What's the verdict on the need of oil cooler?

[ATL BRZ]

I have no empirical data to back this up as I wasn't monitoring temps, but last month at Road Atlanta in 86 degree ambient temps I could feel my BRZ start to lose power at the end of my sessions on track running without an oil cooler and fresh factory 0W-20. It just felt a little weaker compared to the beginning of each session. 93 octane with Torco Accelerator, Intake and axleback are my only mods that would affect performance otherwise.

Perrin OC kit is on the way to me now. EDIT: Backordered with no ETA. Go figure...

[WolfpackS2k]

Dammit, this is the last thing I wanna hear

[Midtenn]

Spend the money, its cheap insurance and piece of mind. If you're DIY minded, it doesn't take much to setup an oil cooler and come out cheaper than a kit.

[wootwoot]

Indeed. But the important question, in my mind, is what temp thermostat is optimal. At this point I am thinking 200F or even 220F given the data we have available.

[Norkoastal]

Will any or all these "cooler" car mods help minimize the awful change in character this car gets into when the AC is on? The overal change in throttle response and shift timing really puts a damper on the drive and snappyness of the car when the compressor is off.

[deange]

The Perrin kit is backordered because they are having some problems with them. I got mine and this is what happened:

thread

I'll either just piece one together or look elsewhere. I'm wishing I would have just given one of the robispec ones a try since I did the radiator anyhow.

[smbstyle]

Originally Posted by deange

The Perrin kit is backordered because they are having some problems with them. I got mine and this is what happened:

thread

I'll either just piece one together or look elsewhere. I'm wishing I would have just given one of the robispec ones a try since I did the radiator anyhow.

Uh oh, that's not good.

I will say that one thing that does concern me about an aftermarket oil cooler is adding additional failure points, and any possible strain that might be put on the oil pump to run the fluid through the cooler and lines as well. I'd like to keep this car as stock as possible during the warranty period just in case, and if something were to happen to the motor, I could see this being an issue. Just my opinion though.

[Dave-ROR]

Originally Posted by smbstyle

Uh oh, that's not good.

I will say that one thing that does concern me about an aftermarket oil cooler is adding additional failure points, and any possible strain that might be put on the oil pump to run the fluid through the cooler and lines as well. I'd like to keep this car as stock as possible during the warranty period just in case, and if something were to happen to the motor, I could see this being an issue. Just my opinion though.

There are additional points of failure for sure. That's why I have my pressure sender immediately after the cooler now so I'll know if there's any failure right away. However, I've had zero issues with the mocal bits and the one pictured looks slightly tweaked.

[ultra]

Just tracked my car last night in 100F + temps for 20 minutes x 3 sessions + 20 minute cooldowns.

Verdict: I didn't log my temps but had no noticeable issues all evening. IMO you don't absolutely *need* an oil coller for casual track use but it'd probably be a good idea if you're going to be tracking often and aggressively.

Particularly the Robispec unit - why mess around?

[mtimney]

I'm going to try something different with cooling and put in a Mocal laminar flow system. I know this isn't the best route, but it's not that expensive and easy to install. I'm going to hook to the stock radiator at the hose that feeds the engine in hope of getting the coolest water at the expense of having the oil warmed up as quickly. It will be interesting to see what happens.

I'm thinking that for my DD and a few auto-x here and there this might just be okay. I'll let you know how it works. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[cf6mech]

Where is it mounted and how obstructed is the airflow?,....curious as I have a Perrin,... mounted on front crash bar and does not have direct airflow to it,...kind of obstructed a bit.

[BatStig]

Originally Posted by Dave-ROR

Next time we are both at Sebring we should use your scangauge in my car to compare the OEM reading vs the one from the Defi. I placed the sensor right after the cooler so it will be reading lower, just curious how much lower...

I installed my Defi DIN-Gauge this weekend with a sandwich plate for the oil temp/pressure sensors. I went out for a couple of casual 30 minute drives. The DIN-Gauge and my Scangauge were showing almost the same temp the whole time; within a degree or two of each other.

[swift996]

According to the Torque PID, I was hitting about 270 degrees yesterday at the track. Running Motul 300V oil.

[swift996]

Here is a data log from my first session. I was behind a guy who was causing a traffic jam so I pulled into the pits to get some space (you will see my idle before heading out - 1 lap - and then idle in the pit for a couple minutes):


This was the most conservative session I had as it was in the AM and my first time at this track. The next 3 sessions (which I didn't log) I was pushing it a LOT harder. Ambient temps were probably around 75 or so.