Mishimoto Performance Aluminum X-Line Radiator for Subaru WRX/STI 2008-2014 Review

With my 2009 STI, it wasn't as easy as I expected. The secondary air intake pump cover did not fit and had to be removed to make room for the radiator. Also, when paired with the Mishimoto STI silicone hose kit (MMHOSE-STI-08BK), I had an unexpected installation problem that one of the hoses didn't fit quite right and had to be trimmed so they wouldn't interfere with my serpentine belt.

Perfect Fit! FYI other buyers, this radiator will not fit in the standard plastic coolant reservoir in my 08 Wrx hatchback. However; It comes with a replaceable plastic bracket that attaches to the heatsink at the bottom of the box. I almost threw the box away without seeing the replacement bracket. My car runs much cooler and this cooler is way better than the OEM!

Perfect fit, amazing cooling performance and great look! I had to cut my coolant hoses to fit as they are a bit thicker than the OEM ones, but my hoses were mostly glued to the old radiator so you may want to get 2 new hoses. I got mine at the Revain Warehouse for a great price; The item was listed as "used - very good" but it was new with slightly damaged packaging. The radiator was not damaged at all. I've included a photo of the box so you can see what it looks like "used - very good".

I try to stay away from Mishimoto products because I always thought they were inferior. But the Koyo wheel I wanted was a custom build so I went with it, the welds don't look very nice and the aluminum coating has abrasions which don't look that great either, but it brought my coolant temp down at WOT and below. Normal driving which is what I needed. As I am not a fan of this Mishimoto cap I will replace it with Cosworth. The installation was perfect except that the upper radiator hose had to…

This radiator has a nice feature: it can be stepped on. The fact that, as it turned out, does not support the normal cooler. That's why I bought this one! In fact, it was a bit problematically thicker than the OEM cooler in my 2008 Legacy GT. I had to shorten all the radiator hoses to fit. The upper radiator hose actually still doesn't fit properly. I cut it to length as accurately as possible, but it still barely touches the bolt on the power steering pump pulley as well as the passenger side…