How To Replace & Upgrade Porsche 996 Radiators (Carrera 3.4L & 3.6L)

Porsche’s first foray into completely water-cooled engines for their 911 went strictly O.K. Their experience with their water-cooled front-engined models allowed them to work out most of the cooling system kinks before the 996 and 986 hit showroom floors, though their engines suffered in other areas. However, these engine issues have been worked out, and 996s are finding themselves as track rats that could use an upgrade in the cooling department.

Pelican Parts: Porsche Center Radiator High Performance Retrofit Upgrade Kit with Aluminum CSF Radiator

Want to add a center radiator to your 996? How about adding the aluminum high performance radiator from CSF? Here is everything you will need to add a center radiator to your 996 if you don’t already have a center radiator. New CSF all-aluminum Center Radiator, Hoses, Ducting, Hardware – it’s all there!

Pelican Parts: Porsche 996/997 Center Radiator Installation

The venerable GT3 design includes a center-mounted radiator that was sometimes installed on various Carrera models as well (mostly Tiptronic transmission equipped cars).

The larger, more powerful engine dictated the use of the front-mounted radiator in addition to the two standard side radiators. Adding the front-mounted radiator is a good upgrade for cars that will be driven in hot weather or have undergone some performance modifications. In particular, if you’re going to be taking your Carrera out to the track someday, I would recommend the installation of the additional radiator. It will provide some significant added protection against overheating, as it typically reduces the highest operating temperatures by about 10-20 degrees Fahrenheit (7-12 degrees Celsius) after installation.