370Z oil cooler necessary?
 

Do many people install oil coolers? I heard the Z's run hot (200 degrees average), but if I change my oil regularly should i need one? If I go to sell it, would the next guy be impressed or think the car was driven hard?

FYI- I purchased mine with 14,000 miles Feb 2016 and 17,500 miles on it now

oil cooleris +/- 500-600 $$ = 12 oil changes - 36,000 miles

I'm sure some one here has an opinion :rolleyes:

Thanks
Otis

If you're routinely seeing over 220ish in spirited driving, or have any plans for track use, an oil cooler is necessary.

Doesn't 2013 have an upgraded oil cooler?

It's got the band-aid oil to water cooler. Adequate for commuting, but if you live somewhere that gets hot, a proper cooler will be a much better solution.

the 350/370s always run hot

oil cooler is needed

There is another option - GReddy or Gamma high capacity oil pan. Less plumbing than an oil cooler and less frequent oil changes with the increased capacity. I have the Gamma pan and even with the turbos and the Florida summer, I top out at 220 with spirited driving. The Gamma pan is like an enormous aluminum heat sink. It does make changing the oil filter a bit of a pain though.

It should be noted that I have a 2013, so I also have the factory oil/water "cooler"... (I think this thing does a better job of bringing my oil up to temperature after a cold start than it does keeping the temperature in check).

Yes you need a oil cooler.

Don't buy anything from Gamma

I don't want to start another GTM/Gamma thread that will be locked, but do you know of anyone that has had a bad experience since the Gamma folks bought out GTM? I had only good experiences with Gamma for my TT kit and anyone else I know that has dealt with them has had good experiences too.

I would hate to see someone's livelihood take a hit because the largest community they serve is blindly bashing them as gospel. I'm not accusing you, just asking.

No need for me.

A lot if it is bull. If you do not race or track, there is no need for an oil cooler. I don't race or track. On the highway, I do take a 500 mile week end trip almost every week, I consistently drive at 75-80 with occasional bursts up to 115 and after my trips, the average shows I drove between 70-80 mph and the oil never crosses over 220, generally remains at 200 or below.

My friend has 80k on his 2013 Z and he drives similarly.

If you are on these forums, you can get convinced you need stuff that you can really do without.

Thanks for the feedback. Yes it is easy to get excited and spend money on our toys!! Yes I stay about 180-190 degrees, but it will jump up quick from there when I play in 3rd and forth gear and my oil is new, so with all that said I will monitor and make a decision

I thank everyone for there input!

Yes. For track use, a cooler is a must-have. For most DDs, it's just something else to brag about and possibly have problems with. But if sized/installed properly, it won't do any harm.

200F is well within the operating range of most modern oils. The car will go into limp mode (260F, IIRC, FSM will have the correct figure) before the oil gets too hot. Unless you are getting to 240-250F and staying there for extended periods, I wouldn't worry about it - not because of the oil but that means the engine is running a little hot. On paper, modern synthetic motor oils are good up to 300F for extended periods.

Probably the former ... unless you and/or the car look like the latter might apply. It's a common enough mod that it shouldn't raise any red flags.

I have the Mishimoto oil cooler on my Z for about 2 years now. It makes a huge difference when I bring it to the track but it's also a piece of mind on my daily especialyl during the hot summer months when I have the spirited driver in me

Agreed, but if the oil spends a lot of time at elevated temps it needs to be changed much more often.

I live and drive a 2012 in the foothills of California. I see over 220 during spirited driving in the summer. I see 220 in stop and go traffic when it is 100+. I will be getting an oil cooler. I think your getting differing options on this forum because we live in different parts of the country.

You should drive it and watch the temps. It's really not a big deal.

Southern states- Oil cooler should be added
Northern States- on track driven cars

For the $300-$400 you will spend on this, it's going to save you more in the long run in terms of headaches and money.

We have some good deals on the Mishimoto so anyone interested please PM us. Other than that, we would be happy to answer any more questions.

Agreed with everything but the Mishimoto recommendation. They make the worst garbage possible, and the people who run the company are knockoff artists with terrible customer service.

OP - Look at Z1 or Fast Intentions for your oil cooler needs.

^ I'm guessing you had a bad experience with them.


I have personally used many of their products and can't complain with anything. Including a faulty radiator which was replaced after 3,000 miles by them free of charge

I did, several of my friends did, and there was a huge pile of their parts behind my tuner's shop that had been taken off for being faulty. One member here had his oil cooler fail and puke all the oil on the ground. Mishimoto jerked him around for weeks, and the only thing they gave him was a replacement o-ring for the sandwich adapter. The president of Mishimoto came in here to reply to that debacle and mockingly made comments about the Challenger explosion, since it was a bad o-ring as well. Just not a company to do any kind of business with.

