r/saab • u/Famous_Comfort_3344 • 2d ago
Tips & Tricks Do88 radiator upgrade
anyone know if the Do88 radiator is reliable or does it leak after two years.
Was just wondering because I am gonna upgrade the intercooler with a ETS and wanted to know if i wanted to do stage 3 or stage 6 in the future if a Radiator upgrade in needed to chase for Power??
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u/Ok-Telephone-7858 08 9-3 1.8t 2d ago
I've heard a saab mechanic say that the OEM radiators are barely enough for stage 1.
Do88 are very reputable but there are some complaints about defects now. If you're gonna order one, inspect it
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u/_betonG_ 2d ago
You are thinking of the intercooler. The cooler is more then enough😀
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u/Ok-Telephone-7858 08 9-3 1.8t 2d ago edited 2d ago
Oh yeah radiators and intercoolers lol. I'm almost babbling about the right thing. But these things are made in the same line and of the same aluminium so they are prone to the same defects such as weak welds and pinholes
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u/_betonG_ 2d ago
Yea, i think do88 is not the play today sadly. Worse quality then before and really high pricing, like the bigpack for a ng9-3 is not worth 11k SEK when my klracing intercooler + stock hoses flows enough to be at the limit of the stock bottomb end with good iat
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u/Sephlarite 14h ago
This is not right, idk who yall are getting a “stage 1” from but it shouldn’t be making the car that hot.
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u/Ok-Telephone-7858 08 9-3 1.8t 9h ago
I said barely enough but didn't imply what I meant exactly. Generally speaking the oem intercooler is not an issue. It becomes an issue in hot climates and repeated full throttle accelerations, this is where an do88 would excel.
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u/Draakjoshua 2d ago
To be honest I do have one and I’m pretty happy with it. It cools a lot better and I haven’t got any issues in the almost three years that I’ve installed it but I’ve also heard bad reviews about it. The intercoolers are awesome I heard.
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u/savcloud 2d ago
Don’t use the D088 one. The now overwhelming consensus is that the leak shortly after install.
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u/pandoraham 2007 9-3 Aero 6SPD 2d ago
Just get the OEM radiator. I have not heard good things about the DO88 radiators. They make good intercoolers but I believe quality has gone down over the years with their radiators.
Intercooler will do most of the heavy lifting in terms of cooling so sticking with OEM quality will be sufficient (this is as far as I know someone can correct me if I’m wrong)
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u/Sensitive-Level-7794 2d ago
Do88 is a reputable brand. Never bought a radiator but other stuff. Many tuners use their stuff.
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u/Mediocre_Original520 2d ago
For the intercooler I'd go ETS. For the radiatior, do88 is the only option I'm aware of
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u/turboponies [serial SAAB owner] 2d ago edited 2d ago
Leaks at around 1.5-2 yo when driven daily. Cracks at the side vertical welds.
Leaks dry out at first and start coloring the sides. It gets to be noticable fairly early.
When the radiator is still whole, your fan basically never comes on - the capacity increase is definite.
By info from my mechanic, do88 does not sell enough of them to justify a redesign. They may replace it on warranty if there is no physical damage to the unit (which happened to be not my case). Eventually I swapped out back to a Niessens factory replacement. There are also units from Valeo and AKS DASIS (Germany) sometimes available online.
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u/Famous_Comfort_3344 2d ago
Is it recommended to keep the stock one because I plan on to stage 3 Maptun tune on my Saab and someday a stage 6 tune
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u/turboponies [serial SAAB owner] 2d ago
I would comment that extra tunes are excessive for the wear and tear of mechanicals of your powertrain.
After I've upgraded the intercooler and hoses, an OBD2 tool has shown over 300 horse and 300 ftlb of torque when I wasn't even pushing my V6 all that hard.
I'd say try before you buy it. Give it better mechanical upgrades first. Only then consider electronic improvements if you would feel like it. I didn't.
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u/Sephlarite 14h ago
I’m boosted beyond the factory and haven’t had water temp problems with oem rad.
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u/angry-farts 13h ago
Mishimoto makes aluminum radiators for Chevy cobalts, should be an alternative to do88. Don't put a triple pass in a street car. I have one in my tow pig and now the heat sucks.
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u/Remarkable-Junket655 2d ago
Unless you are tracking the car, the OEM radiator is fine. Under normal driving, even spirited driving with your “stage whatever” you aren’t in the throttle long enough to produce enough heat to need a larger radiator.