Oil Cooler for a DD with track days?

[Dububster]

So I have begun getting into tracking my car a few times a year and have come across many threads saying that if you track your car at all, you should get an oil cooler for extra insurance. After doing a little bit more research, I found that an oil cooler may not be the best idea on a DD car where most of the trips might not get the oil up to temperature with an oil cooler. I came across a pretty good deal on a Jackson racing oil cooler near me and wanted to know what you guys think. Do you think I should pick the cooler up because I need it for tracking and it would be fine to have daily driving, or would it be a bad idea because my oil might not get up to proper temps when daily driving it and maybe I should get a different solution for when I take it to the track? Everything is stock under the hood besides UEL headers.

[ZDan]

You don't need an oil cooler. You should run 30 or 40wt full synth oil during track season tho...

[Dububster]

Originally Posted by ZDan

You don't need an oil cooler. You should run 30 or 40wt full synth oil during track season tho...

Okay, do you think one of the lighter oil coolers like the OEM forester one would be a good idea, or is that one not even necessary?

[BlueWhelan]

Use your data to drive the decision. What does your oil temp look like on track?

Modern oils have no problem protecting under optimal temperature. They DO however lose viscosity (and pressure) rapidly once over temp. It’s the pressure drop that is the problem for the Fa-20s. Get the JR kit. The included thermostatic plate will keep it from being too cold for daily driving, but will protect you from severe pressure drops on track.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Dububster]

Originally Posted by BlueWhelan

Use your data to drive the decision. What does your oil temp look like on track?

Modern oils have no problem protecting under optimal temperature. They DO however lose viscosity (and pressure) rapidly once over temp. It’s the pressure drop that is the problem for the GA-20z Get the JR kit. The included thermostatic plate will keep it from being too cold for daily driving, but will protect you from severe pressure drops on track.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I am not sure what my oil temps are at the track because I have only been once and wasn't monitoring oil temps at that time. I would have already gotten the oil cooler but when I was looking into threads of people who mostly dd their care they were talking about how it is hard to get their oil up to operating temps with an oil cooler resulting in possible damage to the engine even with the thermostatic plate. This worries me because when daily driving my car 85% of the trips I take are rather short and only long enough to barely get my oil up to regular operating temp. I plan to track my car more often this coming fall-spring and that's why I have spent so much time looking into whether I need an oil cooler or not. Thoughts? I just did a very light backroad drive and my oft read 210 degrees if that means anything...

[BlueWhelan]

I have the Jackson Racing kit on my daily driver. I commonly see 150-170 in my daily commute. This is totally fine. Modern synthetic motor oils are designed to flow well even at temperatures much lower then that. You’re not going to damage your engine by failing to get oil up to 180F while daily driving. If that was the case, everyone who drives their car for 60 seconds to the grocery store would be spinning bearings left and right.

Now, I will say that you generally should avoid redlining the thing while the engine/oil is cold, but that’s probably more to do with engine tolerances at operating temperature rather than oil viscosity.

Anyone who blows an engine with cold oil was either caning it without a warmup, or something else was going on.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Dububster]

Originally Posted by BlueWhelan

I have the Jackson Racing kit on my daily driver. I commonly see 150-170 in my daily commute. This is totally fine. Modern synthetic motor oils are designed to flow well even at temperatures much lower then that. You’re not going to damage your engine by failing to get oil up to 180F while daily driving. If that was the case, everyone who drives their car for 60 seconds to the grocery store would be spinning bearings left and right.

Now, I will say that you generally should avoid redlining the thing while the engine/oil is cold, but that’s probably more to do with engine tolerances at operating temperature rather than oil viscosity.

Anyone who blows an engine with cold oil was either caning it without a warmup, or something else was going on.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yeah, that's a really good point. Better too cold than too hot. Thank you very much for the input.

[ZDan]

Originally Posted by Dububster

Okay, do you think one of the lighter oil coolers like the OEM forester one would be a good idea, or is that one not even necessary?

Forester cooler has some stuff going for it, namely it's an OEM part and it will actually heat up the oil quicker vs. aftermarket cooler. Reportedly knocks oil temps down by 10-15F.

With no cooler, oil temp in my car reliably goes to just over 270F at the track and never climbs from there, even in 95F ambient temps. That's not a problem at all for good synthetic. I run 30wt and change every couple/three events and don't worry about it...

[ZDan]

Originally Posted by BlueWhelan

Use your data to drive the decision. What does your oil temp look like on track?

The other question to ask: Is this temperature problematic? I don't think 270F is, with good 30wt synthetic.

Modern oils have no problem protecting under optimal temperature. They DO however lose viscosity (and pressure) rapidly once over temp. It’s the pressure drop that is the problem for the Fa-20s.

We have data showing the same oil pressure for oil at ~275F without a cooler, and at ~245F with a cooler. ~7.5psi/1000rpm either way with 30wt Motul.
https://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=91820

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by BlueWhelan

I have the Jackson Racing kit on my daily driver. I commonly see 150-170 in my daily commute. This is totally fine. Modern synthetic motor oils are designed to flow well even at temperatures much lower then that. You’re not going to damage your engine by failing to get oil up to 180F while daily driving. If that was the case, everyone who drives their car for 60 seconds to the grocery store would be spinning bearings left and right.

Now, I will say that you generally should avoid redlining the thing while the engine/oil is cold, but that’s probably more to do with engine tolerances at operating temperature rather than oil viscosity.

Anyone who blows an engine with cold oil was either caning it without a warmup, or something else was going on.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Also remember that the oil temp you see is *post* cooler. Seeing a 30F spread across the cooler isn't unusual.

[Ohio Enthusiast]

Originally Posted by BlueWhelan

I have the Jackson Racing kit on my daily driver. I commonly see 150-170 in my daily commute. This is totally fine.

Isn't it better to get the oil 212 at least to evaporate any water contamination? I would imagine low oil temps would have the same effect on the engine as short drives (which are always mentioned in owner's manuals as extreme driving conditions), so I'm not sure if that's totally fine.

Does anyone have oil temp numbers of a stock Twin without an oil cooler on the road?

[ayau]

don't forget you're adding an additional point of failure with an aftermarket cooler. how often do you go to the track? just keep that in mind.

[ZDan]

Originally Posted by Ohio Enthusiast

Isn't it better to get the oil 212 at least to evaporate any water contamination? I would imagine low oil temps would have the same effect on the engine as short drives (which are always mentioned in owner's manuals as extreme driving conditions), so I'm not sure if that's totally fine.

Does anyone have oil temp numbers of a stock Twin without an oil cooler on the road?

You don't have to get to 212F to drive moisture out, but I'd wanna see more than 150-170F...

Mine gets to ~190F within 5-10 minutes even in winter toodling around town at low speed/low-rpm. Higher that on the highway at 75+.

One reason I don't get an aftermarket cooler is to ensure oil gets up to temp quickly in the cold months.

[ayau]

Add some OEM crash bolts and max out the front negative camber if you haven't done so already. Much less risk than adding an aftermarket cooler. It sounds like you're just getting started, so I would avoid messing with something as important as engine oil system unless you know you need one. You'll know when you need one.