I sent Tabio42 (Forum vendor Pinnacle Performance) a request last week for an underhood coolant reservoir, as I have abandoned my trunk tank setup due to weight, complexity and the nuisance of smelling antifreeze in the cabin on a regular basis. Since I almost never make it to the drag strip and never use ice, it seemed like time to switch back. So he sent me one out for a fair price, and no accommodations were made for this review - in fact I just decided to do one today as I get ready to install it.
Both my trunk tank and previous BMR reservoir comparison threads are listed in my signature below, but the BMR reservoir (being the first review) is a little outdated.
I tried to just run the OEM line setup without a reservoir, but the max-speed EMP I got from Ruskiyab (Forum vendor 0FX2GV) is too damn strong: instant foam from all the turbulence and there's no where for the water/air to separate without a reservoir using such a strong pump. It literally just pushes coolant out of the stock T pressure cap! So, back to an under hood reservoir we go!
Big Picture:
* It's priced well, at around $315 or so. Coated black by default. The other units are all going for around $450+ now.
* No instructions in the box, but Tabio includes some basic nylon fittings and a ball-style petcock. The basic fittings are inexpensive and not worth using IMHO, but it's nice that they're there in case you don't plan ahead and just want to get the thing installed in a hurry.
* Inlet/outlets are similar in orientation to the NorCal tank of yore and are 3/4" NPT thread - so you can use the "norcal" installation instructions that are floating around or reference my BMR thread in my signature. However, Tabio has made some improvements as I'll note below.
* I like the knurled cap with thick o-ring; it's gritty and rough when screwing it in but it works. I absolutely hated the CNC lid of the BMR version that required a specially made handle to tighten and release (it cost extra when I bought mine).
* It's made of relatively thin gauge chinese aluminum and had some superficial rust spots on the uncoated internal surfaces; it also was full of manufacturing debri but no big deal - a quick rinse with the hose solved that problem and it holds water; which is all we need. BUT, I would not just hook up hoses and turn it on with all of those metal shavings going through a $400 stewart either. The BMR uses thicker, CNC'd materials but costs significantly more. I don't believe this to be an issue either way once installed.
* I really like the perforated tube drain, it looks to offer very little flow resistance and looks superior to the original NorCal style mesh screen. It' also superior to the BMR style - which only had a perforated tube on the side outlet - effectively limiting the orientation of your hoses if you wanted to run ice. This tank has filters on both inlet/outlets so you can hook it up however you like, BUT the upper "inlet" tube only has three holes drilled in it (see pic) and that doesn't seem like enough to me.
* The size looks to be a bit smaller than the original NorCal or BMR tanks, however I prefer that! I want more clearance over the ECM as I was getting some hard faults when running the BMR tank that have not recurred since I removed it. I don't know if it was heat soak or vibration/contact from the tank (or just bad luck), but the short of it is I prefer Tabio's version over the others.
Conclusion: I like the tank and will recommend it. It has to be the best value out there at around $315 or so; although there are a few little things relating to the cost-savings of what I presume to be Chinese manufacture and the nylon fittings, but changing those things would make it as expensive as every other $450 tank out there. It's a well thought out piece and should work well, and I really like the internal baffle design and the knurled cap.
Here's the tank with the included ball-type petcock, and my own locally-sourced brass fittings:
Here's the bottom of the tank with one of the two included petcocks, showing the orientation of the two 3/4" NPT outlets:
I really like the knurled lid with thick o-ring. The threads are gritty and not as clean as I'd like, but a little silicone lube will solve the problem.
Here's the top tube filter: it literally has only these three holes on the "left" side for flow.
Here's the same tube after I drilled another 7 holes from inside the fill opening and inside the outlet:
Here's the bottom outlet and perforated tube - along with a healthy amount of metal shavings that came along for the ride.
The included fittings have the narrowest ID of any I've seen, including other plastic/nylon types and are not fit to use unless as a last resort IMHO. So pencil in another $20 to buy your own brass (3/4" NPT x 3/4" male barb, and one as a 90 degree elbow).
The included nylon fitting as shown here against the equivalent brass fitting and 3/4" hose for comparison.
