Nissan 370Z Forum - View Single Post - Nissan Motorsports Oil Cooler vs. Stillen Oil Cooler

Dustin@Z1 · 03-26-2010, 11:09 AM

Personally I feel that Top Mounted Lines are the best. But this is my personal opinion, and I am sure some will argue differently.

My concern with having the cooler lines on the bottom is as follows:

- Possibility of air being trapped in the cooler

- Issue with fluid draining out of the cooler, ultimately causing a brief moment where the Engine will have no oil flowing from the Oil Filter to the engine itself. (The reason I say this is due to the fact that 100% of the engine's oil will be pumped thru the cooler with either the Nissan Motorsports, Z1, GTM or Stillen Oil Cooler Kits.)

- By locating the lines on the bottom, you run a higher risk of damage to the lines and fittings in the event of you striking debris in the road. There was a post by a member a few months back showing his install with a Setrab Cooler and Bracket. The issue with his setup was that the Cooler Lines were pressing on the Lower Shroud. If he was accidentally struck a shredded tire in the expressway or a small animal at night, it would destroy those lines and draining all the oil in the process.

I do agree that by having the lines on top, you will ineveitably have some oil that will not be changed during a normal service. Depending on the size of the Oil Cooler, this may be up to a Quart.

You must understand though, when you change the oil on ANY vehicle, you will not be able to change 100% of the oil. Oil will be left in passages, galleys, etc. Since the oil feeding the cooler comes directly from the Oil Filter, you should not have any issues with particles passing or settling in it (Given that you are using a quality filter and change your oil regularly).

I hope that this answers you question. Let me know when you get ready to order this thing Chris. I would also recommend an upgraded Tranny Cooler as well since you are getting a Auto car.

03-26-2010, 11:09 AM	#64 (permalink)
Dustin@Z1 The370Z.com Sponsor Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: NLA Posts: 1,313 Drives: NLA Rep Power: 18	Personally I feel that Top Mounted Lines are the best. But this is my personal opinion, and I am sure some will argue differently. My concern with having the cooler lines on the bottom is as follows: - Possibility of air being trapped in the cooler - Issue with fluid draining out of the cooler, ultimately causing a brief moment where the Engine will have no oil flowing from the Oil Filter to the engine itself. (The reason I say this is due to the fact that 100% of the engine's oil will be pumped thru the cooler with either the Nissan Motorsports, Z1, GTM or Stillen Oil Cooler Kits.) - By locating the lines on the bottom, you run a higher risk of damage to the lines and fittings in the event of you striking debris in the road. There was a post by a member a few months back showing his install with a Setrab Cooler and Bracket. The issue with his setup was that the Cooler Lines were pressing on the Lower Shroud. If he was accidentally struck a shredded tire in the expressway or a small animal at night, it would destroy those lines and draining all the oil in the process. I do agree that by having the lines on top, you will ineveitably have some oil that will not be changed during a normal service. Depending on the size of the Oil Cooler, this may be up to a Quart. You must understand though, when you change the oil on ANY vehicle, you will not be able to change 100% of the oil. Oil will be left in passages, galleys, etc. Since the oil feeding the cooler comes directly from the Oil Filter, you should not have any issues with particles passing or settling in it (Given that you are using a quality filter and change your oil regularly). I hope that this answers you question. Let me know when you get ready to order this thing Chris. I would also recommend an upgraded Tranny Cooler as well since you are getting a Auto car.