Quote:
Originally Posted by Coyote676
Awesome, thanks a ton for the response Dustin. As far as budgeting goes, to me, there's really no price to put on the safety of my motor. I'd much rather shell out a few extra hundo now and know that I'm taking all the necessary precautions rather than realize later that I should have gone with something larger.
When you say that our oil temps may be a little lower than we like, at what temp does it become "Too low?" I've think I read somewhere that 160-180F is about the lowest one would want their temps to go but I'm not sure. Since my Nismo doubles as my daily driver, under normal driving conditions on a moderate temperature day, it will sit at around 200F. Would the 34-row drive the temperatures significantly lower than that 160-180 range? (if that is indeed the correct operating temp)
Thanks again for all your help
|
The ideal oil temperature really depends on the oil itself. Such things as:
- Oil Weight
- Type (Synthetic, Blended, Conventional)
- Manufacturer of the Oil (???)
- The Engine/Car itself
The 160 ~ 180 range is a safe minimum in my opinion. The oil cooler will drop the temps quite significantly when moving at highway speeds. But the extent of the temperature drop will depend on the speeds you are traveling, outside air temp, load on the engine, etc.
Keep in mind. When installing ANY oil cooler, the temperature you will be reading on the factory oil temp gauge will be after the oil has cycled thru the oil cooler. With this said, that means the temp you will be reading will be at its coolest as it re-enters the engine. The actual temperature of the oil leaving the block (which is what you are primarily concerned with) will be higher. The oil temperature on the gauge will ONLY match the temperature leaving the block when the car is not moving. As air passes across the core, it will cool the oil. You will see the oil temperature drop as you are driving.
On my personal 1992 Nissan 300zx Non-Turbo that I have been building over the past few years, I have noticed a 3 ~ 5 rwhp gains just getting the oil temps into the proper operating range (around 200 ~ 210 for my car). My engine is a version of our Stage 2 short block with Stage 3 heads. The tolerance around the main and rod bearings have been altered from the OEM specs.