Quote:
Originally Posted by IDZRVIT
There has been some discussion on this over on my vette forum. Interesting to note that '76 L-82 vettes, and some other model years, came from the factory with a 160 thermostat. Base engines had 180 I believe. Hotter running engines are more emissions friendly but a colder running engine is better for performance, so the debate goes on the vette forum. Knowledgeable folks, like engineers, agree that 160 is the minimum oil temp to protect the engine and 180 may be about ideal.
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According to a few engine building books I've read through, 175* oil will tend to net a few extra whp on an engine dyno, so the 180* cut off for maximum power is probably bang on.
It's just tough to maintain EXACTLY 180* it seems. A lot of the guys running air cooled oil coolers have to use block off plates in the winter to get the oil up to the 180* region, and they tend to see the oil take longer to get up to temp the rest of the year.
I think the best set up for a DD would be a water cooled 200*F tstat oil cooler. I think a big air cooled one is over kill on a DD.
I've been just adding metal fins to my oil pan (the Arc "cool fins") and they work remarkably well. I never see over 225* F beating on it in the summer, and cool down time is fast. Typical driving temps (which are always a little "spirited") I see around 185* - 208*.
As to the thermostat on the older 'vettes, that was probably set for dino oil ideals.
Modern synthetics can really hold together as high as 280*- 300*+ before catastrophic engine failure is a serious risk (or so I've read), but Nissan is wise to shut down the engine well before it ever gets anywhere near that.