My car would over heat driving to work and don't waste your time on track. At least it now makes it more than 2 laps and does fine in the summer here.
I like that the OEM core has fin density light years beyond the aftermarket radiators. Was debating putting a pair of them together, but I think a 2in core won't package very well in a stock engine bay.
Before I even read this post, that is what I thought you had in mind when you mentioned "kicking around ideas" above.
I had no clue that the fin density in the factory unit was that great as compared to the aftermarket ones.
Maybe that's why my still factory radiator equipped car never goes above ~217*F or so, even on a 95*F day, even in stop and go traffic (but I do run a full quart of the LubeGard Kool-It additive, along with a ~75% water/25% Motorcraft coolant mix in the summer)??
Of course, if I drove it as brutally as many (most?) do on here in those ambient temps, or open tracked it in that heat, it would most likely blow up.
The one thing strange about my car in particular, which seems to be the exact opposite to what everyone else on here experiences is that when sitting in traffic in the heat, and the temps start creeping up into the 210 range, as soon as I turn on the AC (and of course that activates the high speed fan setting), the temps start tumbling right down to the mid to high 180s range, and then stay there, no matter how 'heat soaked' the radiator gets.
Again, it makes me wish that we had a manual fan override switch (like I had on other rides) for just that purpose.
IF I could have the above switch, I would probably not even consider an aftermarket radiator, except for the getting rid of the crappy, leak prone, plastic end tanks one accomplishes with the quality aftermarket units.