oil cooler or not

[Panoz Paul]

I've run into two very opposing views ; engine builder states he does not believe in oil coolers ... He's builds many full race set-ups for the dirt guys & claims that theres not a harder run motor !!!
Mechanic / road racer says BS ; cooler in !!! This ties into the fact that this motor run flawless on the dyno w/out & lasted 10 minutes in the car w/ the cooler ... Verified line configuration ; correct "at dis-assembly ?!?!" ; new lines & cooler also installed prior ... I might follow the engine builders advise ... I can't stomach another melt down ...The cost of the "second" re-build between these two guys is not resolved ; I'm watching from the side lines...Any thought ??? Thanks/Paul W.

[Werling]

Get the oil cooler. On a hot day running 20 to 30 min the oil can get pretty hot. at 300 plus temp you are over the edge.

[Panoz26]

IMO - Oil Cooler.

[boothkc]

I can't think of any reason you wouldn't want an oil cooler?? Our GTS runs in Northern California in the summers we see track air temps of 105+ and even with this engine oil temps during race never seem to get above 240 and often much lower. Gives you a few more quarts of oil in the system too. Reliability isn't an issue with a good cooler and good lines.

Also, easy to plumb in an Accusump which may be a good idea.

I guess you could run it for a bit and see how it does and make sure it is together correctly then hook up the cooler?

Kevin

[panozdoc]

OIL COOLER A+ idea.... Need one?

[eric1h]

Only time i could see an oil cooler being a problem is if it's too big, or its too cold outside.

Overcooling the oil can be just as bad as under, but with our stock oil coolers it shouldnt be an issue.

[jmimac351]

Paul, ask your engine builder what the target oil temperature should be and specifcally why "he doesn't believe in oil coolers". Your dyno scenario doesn't really mean much. Running the car on the dyno is nothing like the race track.

Panoz thought it necessary to run an oil cooler on the school cars. The issues I've seen with guys locally are likely due to heat-related problems. I doubt running your oil hotter is a solution for increased reliability.

[Panoz Paul]

Panozdoc ... Do you have a cooler for sale ; new ; what size , price ... If so , call me 218.393.4848 / thanks Paul W.

[NZGTRA17]

Paul, I hope that you have gone ahead and fitted a cooler. I normally race in low ambient temps of around 15 - 20 Celcius and I still see oil temps of up to 115 degs Celcius.

I am currently on an extended holiday in Malaysia. Ambient temps here are often in the 30 - 38 degs Celcius range. It seems that it is common for some makes of car here to run big end bearings when they are run for prolonged periods on the motorway at high speed (160+kph). This seems to only affect cars that do not have an oil cooler fitted and the common fix recommended by manufacturers is to fit a cooler or slow down.

I have never run a cooler for sprint races (10 laps or less), but certainly would not run endurance events without one.

Kel.