Hi all,

I am going to be purchasing a transmission cooler soon and thought I should run this by everyone to justify the large price difference from the transmission cooler PCM of NC offers and the B&M Super Cooler 70264 offered by summit racing. The price for the PCM of NC cooler is $146 and the price for the B&M (which seems to be the one most people use) is only $77. Both coolers come with installation kits as well. I emailed PCM of NC to have them justify the doubled price as compared to the B&M cooler and this was their justification:

Hey Adam! That is a generic (B&M cooler), basic type of kit that is meant to fit many vehicles. Our kit is meant specifically for the fourth generation f-bodies, it mounts the kit right up front in the air dam where it gets fed with fresh air. Also it is staggered off the radiator which helps as well (one of the ways people often mount that generic kit is to use the plastic zip ties which pin it right to the radiator, so heat is not exchanged as well). Since our brackets mount right up, there is no guesswork on your end as to where to put them or how to bend them. They are also powdercoated black, a finish that will last for years to come.

All of our fittings are either made by Fragola, or Russell, so they are also higher quality than the ones provided in the kit. I see that they provide worm gear clamps also which are a no-no on barbed fittings as they can cut into the hose and make it push off eventually. It looks like with that kit they are intending you to cut and splice onto stock lines, which can lead to leaks as well. Our is truly plug and play.

My questions:

1. Is the PCM of NC cooler worth the price?
2. Is there actually a difference between the two?
3. I love that you don't have to do any splicing with the PCM of NC cooler, but do you even have to splice with the B&M cooler?
4. Any pros, cons, suggesstions, comments, etc are encouraged.

THANK YOU!!

 

B&M supercooler w fan....this thing rocks in my vette dont get over 145 on a hot day

 

Just get the B&M from summit or wherever you can find it cheaper and install it and save some money.



Off topic but quickvert1 where in Milford are you??

 

Do you have to splice into a line with the B&M. I'd honestly go with the PCM cooler if that's the case, because I tend to F*** things up very easily.

 

Do you plan on running it alone or with the stock cooler?

 

I haven't planned that yet. Can you inform me on which way is most beneficial? Is there any problems with cutting off the stock cooler? Also, one would think it would cool better with 2 coolers (the stock, and aftermarket), but is this right?

 

Ive had both ways and prefer to bypass the stock cooler. If you run both together the stock one will heat up the fluid and keep the temps higher. If the cooler is by itself it'll run at lower temps. There wont be any issues not running stock one. Since you are in a colder climate you'll just need to let the car warm up in the colder months because the fluid won't heat up as quickly.

 

Can you refer me to a previous thread that shows (with pics) how to bypass the stock cooler? Also, I won't be driving it when it is cold outside. I would say 50 degrees would be the coldest I would ever run it at, and by the time October rolls around we can see snow and that means it won't be driven until April.

 

Honestly, all I did was run the lines for the new cooler to the stock metal lines and clamp them and its been fine.

 

Sounds pretty simple. I think I may get by doing this one myself!

 

Does anyone use the PCM of NC cooler on their F-body?