Anyone have any experience with the cooling effects a radiator with and without a fan shroud? I imagine if the factory thought it was necessary it probably needs one. 16V w/ turbo.

I have personally saw 10+ degree temp drop with the addition on a shroud. Have also read that they are very important to a cooling system. that's why I made sure to make one for the Audi-kick.

My '90  doesn't have one. Never noticed any issues in any weather. Sure easy to access the front stuff.
ymmv

If you are using the stock fan you will want to keep the shroud.  If you want more space just swap to an electric fan, cleans the engine bay right up.  That is what we did on Project Trouble, and something I want to do to the DD.

Thanks for all the input guys. I am currently useing an electric fan, but the one I'm using is just slightly bigger than the radiator core, so it's top and bottom edges rest on the upper tank and lower tank making the actual fan with it's tiny built in shroud sit about an inch away from the core. I had experienced some overheating problems the last time I was in NC at the Zuwharrie ( it was in the mid 90's and humid as the rain forest, so I was trying to use my AC)  and have been thinking about building a shroud that would cover the whole core. So yesterday I had some time and pulled the rad, and still using the electric fan, and the custom aluminum brackets I had made to hold it, I cut up an old stock shroud and made a perfect fit for one side, and fabbed the other side out of light weight sheet aluminum. This pretty much sealed up the fan, and the shroud fits nicely around all the sides and edges of the fan. Hoping this will pull more air through the corners where the fan wasn't effective. I'll get some pics up later. Oh, the only time the engine temps ever start to go above the slightly left of center mark is when I'm in low range 4WD, going real slow.

At low vehicle speed, the shroud does play a major factor in cooling. All of the radiator that is NOT shrouded is simply having air move across it by what ever forward speed you may have, vice the effect that the shrouded areas have from the fan being able to force the air movement through. If you are sitting still with no shroud, the engine will not cool as well as one with a shroud.

I threw mine away about 8 years ago, all it did was hold mud and prevent me from washing the rad through properly. I never saw any increase in running temperature.

I agree with you in theory Wrex, it would seem to make sense the any unshrouded areas wouldn't get as much cooling. Rhinoman, I respect your opinion as well, but I've always had this getting hot issue,  most of time as long as I remembered to have my fan switch on it would stay cool. During that heat last summer in NC though, I was having cooling issues all day. I went through everything in the cooling system, pulled the rad and checked for blockage, it flows just fine, new water pump when I did my timing belt. I do have a rather large trans cooler sitting directly in front of the radiator behind my winch, and another large cooler for the turbo intercooler below the bumper in front of the rad. There is also the condensor for the AC between , so I'm hoping at this point it's just a matter of not getting enough airflow to the radiator, and the shroud will help it pull more.

 a shroud will make the air act like a funnel, ramming the air directly through the fins instead of pulling from all directions (sometimes directly off the motor)(or turbo housing/exhaust)

if that dont solve your issues check out the super coupe radiators that both drew (4.0 toy swap) and I used in the Audikick are a nice fit  are thicker and real metal.

keep us posted if your shroud fixes your problem.

I was just looking at rads for our rigs and made a call to the local supply house and found a interesting little fact, there are two sizes of radiators for our rigs, core measurements of 14.75" tall and 16.75", same width. If I can find a 16.75 rad for a manual trans ( without trans cooling) I may go that way. Theres plenty of room under the hood for it, and they're as cheap as $85.

The larger of the two is probably for a sport.

So Jluck, you think the 1.8 in the sport required a larger radiator? Any of you guys got a 4 door with a manual transmission? I'd like the manual because it doesn't have the trans cooler taking up the bottom couple of rows in the radiator. I would greatly appreciate it if someone could measure the height of their 4 door core, from edge of tank on top to edge of tank on bottom, and complete rad to see if there bigger. 

I was just looking at rads for our rigs and made a call to the local supply house and found a interesting little fact, there are two sizes of radiators for our rigs, core measurements of 14.75" tall and 16.75", same width. If I can find a 16.75 rad for a manual trans ( without trans cooling) I may go that way. Theres plenty of room under the hood for it, and they're as cheap as $85.

The difference is probably one is for a 2 door, one is for a 4door.  I know they are not the same size....because when I needed a replacement for one of my 4 doors, none of the 2 door parts trackicks I had had the right sized radiator.  
I don't remember on 4 doors, but I know there are a couple of different widths of 2 door radiators.
Also, IIRC, the mounting "pads" on the bottom of 2 door and 4 door radiators are not in the same place, so that may cause an issue too.

BTW, the one in my 4 door 5 speed measures 16.75" core height (as close as I could tell) and is 20 3/8" wide between the radiator supports.

i have an electric fan it was a flexlite duel 10 slim fan I cut it down the middle turned it a quarter turn fits my samurai rad like it was made for it runnig on a trail my temt is around 95 or less for driving on the steet i very rarly turn it on temp it about 195-200 big diff

Thanks Sky and  Fordguy. I did a little test yesterday after work, driving around in a figure 8 pattern, steering lock to lock,  in 4 low ( Calmini low) for over a half hour in a dirt lot near my house. Never got over 5 mph, and locked the rear and front off and on. With the fan running and new shroud in place, the temp guage actually read a bit COOLER! I guess the shrouds do work, well for an electric fan anyway.  BTW, I've never had to turn the fan on when driving on road, unless it's 100 degrees and I'm stuck in stop and go traffic running the AC. Now I just have to wait until it gets warm enough to try the same 4 lo test with the AC on.