Definitely sorry for your experience. There products have been nothing but great to us. Funny how different people's experiences are haha

I was pondering over this lately myself because I see temps of 240-260 here in Georgia all the time on hot days and the cars lags like hell, I'll be going to Z1 to get one installed, but it's not my DD so it's no major concern.

After ~15 mins of driving I'm usually at 220-230. I live in Georgia as well. I have yet to see it go above 230, but once it hits that range I usually drive it more gently. As others have said above, as long as you are <240 it should be fine, even on a daily basis. Also keep in mind that if you are running synthetic your temps can be slightly higher without additional issue.

I had the same concerns over how high my engine temps got. Easily hit 225 in normal driving. Even knowing that was the norm for the Z, after reading the forums, I still got an oil cooler. If it did anything, it gave me peace of mind, and keeps my temps no higher than 205, even in spirited driving. Worth the money for peace of mind if you ask me.

I would second the FI or z1. I was torn between the two but ended up with z1 in the end. The FI is very nice and I really like that it has Teflon inner liners for its hoses which should last forever. The z1 are a rubber inner (if the guy at z1 was correct). I chose the z1 because the -10 hoses vs FI -8 and not having to remove the factory oil stabilizer seems to be a plus for a daily driver as I think it helps with warm up. It is probably little to no difference but when Nismo factory race cooler is using -10 as well and I do occasionally track I figured better to have more volume than not enough. In the end I am very happy with the 34row setup and nylon coated lines option.

South Texas here, like mexican border south, I have a 144 mile roundtrip to work. No oil cooler, I stay around 220-230 in these hot *** months. Been doing it for 7 years now since the car was new. No problems.

:iagree:

It is fine around 210 - 240 as long as your coolant temp is normal. You want to run it around 210 to get rid of the moisture in the oil. Also keep in mind that the oil doesn't lubricate effectively when it is cold.

I would just use good quality full synthetic oil.

I am looking at getting an oil cooler. Which brand is recommended?

i know its a different motor but my hemi gets up to 220 in the summer here in AZ without a problem, rarely does it go over that. Engines now a days have hotter temps often to curb fuel consumption, hotter it is, less dense the air, less fuel better economy. Those that take issue with the high temps have changed the fan t-stat to a lower tmep so the fans runs harder and longer to keep the engine cool.

Unless you've tweaked the engine over and above stock, you should be able to ride it hard as hell and have it still be within parameters. In the instance of my car or the Z, both are designed for spirited and fast driving.

If you are using full synthetic oil, these temperatures shouldn't be a problem, even on the longer term. Synthetics just don't break down like conventional does even though synthetics are heavily derived from conventional, the end product is quite different.

Z1 cooler choice
 

25 row adequate?
Mocal or Setrab core

Looked at installation - UG.. Looks like i should let professional do it.

I change my own oils and did my exhaust, but this just looks like experience is necessary?

Otis

Not at all. It's one of the easiest mods you'll ever do. If you can change your oil you can install an oil cooler.

I run the Torque app through a Bluetooth OBD adapter to display lots of ECU data on an old cell phone, but oil temp is not an available parameter. Anyone else use Torque and can access oil temp?

The stock oil temp gauge on the triple-gauge cluster in the middle of the dash.

The gauge is ok for real-time numbers, but the app is capable of data-logging. Thats why im more interested to know if anyone uses it for oil temp.

In doing some research to build my own kit, I am finding there is very little to gain penny-wise. You really dont have much in savings. Unless I go with local brands like TRU Cool and the like. Mocal is cheaper than Setrab but still up there.

Me too, no problems, once while gets to 225 but goes down quickly,,usually runs around 200 for the most part, I keep an eye on it and run Redline 5w30

For just daily driving, it has been no problem to me when running without any cooler.

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Hey Chuck33079,

Thank you for the post.

I would like to apologize if you had a bad experience with us as that is not how we do business here at Mishimoto. We would like to correct any issues you or your friends may have had. If you could please contact us at Support@Mishimoto.com and briefly describe what events took place, we will be happy to work on a resolution for you.

Best Regards,
Mishimoto

Get bent. That's exactly how you do business. It's a continued pattern of behavior. I have had that same discussion with 3 of your forum mouthpieces to date with zero to show for it. I'm not sending the same email for the fourth time to get the same lip service nonapology and zero followup. You guys had your chance(s).

I have a man-crush on Chuck.

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I've had my Z for several years without an oil cooler. The oil temp seldom surpasses 220F unless its 95F+ outside and I'm on the highway, in which case it hovers between 230 and 240.