Ask the expert
COOKING
Q I recently undertook my first long motorway journey in my X-reg Rover Cooper Classic. After driving for two hours the water temperature started to creep up above normal, sometimes almost hitting the red. I found that this could be remedied by dropping down below 4000 revs, however this left me cruising rather slowly in the inside lane.
I stopped shortly afterwards and checked the oil and water, both of which were fine. The coolant is nice and clear, and none has been used since I bought the car in March. The car is unmodified and has very few miles on the clock.
It was a hot day in the high 70s. Is the late Cooper’s tiny alloy radiator really up to the job? It looks more like an oil cooler. The old MG Metro was in a similar, and if anything lower, state of tune and had a radiator four or five times as big in a larger, cooler engine bay.
If the radiator is overworked what is the best modification? It gets frustrating sitting in the slow lane when the car has that nice tall fourth gear and plenty of power.
Mark
“Dawdling along at 4000 rpm in top gear? With your car’s gearing, that equates to around 90 mph... ”
A Believe it or not, that small radiator is well up to the job
