Oil cooler needed? Don't know? See some results inside

[robispec]

yes the engine sees the same temps almost all the time.

[smbstyle]

Originally Posted by jamesm

driving around the street with my turbo i'm seeing 220-230 with near 100deg ambient temps. being that synthetics are good to 270+, and i dont plan on tracking the car, i may forego the oil cooler for now. maybe later... but it doesn't seem critical for even a boosted street car.

270? Mobil 1 claims their synthetics are good to 500*, as many other quality oils. Maybe your 50 year old bottle of 5w30 dino oil is good to 270.....

I still don't see the evidence of a need for an oil cooler, and haven't found anything to show the engine is being damaged at 270+ oil temps or the oil is loosing certain properties or abilities to protect the engine beyond 270*. In fact, I sent my oil sample of GC 0w30 to Blackstone for analysis, where I had 250 pure track miles where I saw 280-300* oil temps, and they found no issues with the sample, and in fact recommended I extend the oil change interval based on how good the oil still was, knowing those 250 miles were all track miles, so obviously the oil isn't breaking down.

Just don't see the evidence for the need of one in terms of engine safety, but with Perrin reporting a drop in timing at higher temps, I understand from a performance perspective. I've put oil coolers on previous cars and it was just another failure point, would be leaky from time to time, and think the oil cooler would be a great excuse for Subaru to deny an engine damage warranty claim, as the oil cooler puts an additional strain on the oil pump that it was not designed for.

I'll stick without the oil cooler, continue to change the oil every two track days, and keep the forum posted on what happens.

[ATL BRZ]

Originally Posted by smbstyle

but with Perrin reporting a drop in timing at higher temps, I understand from a performance perspective.

That's why I bought an oil cooler. In June at Road Atlanta I could feel the car losing a little power towards the end of my sessions. Sure most quality synthetic oils can take the heat and hold up fine, but when it's hot enough to pull timing there's not really a point to stay out on track more than 10-15 minutes unless you like slowing down as soon as your tires get decent heat in them.

I didn't buy a cooler because I thought my oil would begin breaking down around 270F, I bought one because I wanted consistent power all the time, every time.

[smbstyle]

Originally Posted by ATL BRZ

That's why I bought an oil cooler. In June at Road Atlanta I could feel the car losing a little power towards the end of my sessions. Sure most quality synthetic oils can take the heat and hold up fine, but when it's hot enough to pull timing there's not really a point to stay out on track more than 10-15 minutes unless you like slowing down as soon as your tires get decent heat in them.

I didn't buy a cooler because I thought my oil would begin breaking down around 270F, I bought one because I wanted consistent power all the time, every time.

I like driving a slow car, makes me feel like I'm still in my Miata

[brillo]

I asked this question over in the Track/HPDE/AutoX section but I figured I'd through it out here as well. Is there any concern over oil pressure and 0W-20 oil in a NA engine with a oil cooler? I thought I saw someone post something to affect you needed to step up the weight but I never saw that from any of the shops, racers or oil cooler vendors.

[Sportsguy83]

Originally Posted by brillo

I asked this question over in the Track/HPDE/AutoX section but I figured I'd through it out here as well. Is there any concern over oil pressure and 0W-20 oil in a NA engine with a oil cooler? I thought I saw someone post something to affect you needed to step up the weight but I never saw that from any of the shops, racers or oil cooler vendors.

Read this: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showt...39#post1157239

[ATL BRZ]

Originally Posted by brillo

I asked this question over in the Track/HPDE/AutoX section but I figured I'd through it out here as well. Is there any concern over oil pressure and 0W-20 oil in a NA engine with a oil cooler? I thought I saw someone post something to affect you needed to step up the weight but I never saw that from any of the shops, racers or oil cooler vendors.

If you're running a cooler, I'd recommend switching to a 30 weight oil. @Dave-ROR measured oil pressures at the block and found them to be uncomfortably low when running 20 weight with an oil cooler. Switching to a 30 weight brought the pressures back up to comfortable levels. The manual also states that it's okay to switch to a 30 weight for harsh conditions.

Here are Dave's threads: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28713

and http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28714

[keen as]

Cusco water cooled oil cooler result
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showp...2&postcount=82

[BatStig]

Originally Posted by Apocalypso

I have the Perrin oil cooler.

At the track in 80ºF I saw 249ºF tops.

Daily driving I'm at 185ºF. 190-195ºF when I'm cruising with the hammer down (80mph).

Just wanted to bump this old thread with an update to my previous findings. I was at the track Monday in 55-60ºF weather. I was still topping out around 250ºF until I had a revelation: take off the front license plate! This dropped my temps to about 230º. Can't believe I didn't do this earlier.

[BRZ NA]

Originally Posted by ATL BRZ

That's why I bought an oil cooler. In June at Road Atlanta I could feel the car losing a little power towards the end of my sessions. Sure most quality synthetic oils can take the heat and hold up fine, but when it's hot enough to pull timing there's not really a point to stay out on track more than 10-15 minutes unless you like slowing down as soon as your tires get decent heat in them.

I didn't buy a cooler because I thought my oil would begin breaking down around 270F, I bought one because I wanted consistent power all the time, every time.

So how much hp lost? Can u feel it on the track?

[mike the snake]

One issue I see with oil coolers is under normal driving conditions, the oil never reaches proper temps (170-180 is too low) and only under racing conditions does the oil reach optimum temps. Too low oil temps and you run into pressure and moisture issues. I read about temp swings from 170-250 depending on how the car is driven.

I opted for the Robispec radiator/oil cooler, because it keeps the oil at the perfect temps ALL the time, regardless of load or outside temps, and has the added bonus of heating the oil up to operating temps much more quickly.

[ATL BRZ]

Originally Posted by BRZ NA

So how much hp lost? Can u feel it on the track?

Don't know but in Perrins testing they saw variations of 5-10whp as the oil overheated on a dynamic if I remember correctly. I could definitely feel it.

[smbstyle]

Originally Posted by ATL BRZ

Don't know but in Perrins testing they saw variations of 5-10whp as the oil overheated on a dynamic if I remember correctly. I could definitely feel it.

Did you notice any difference in your lap times before and after the oil cooler, keeping everything else the same?

[ATL BRZ]

Originally Posted by smbstyle

Did you notice any difference in your lap times before and after the oil cooler, keeping everything else the same?

No I didn't keep everything else the same. I did some power mods around the same time (header+ovepipe+E85) to supplement the cooler so I don't have a good comparison. The car is consistently faster though. I'm also using Millers Nanodrive race oil that's proven to add 6whp.