Which oil cooler is the best?
 

I have a 2009 370Z Base with a few bolt on mods. I took it to the track for the first time a couple days ago. It did well the first couple runs but after that I couldn't even make it a whole lap without pulling power and temps reaching 260ish. I plan on taking it to the track a few times a year. I see a few oil coolers available but not sure which to get. I use it as DD as well. Is the Nissan version worth it? I have a friend that works at Nissan and he will let me know his price on Monday. Just looking for help thanks.

Fast Intentions 34 row:tup:


you will absolutely need a 34 row for tracking

They are all basically the same in function...the more rows, generally the better. So 34 row is optimal. After that you are looking at construction. All of them basically use a generic oil cooler, or upgrade to a Setrab (very good one). The lines are where they differ and I, for one, feel that the Fast Intentions line construction is the best in the business. I would highly recommend them.

Tracy Ramsey

I like my Z1 Motorsports Setrab 25 row with Mocal t-stat adapter plate. You dont need a 34 row cooler unless youre crankin out boosted horsepower and racing. My opinion only. With this setup I track occasionally and hit about 240 deg. tops. Works for me (non-boosted engine). I also went with the protective sleeve to cover the hoses. I don't know how you could get higher quality hoses than these. I was impressed.

Also: This just in! I just now looked at the Fast Intentions Oil cooler Kit. Theirs comes with -8 AN hose. The Z1 Motorsports comes with -10 AN hose which is slightly bigger so probably slightly more flow. -8 = 1/2", -10 = 5/8".

If you go to the track get a 34 row, no question. If you also DD, you'll probably have to block off the plate in the winter in Denver regardless of the number of rows.

Put on a Stillen 25 row cooler (with thermostatic plate) a week ago and am very happy. Haven't had a chance to really push my car, but in normal driving, my oil temps are 20 to 25 degrees lower. Outside temperature this past week has been in the low 90s.

STILLEN Gold Series Oil Cooler Kit - Performance 400643 | STILLEN

Z1 or Fast Intentions. They are both of good quality.

Which oil cooler is the best?
 

are fast intentions lines really better then z1's lines?
just curious, so far I'm planning on ordering a 34r from z1

edit:
just read FI and z1's website, seems FI went more into detail about there lines and they sound like a better product.
aside from that z1 offers the oil line sheathing for $30.

They are of very very good quality. I have a set on my 1969 VW beetle that go to my external oil filter. Teflon inserts and crimped. They have been on the car since 1992. That is the biggest difference in the kits.

Jumping in to bump this thread, picked up a used Z1 kit with a 25 row Setrab core, thermostatic plate and protective hose wrapping. Could not be happier with the results. Where I would see 220-230 degrees just driving around town on warm days I now have yet to crack 200, but the oil still comes up to 180 nice and quick.

The Z1 Motorsports and Fast Intentions oil coolers are both great quality kits you can't go wrong with either kit. Just make sure you get the correct row oil cooler for what you are using your 370z for.

I mean in DD situations shouldn't the oil reach at least 200F to boil the water off? If the oil remains too cool then won't the water content cause problems? I guess for DD you get the <25 row.

I actually use a Mishimoto in my Nismo. For the price I got it for, I couldn't beat it, and seems to work pretty good

Me too. :iagree:

I just finished a 48 row true cool installation.

Drove it to work and back today, 60 miles in 95F ambient temp interstate rush hour traffic and oil was 180-190!

I flogged it hard last night, six consecutive 1/4 mile full throttle blasts and it barely made 230F!

Very pleased as I could make 260-280 with ease prior to the install.

I did the install a little differeently than other cooler DIY on the forum and plan to post the DIY soon.

Did the entire install for about $380.

Best mod so far.

lookin' forward to the DIY!

Once the oil temperature hits around 100F. The water trapped in it starts to evaporate. By the time it gets to 200F. It's gone. Where I retired from. We used to warm the oil to 110F. before operating the equipment. And kept it under 190F. I wrote the SOP on it.

From what I have read so far the best option is to purchase a oil cooler with the correct row for your 370Z for what you are using it for.

From other peoples experience on here. Get a 34 row cooler, and don't second guess yourself if you should have gone bigger if you had gotten a 19 or 25 row cooler. There have been many times of me reading where people had wish that they didn't go bigger to begin with. A 34 row with a thermostatic plate and you're good to go.

You can always block off a part of the core if it's not getting hot enough. You can't add rows if it's still getting too hot.

