Quote:
Originally Posted by Davey
Well I recall all the controversy about the oil coolers when I had my 2011 and people were having heat problems. My car would get up to 250 if I pushed it pretty hard and it was 90 - 100 degrees out. For example, driving for extended periods in 5th gear, with a heavy foot, in the 75 - 80 mph range. But still, I never got above 240 - 250 degrees. I remember thinking people must be driving like ******* maniacs to go into limp mode or even get above 250 degrees. Even said so many times to people, but they insisted they really weren't pushing the car that hard.
With the cooler, I've kept an eye on it as well. Same driving, same "Indiana in July" weather (we had about 12 days in a row >100 degrees last year, not exactly Texas, but not exactly refreshingly cool) and I honestly can't remember the last time I saw my oil temp above 220 degrees.
So... I wonder if certain cars run warmer, and even with the oil cooler, certain cars still run warmer? Possibly yours runs fairly cool for a cooler-less car, and the 2012 you were with runs on the hot side? I really don't know, but there does seem to be a very different set of experiences depending on who you ask, and it's not because I'm putting around at 56 mph.   |
I certainly don't think I have a cooler running Z from what I have seen. In hot Texas weather, its at 220F minimum pretty much no matter what speed. And as soon as I get on it a bit, that cranks up 20F or more very easily. If I'm cruising at highway speeds (at 220F already) and come to a stop light, I can hit 250F just coming off the line if I get on it hard - now it will cool down reasonably quick at speed once I get off the gas. But if you're in semi-hot weather and over 4500 RPMs or so, oil temps will increase continuously regardless of your speed. In my experience, that is. Your example of 5th gear at 80 mph is only like 3500 RPMs or so.
I just ran FM 2222 yesterday around 85F. In 3rd gear most of the time between 4K-6K RPMs I hit 260F temp after just a mile or so. I shifted into 4th for the last few curves just to back it off a bit. But I know the capability of the car. I push it hard for brief periods at a time, then back off. It just can't handle repeated driving at higher RPMs, especially in hotter temps. My feeling about the stock cooler is that it doesn't provide significantly more cooling during hard driving and its not really needed for DD or cruising. I bet I could hit limp mode (even with the stock cooler) if I cruised in 2nd gear long enough at 40-50 mph.
And let's be clear here; I don't have any problems with temps when I'm not driving hard or at high RPMs. Very few roads in the country would give the Z problems with temps while just cruising - it's only ever been a problem for me because I just happen to live near the highest speed limit in the country in a hot climate. And one particular time, I was cruising with a 2012 with stock cooler that was running just as hot, leading me to believe the stock cooler wasn't helping much.
I also have R2C intakes with metal tubes, so my IATs easily get high enough for the ECU to start reducing power. I'm sure this contributes to higher temps throughout the engine bay. Another reason I'm fairly certain my Z is not one running on the cooler side.