Oil Cooler - Is it really necessary?

Red Voodoo

While we're on that subject, I've noticed the same characteristics with my 34-row thermostatic cooler (sans a thermo-plate). On a cool morning with 40*F - 60*F outside temps, I'll be hard pressed to get my oil gauge over 160*F when maintaining a steady speed in high gear (like on a freeway). Stop and go driving in traffic and on surface streets will usually get the temp up to near the optimal 180*F and will hold there unless I stay at an increased speed for too long, when it will begin to drop. I haven't taken the car on any spirited runs yet this year, but the highest I've seen the gauge go is about 200*F in traffic with outside temperatures in the mid-70s. At these running temperatures, I'm not concerned about over-cooling the oil, since I understand the internals of the motor can run ~75*F hotter than the sump, therefore allowing the oil to hit that critical temperature mark before falling back into the pan. Running the recommended synthetic oil with 5,000 mile change intervals will likely be sufficient unless my current driving patterns change (read: car mainly used for short trips).

Is it necessary to have an oil cooler? It's all going to come down to the use and location of the vehicle. Track and race applications seem to demand it. Extreme hot climates will likely benefit from one as well. I used to run in the 220*F - 230*F range without the cooler in a casual commute. It wasn't until I creeped over 245*F during a mountain run last summer that I even considered investing in a cooler. I'm happy with my investment.

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