Yep once water begins to boil, it changes state to steam & can not get any hotter in liquid form. Pressure in the pan is not enough to raise the boiling temp more than just a few degrees so as Rusty states 110 Deg F is more than adequate to boil off the water. Also most modern oils / Synthetics are designed to flow/protect at very low temps ;)

if you're looking into stillen they're having 15% off just a heads up.

You're close. ;) You should work in a power plant. Have water temps as high as 1,500F, steam temps of 2,000F. To get water temps that high. You have to have it under pressure. Pressures high as 3,000 psi. To get temps that high. Most use a 3 element boilers. For our discussion. Water starts to evaporate at around 100F. By 212F, it's boiling. And the little moisture that is trapped in the oil will be gone at around 150F to 170F. Unless you have popped a head gasket. :icon14:

Yep the pressure makes all the difference, the same as you can boil water at 0 Deg in a vacuum ;)

:rofl2: Yeah, I used to do that trick when teaching noobs on making steam for power generation. Teaching steam tables was a headache. And to get across the difference between wet steam and dry steam.

This past spring I installed a Mishimoto Oil Cooler with the basic sandwich plate. The cooler works very well, but it's a bit of an issue on cold mornings. The temp has a hard time getting up to 185. I need to devise a cover for the cooler and I was actually considering wrapping it in tin foil and then using a small piece of duct tape to hold it in place. Is this a terrible idea?

Thanks for the help in advance.

No problem with that. I just use duct tape.

Ibwas considering that, but I was afraid it was make a real mess in the spring when I remove it.

I put velcro on the edges of the oil cooler with adhesive and bought small aluminum panels from home depot and attached the other side of the velcro to them. Made a small panel and a big panel, so I can still block off all/none/some of the oil cooler

How long it should take someone who knows what they are doing to install a z1 25 row setrabo oil cooler with the sandwich plate ?

Couple hours max 3

With beer breaks.

I went with the AAM R-Line oil cooler for my setup. I just got it installed so dont have many numbers or hard runs on it yet but hopefully it does what it is supposed to do...took a chance on it as I wasnt able to find to much information on it but all the technical specs i've read seem to be legit

Interested to see how this works..

I heavy track my car and am running the Stillen Race series however it appears Stillen has taken that oil cooler off their website recently :(

My race grade Stillen cooler was only 24 row, never had an issue eon the track with heat since its install. Typical race was usually out for 25 of non stop use and never went above normal operating temperatures once the oil cooler was installed

Leaky Stillen Gold Performance 25 row Oil Cooler
 

I purchased a Stillen 25 row oil cooled kit back in June of 2012 along with Gen3 CAI and Exhaust. Z ran great with no more "Limp" mode at the track. I high speed autocross at Blackhawk Farms Racetrack turning 1:29 times and run my Z hard. Last year I saw a few drops of oil under my Z and found the top of the oil cooler was leaning back about 3-4 degrees and the center row had split open just enough to start dripping. I called Stillen thinking there was no way anything could have hit it being behind the front stock grill. Stillen had not heard of any issues and I ordered a replacement core for $129.00 and put it in. I thought I had 4 years out of it so lets just get it fixed and back on the road. Last night, less then 1 1/2 years after the replacement and maybe 3000 street and track miles I see smoke in my mirror and not 15 seconds later my engine oil light comes on. I pull into a gas station 2 miles from my house, shut down the Z and see oil all over my front end. After a short tow back home I see the oil cooler has once again split open around the middle row but this time I could see the 1/4" slit the oil was coming out of. Before I call Stillen I wanted to see if anyone has experienced this before. One time is enough but twice and this time driving at speed (45mph) makes me afraid to just replace it once again. My towing bill would have been much higher if it happened at the track I was just at 2 weeks ago!

I've done a lot of reading about oil coolers and I've never heard of this before. Very strange to say the least.

Wonder if there is any strain on the cooler from either the mounting, or the hoses.

I wonder if there is a braze issue in the cooler mfg process?

I kept everything the same from the first install in 2012 other then replacing the core. All hoses look fine after 5 years and I can put the unit 6" in front of the Z on jack stands to examine so there seems to be enough play/slack in the hoses. I don't see any rubbing on the unit. I'd post some pic's but not sure how. I'm just a "basic" member. I did install the Stillen brake cooler ducks which work great with the Z1 2 piece rotors up front with Carbotech pads. This oil cooler is a major issue I need to solve before next year as I was on my way to park my Z in a garage for the Chicago winter. All 4 bolts were tight when I pulled it out to inspect with nothing I could see causing any issues. It's like the row just expanded with to much pressure but I run the stock oil pump.