17+ engine oil temps

[DarkPira7e]

Originally Posted by Dzmitry

"Plenty of research should be done before jumping on the thought that "I'll just get an oil cooler and everything will be all good!"

Truer words are seldom spoken. People don't realize that an oil cooler can overcool the oil, it is much more susceptible to damage and since the oil is now being passed externally, the blood of your engine is exposed to all sorts of risks. Leaks can come for any reason; hitting too many bumps too hard, lines rubbing on things, rocks hitting the cooler and punching a hole, etc. It can be a lot more work than I think most people realize.

It's not a video game, successfully bolting it onto the car once does not means its function will be accomplished or sustained.

[weederr33]

Originally Posted by DarkPira7e

Truer words are seldom spoken. People don't realize that an oil cooler can overcool the oil, it is much more susceptible to damage and since the oil is now being passed externally, the blood of your engine is exposed to all sorts of risks. Leaks can come for any reason; hitting too many bumps too hard, lines rubbing on things, rocks hitting the cooler and punching a hole, etc. It can be a lot more work than I think most people realize.

It's not a video game, successfully bolting it onto the car once does not means its function will be accomplished or sustained.

This is exactly why I always suggest the Forester XT oil regulator!

[NoHaveMSG]

Originally Posted by DarkPira7e

Truer words are seldom spoken. People don't realize that an oil cooler can overcool the oil, it is much more susceptible to damage and since the oil is now being passed externally, the blood of your engine is exposed to all sorts of risks. Leaks can come for any reason; hitting too many bumps too hard, lines rubbing on things, rocks hitting the cooler and punching a hole, etc. It can be a lot more work than I think most people realize.

It's not a video game, successfully bolting it onto the car once does not means its function will be accomplished or sustained.

Most high quality oil coolers will be thermostatic and only trickle oil through it until it reaches temp. I run mine without blocking it year round, doesn't seem to make any difference in temp.

The rest I agree with and I check my lines and fittings regularly. One of my fears at the track is having an off and tearing it off wear it is mounted. I will be moving it this year but it is still susceptible to debris. So it will be getting a duct and putting a screen in front of it.

[DarkPira7e]

Originally Posted by NoHaveMSG

Most high quality oil coolers will be thermostatic and only trickle oil through it until it reaches temp. I run mine without blocking it year round, doesn't seem to make any difference in temp.

The rest I agree with and I check my lines and fittings regularly. One of my fears at the track is having an off and tearing it off wear it is mounted. I will be moving it this year but it is still susceptible to debris. So it will be getting a duct and putting a screen in front of it.

It depends what you're going for. The thermostat is a great feature, it's also apoint of failure some people will avoid. Even with a thermostat, I found that with my oil cooler, I couldn't get my oil over 160f on the interstate when temps were under 10f.

[NoHaveMSG]

Originally Posted by DarkPira7e

It depends what you're going for. The thermostat is a great feature, it's also apoint of failure some people will avoid. Even with a thermostat, I found that with my oil cooler, I couldn't get my oil over 160f on the interstate when temps were under 10f.

Ahhh. I rarely see under 20F.

[raisingAnarchy]

Any thoughts on going without the Forester XT oil cooler setup, as in stock with no oil cooler/warmer, in proper winter conditions (<0F)? Especially when one has a short commute, but will happily make 20min+ trips regularly.

[Tokay444]

You guys should talk to some oil engineers.
260-270 is nothing on a modern synthetic.

[ZDan]

Originally Posted by new2subaru

Yup. There is tons of info on this forum however not all agree. TBH I think a lot of newer people are led to believe taking your car to the track is not a big deal. Maybe for the first while that is true.

It's not *that* big a deal...

These car are street cars that can be tracked. They're not built for racing. You start tracking a car and stressing components and problems will arise.

Problems *may* arise... I've had pretty good luck tracking street cars over the years.
My point: you don't do yourself any favors trying to fix problems that don't exist. I would bet that oil coolers on these cars have caused more problems (and more serious problems) than they've solved for cars that track 15-20 minute stints at a time at HPDEs. Casual HPDE track usage just doesn't degrade good synthetic oil terribly quickly. A guy on the Porsche list runs ~8 track days and ~10k miles between changes based on oil analysis, with oil temps in our range of 270-275F. Run good 30wt synth and don't worry about it, I say...

[new2subaru]

Originally Posted by ZDan

It's not *that* big a deal...

Problems *may* arise... I've had pretty good luck tracking street cars over the years.
My point: you don't do yourself any favors trying to fix problems that don't exist. I would bet that oil coolers on these cars have caused more problems (and more serious problems) than they've solved for cars that track 15-20 minute stints at a time at HPDEs. Casual HPDE track usage just doesn't degrade good synthetic oil terribly quickly. A guy on the Porsche list runs ~8 track days and ~10k miles between changes based on oil analysis, with oil temps in our range of 270-275F. Run good 30wt synth and don't worry about it, I say...

"Preventative maintenance is the best maintenance" This has served me well over the years.

We're likely never going to agree and that's fine. Again, to each his own. To me it seems silly not to try and keep temps optimal, (oil, coolant, tire, brakes, or otherwise) Everyone's opinion on optimal may vary, doesn't really matter.

[norcalpb]

Does anyone know a repubtable 200F thermostat that has an external oil temp gauge fitting?

I'm thinking about changing from my 185F jackson racing thermostat as Winter approaches.

[ZDan]

Originally Posted by new2subaru

"Preventative maintenance is the best maintenance" This has served me well over the years.

Nothing wrong with preventive maintenance!

We're likely never going to agree and that's fine. Again, to each his own. To me it seems silly not to try and keep temps optimal, (oil, coolant, tire, brakes, or otherwise) Everyone's opinion on optimal may vary, doesn't really matter.

Of course it *matters* whether 270F is *really* a problem or not , whatever people's opinions are. I had one opinion when I started to look into this issue, my opinion evolved with acquired info on the subject.

When I began to look into it, I expected to be getting an oil cooler for the car. After tracking the car and monitoring oil temps, learning more about what synthetic oils can tolerate, and what 30wt viscosity is vs. 20wt at these temps, I decided that for my usage adding an oil cooler was not necessary. That is my opinion, but it is a better-informed opinion than my previous one.

It seems silly to me to spend $$$ on a piece of equipment that adds multiple failure points if it isn't a benefit. As far as I can tell, 270F isn't an issue, oil pressure isn't an issue, viscosity isn't an issue with 30wt, so what's the point?

I think a larger pickup tube is a better idea for engines that see a lot of time at redline rpm (another opinion).

[NoHaveMSG]

Originally Posted by ZDan

I think a larger pickup tube is a better idea for engines that see a lot of time at redline rpm (another opinion).

I will be installing the Killer B and a baffle late December. I will post up my results when I get a chance. Weather is kinda shit right now.