looking for another oil cooler
 

hey guys. it's been a long time since i've tracked my car or been active on the forum, but i'm back. i just was at big willow yesterday and even with my tru-cool
8"x11" cooler (Long / Tru Cool Oil Coolers Long coolers Setrab coolers B&M coolers L7B), i'm still overheating and hitting limp (about 275 degrees) mode about 4-6 laps into each session. it was about 85 degrees yesterday.

i was hoping to do better, but ended up doing no better than a mediocre 1.43.3, which is exactly what i did a year and a half ago. i'm out of practice and it was just more frustrating that after a few laps, i'd have to pit and cool down. b/t overheating and fuel starvation, it's just too annoying and i couldnt concentrate on improving.

the first 4 track days i did with this car after buying it were all during the winter months and i stopped going after the weather got hot and never got back into it again until now.

is anyone running any other types of coolers out there that work no matter what? (hot summer days, all tracks, hard driving, etc.)? i'm looking for a once and for all fix.

btw, on the street it hardly ever gets above 200, even during very hot weather. during the winter (here in socal), i can drive 15 minutes to work and have it not get above 160-170.

thanks.

Look at the Setrab or Mocal lines. They offer a multitude of sizes. I don't know how many rows your cooler equates to, but I use a 25 row Setrab and only get to 250F after a full 20min session in 95F weather. Some guys prefer to go a step larger and use the 34 row. You'll definitely need a block off plate to stick in front of the cooler if you cant get your temps past 160F during DD.

I have the same cooler as you do and having the same kind of light overheating.
I should probably have go with the 11''x11'' instead ...

but the other option that I thought about was to make an oil to water cooler which wouldnt that hard to make .

AMPerformance are using that on their race car . I suppose it work as it should :)

Setrab and mocal also have thicker cores than the tru cool, which should help also

those tru cools dont even have real fins... i had one on my 350z between getting a good one. wasnt impressed with it at all. i thought it was a piece of junk.

25 row setrab/mocal isnt enough for maximum performance. i have the 25 row earls (same as setrab/mocal) and am able to get up to 210-220 on the street. I will be going larger or adding another at some point.

by only 250 you are loosing a decent amount of power, ecu is going conservative on the tune by then. defineately want to keep it lower than that if you want all your power

yes, i know. the car felt like it was just "bogging" when it gets that hot. it was very noticable on the front straight (and on turn 2 and 8 where i was close to full throttle). i'm definitely not one of the fastest guys out there, but still was expecting/ hoping to run 1:40-1:41. with some personal coaching and NO OVERHEATING PROBLEMS, i'm sure high 1:30's is within reach.

so you guys really think getting a setrab would help and that they're a lot better than the tru-cools? part of the problem with the tru-cool is that it's too "tall" and about 25% of it is covered by the bumper support, not being exposed to cool air. i need something longer (from side to side), but not as tall.

Direct airflow is of course ideal but the cooler will radiate heat even with no airflow. The real fins all over the quality coolers give it insanely more surface area to ditch heat. About 70% of my core is exposed to air. While I can get it up to 220 even on the highway with good constant air, if I lay off it cools down very quickly, maybe a minute. If i get it that hot when dealing with stoplights and limited airflow it takes much longer to cool. I sometimes think about putting a nice spal fan on the backside of it to keep air moving while idling at lights or in the pits

ecu doesnt pull timing based on oil temp.....

Call uprev and ask them about it. They told me last year but I can't remember the details. It was either at 200 or 220 it starts going conservative. I can't recall if it was timing or valve lift or both or what... But the results were a drop of 10-15hp pretty early and worse as it got hotter.

The power reduction is absolutely noticeable. It's why i initially asked about it, because the car is noticeable slower somewhere just past 200. I have to call uprev tomorrow anyway, I'll ask for the details since it's left my mind.

I have never been anywhere close to 200F at the track, but I can tell you power doesn't drop off much between 230-260F as I can hit the same top speed at the same spot at the track every lap.

edit; i dont care to argue with you about it. lol, its already proven. it is what it is. if youre running 230-260 degrees... cool your oil down, thank me later.

oil are more efficient at high temp, proven scientific fact. oil is a lubriant, it doesnt change combustion. this is 2011, most cars dont run at 180f. it might change the variable valve as i think it works off oil pressure

The oil temp is largely irrelevant, however it is an indicator of what the engine block and head temperatures are at, as well as intake temperatures which will have an effect on combustion. So yes, there is a correlation but it is not direct.

The interesting thing I discovered was that on track straight-line speed was roughly the same after 20 mins as it was in the beginning of the session, however climbing hills under load there was a noticeable loss of power especially in the lower RPM band. Would be interested to see why the low RPM is effected more.

Look guys, I've been in the peformance industry ten years. I know that oil temp does not directly effect horsepower measureably. The horsepower loss from oil temp in the 370 is a function of the ecu. Over the years there are plenty of cars that use oil temp readings to limit power outside of set limits. One example is my business partners m5 that lowers the revlimiter until the oil temp is warm enough or when too hot.

I don't really need you to believe me... But for you to argue it, you are using your own assumptions to debate proven facts that have been tested. I called uprev again yesterday about some stuff with my car and again verified with Rich there. Aside from him, I personally speak to most reputable VQ tuners on a regular basis for work, and have touched on the topic several times.

If you don't want to believe me, simply pick up your phone and call one of a dozen guys that know better.

If the 10-15 HP you're losing isnt worth a phone call to verify and small investment in better cooling, that's fine... If you don't want help from people who know, suit yourself.