Keep Your UTV Ice Cold

Your Radiator is Holding You Back

Your boost is in excess of 17 psi, your tune is stage 5 and beyond, your pedal is planted to the floor: why can’t you go faster? Who doesn’t want to go faster? There is no easier explanation than that of the stock cooling components- the factory radiator and factory turbo intercooler are designed for the average joe. Don’t settle for average- you’re better than that!

Background

Many factors influence the efficacy of engine-cooling equipment. Overall dimensions, pass-quantity, angle of placement, and material construction may all play into the cooling ability of your setup. Engine output and efficiency will equally dictate the load upon your radiator: in our case, the 900-cc Rotax engine is exceptionally efficient and does not induce significant operating heat. The factory inter-cooler, however, is strained much greater: OEM placement is less-than-ideal as the placement angle is nearly horizontal. Generally speaking, the factory inter-cooler has minimal effective volume and, under endured loading, will sacrifice performance by feeding overly-hot intake air.

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The Fix?

Put everything in the back and go big! Under regular driving conditions, a large portion of the passing air flow goes directly behind our heads- why waste perfectly good air when you can catch it! Relocation of the cooling equipment allowed for oversize equipment: our radiator is 15″ x 29″ x 2.5″ while our inter-cooler is 6″ x 27.5″ x 3″. Compared to the initial capacity of the Can-Am X3 XRS configuration, our radiator (by volume) is approximately 2.5 times larger while our inter-cooler is approximately 4 times larger. The radiator is a Mishimoto dual-pass racing radiator and the inter-cooler is a J-Line Mishimoto racing inter-cooler. For reference, our new Mishimoto equipment is designed to handle boost up to 35 psi- hows that for room to grow!

The Process

Construction of this new cooling system required the removal of several plastic components (including the inter-cooler housing, the air-box cover, and the bed). We removed all of the cabin-routed hoses and ditched the OEM equipment- this freed up substantial real-estate on the front end of the vehicle for reinforcement as well as our Warn AXON winch. In order to expedite the process and prevent the use of ugly black radiator hose, we opted to form the existing aluminum plumbing. Aluminum, as you may already know, has incredible heat dissipating properties- utilization of this at the back of the vehicle may work as an additional line of cooling. Our air-box and CVT intake were re-routed to prevent obstruction with the new equipment: these were drilled directly through the firewall and feed behind the seat. Feeding intake air from this locale results in the physical blockage of dust and particulate: the factory locations absorb the brunt of the dust, making them exceptionally susceptible to very dirty air-filters.

Wrap Up

We closed out this section of the build with the addition of (2) 12″ Mishimoto Slim-Line fans as well as (3) 6″ fans for the inter-cooler. The radiator fans each draw 1150 CFM per minute and will help eliminate stale air flow during high-heat, low-speed rock crawling conditions at the King of the Hammers. The triple-redundant inter-cooler fans will keep the charge air cool and maintain optimal performance levels regardless of intensity or prolonged operation.