Again, there are a few small quirks relating to the cost-savings / value driven pricepoint, but I like it and I think it's a solid option at a very competitive price.
ETA: I sourced some brass fittings on eBay in 3/4 and 1" barb sizes and measured the ID with calipers.
Both my trunk tank and previous BMR reservoir comparison threads are listed in my signature below, but the BMR reservoir (being the first review) is a little outdated.
I tried to just run the OEM line setup without a reservoir, but the max-speed EMP I got from Ruskiyab (Forum vendor 0FX2GV) is too damn strong: instant foam from all the turbulence and there's no where for the water/air to separate without a reservoir using such a strong pump. It literally just pushes coolant out of the stock T pressure cap! So, back to an under hood reservoir we go!
Big Picture:
* It's priced well, at around $315 or so. Coated black by default. The other units are all going for around $450+ now.
* No instructions in the box, but Tabio includes some basic nylon fittings and a ball-style petcock. The basic fittings are inexpensive and not worth using IMHO, but it's nice that they're there in case you don't plan ahead and just want to get the thing installed in a hurry.
* Inlet/outlets are similar in orientation to the NorCal tank of yore and are 3/4" NPT thread - so you can use the "norcal" installation instructions that are floating around or reference my BMR thread in my signature. However, Tabio has made some improvements as I'll note below.
* I like the knurled cap with thick o-ring; it's gritty and rough when screwing it in but it works. I absolutely hated the CNC lid of the BMR version that required a specially made handle to tighten and release (it cost extra when I bought mine).
* It's made of relatively thin gauge chinese aluminum and had some superficial rust spots on the uncoated internal surfaces; it also was full of manufacturing debri but no big deal - a quick rinse with the hose solved that problem and it holds water; which is all we need. BUT, I would not just hook up hoses and turn it on with all of those metal shavings going through a $400 stewart either. The BMR uses thicker, CNC'd materials but costs significantly more. I don't believe this to be an issue either way once installed.
* I really like the perforated tube drain, it looks to offer very little flow resistance and looks superior to the original NorCal style mesh screen. It' also superior to the BMR style - which only had a perforated tube on the side outlet - effectively limiting the orientation of your hoses if you wanted to run ice. This tank has filters on both inlet/outlets so you can hook it up however you like, BUT the upper "inlet" tube only has three holes drilled in it (see pic) and that doesn't seem like enough to me.
* The size looks to be a bit smaller than the original NorCal or BMR tanks, however I prefer that! I want more clearance over the ECM as I was getting some hard faults when running the BMR tank that have not recurred since I removed it. I don't know if it was heat soak or vibration/contact from the tank (or just bad luck), but the short of it is I prefer Tabio's version over the others.
Conclusion: I like the tank and will recommend it. It has to be the best value out there at around $315 or so; although there are a few little things relating to the cost-savings of what I presume to be Chinese manufacture and the nylon fittings, but changing those things would make it as expensive as every other $450 tank out there. It's a well thought out piece and should work well, and I really like the internal baffle design and the knurled cap.
Here's the tank with the included ball-type petcock, and my own locally-sourced brass fittings:
Here's the bottom of the tank with one of the two included petcocks, showing the orientation of the two 3/4" NPT outlets:
I really like the knurled lid with thick o-ring. The threads are gritty and not as clean as I'd like, but a little silicone lube will solve the problem.
Here's the top tube filter: it literally has only these three holes on the "left" side for flow.
Here's the same tube after I drilled another 7 holes from inside the fill opening and inside the outlet:
Here's the bottom outlet and perforated tube - along with a healthy amount of metal shavings that came along for the ride.
The included fittings have the narrowest ID of any I've seen, including other plastic/nylon types and are not fit to use unless as a last resort IMHO. So pencil in another $20 to buy your own brass (3/4" NPT x 3/4" male barb, and one as a 90 degree elbow).
The included nylon fitting as shown here against the equivalent brass fitting and 3/4" hose for comparison.
Again, there are a few small quirks relating to the cost-savings / value driven pricepoint, but I like it and I think it's a solid option at a very competitive price.
ETA: I sourced some brass fittings on eBay in 3/4 and 1" barb sizes and measured the ID with calipers.