanRacing]

That's all find and dandy for engine coolant reservoirs where the coolant temp is the same, or nearly the same, as engine bay temps. But for intercooler reservoirs where you're trying to keep your coolant under 100 degrees and that metal tank is soaking up the 200+ degree engine bay temp, that's counter productive.

A simple test would validate this as well. Two similar cars, one with a plastic tank, one with a metal tank of the same/similar capacity. Run both up to operating temp, shut them off, and check intercooler fluid temp. Shut the hoods for 5 or 10 minutes. Open hoods, check reservoir temp again. I'll bet a 12 pack the car with the aluminum tank has a significant higher reservoir fluid temp than the car with the plastic reservoir.

We've shot temperatures at the race track on cars with the Revan dual fan heat exchanger on larger after market plastic reservoir and metal reservoir. It's within 10 degrees +/-. After a 30 minute on track session get out of the car pop the hood and you can place your hand on the metal reservoir. Non Fan Heat Exchanger and place your hand on the intercooler reservoir you will burn your hand after the same track session.

Look at it differently. We all have insulation in our homes. Keeps the heat in or out depending on the time of year. I follow your engine bay temperature analysis but it seemingly does agree with the temps we've shot at the track after sessions. It doesn't agree with data logs either.

Regardless of whether one wants to agree or disagree these were created for the sole purpose of aethetics under the hood. :beer:

 

[biminiLX]

Also, if you are that worried about temps, several coating are available to prevent that, search Swain Tech for one example.
Can't wait to install mine Van, thanks for a great product!
-J

 

[masonh]

Metal actually acts as a "conductor" and helps to "convect" heat. Plastic reservoirs actually "contain" or "insulate" the heat in the cooling system. The heat convection is done through the metal components of the vehicle. ie. engine block, heat exchanger, intercooler, radiator, all metal.

Aluminum is one of the best heat conductors availanle, that means it takes it in and gets rid of it immediately and like Van said the Plastic tanks are actually insulators and will store the heat. Not to mention they are prone to splitting, leaking and all out exploding, which could come at a bad time. The aluminum tanks will last a lifetime.

A simple test would validate this as well. Two similar cars, one with a plastic tank, one with a metal tank of the same/similar capacity. Run both up to operating temp, shut them off, and check intercooler fluid temp. Shut the hoods for 5 or 10 minutes. Open hoods, check reservoir temp again. I'll bet a 12 pack the car with the aluminum tank has a significant higher reservoir fluid temp than the car with the plastic reservoir.

I'll take the bet, one problem you may have is that these aluminum tanks hold I think 48oz more fluid as well as being better heat conductors.


As far as the install, you guys might grab some ss cable ties from McMaster or wherever you like and it might looks a little less like a zip tie.

Also you could cut the snorkel mount bolt off behind the nut with a cutoff wheel, or maybe one of those tiny hacksaws if you don't have access to a cut off wheel or even a dremel with the right wheel would probably cut it off also.

I got my tanks today Van and the welder is good, nice stacks all the way around. I am plasti-dipping mine in the backyard as I type. I'm in between coats now. Going to find out how it works.

 

[IA Shelby]

That's all find and dandy for engine coolant reservoirs where the coolant temp is the same, or nearly the same, as engine bay temps. But for intercooler reservoirs where you're trying to keep your coolant under 100 degrees and that metal tank is soaking up the 200+ degree engine bay temp, that's counter productive.

A simple test would validate this as well. Two similar cars, one with a plastic tank, one with a metal tank of the same/similar capacity. Run both up to operating temp, shut them off, and check intercooler fluid temp. Shut the hoods for 5 or 10 minutes. Open hoods, check reservoir temp again. I'll bet a 12 pack the car with the aluminum tank has a significant higher reservoir fluid temp than the car with the plastic reservoir.

I would like to see this test as well.

 

[Tob]

...the welder is good, nice stacks all the way around. .

The 'welder' is a bit better than good, IMHO. But there's more to it than that. The tanks sit square relative to the car and at the right elevation. The grain or 'brushed' surface is in the right direction. The bends in the aluminum show no evidence of the process used to make the bends themselves. These look to have been handled with care from the start.

Someone received a shipment of raw material and was very mindful of the surface when cutting. As I mentioned, when bending. The layout was such that the joints were tight and consistent all the way around. Not necessarily an easy task by any means. And the welds...One cough, sneeze, twitch of the eye, a tired arm or hand that dips the Tungsten into the weld pool and poof! - all the work prior is in jeopardy when a perfect finish is the desired result. The heat affected zone is consistent and damn near parallel to the beads themselves.

Whoever is fabricating these is very skilled at what they do. You can argue their performance all day long. The bottom line is that this is some high quality hardware that had more time and effort put into them than most might comprehend when giving them a quick once over.

Very nice offering Van.

 

[Van@RevanRacing]

The 'welder' is a bit better than good, IMHO. But there's more to it than that. The tanks sit square relative to the car and at the right elevation. The grain or 'brushed' surface is in the right direction. The bends in the aluminum show no evidence of the process used to make the bends themselves. These look to have been handled with care from the start.

Someone received a shipment of raw material and was very mindful of the surface when cutting. As I mentioned, when bending. The layout was such that the joints were tight and consistent all the way around. Not necessarily an easy task by any means. And the welds...One cough, sneeze, twitch of the eye, a tired arm or hand that dips the Tungsten into the weld pool and poof! - all the work prior is in jeopardy when a perfect finish is the desired result. The heat affected zone is consistent and damn near parallel to the beads themselves.

Whoever is fabricating these is very skilled at what they do. You can argue their performance all day long. The bottom line is that this is some high quality hardware that had more time and effort put into them than most might comprehend when giving them a quick once over.

Very nice offering Van.

Thanks for the "discerning eye review" Tob! :beer:

 

[HooperWest]

Very nice.

 

[Rv-Junke]

Just got my tanks from Van...

Vans tanks look absolutly AWESOME and I can't wait to install them. I went with the same caps but plain Satin...I think the caps are all really classy and you can't go wrong with any color combo...Thanks Van for the great customer support....And thank you all for the instructions and tid-bits on how to install.

 

[Rv-Junke]

Thanks for the write up

This was EXTREMLY helphul...THANK YOU FOR THE WRITE UP and images.

3 Points...

1. My 2014 did not have issues with the hose and pully, I had plenty of room after install

2. AGRRED the factory clamps are a PITA, but with a little needle nose vise grip made them even easy to use

3. I used a small piece of 1/4" rubber tubbing on the threds of the CAI mount (BTW, that was the hardest part of the project)

In short, easy install, and really high quality parts THANKS VAN!