Oil Cooler Size

[Chris More]

I need to replace my oil cooler on my FF and people have told me that my size is overkill but I still wanted to ask everyone.

My current oil cooler is 7" long and 6" high and those dimensions is the cooler itself.

I am looking to replace my cooler with a 6.62" long x 3.88" high - 13 oil rows.

Some people have even told me I don't need an oil cooler for most tracks but I don't want to run without one.

What size coolers do you guys run?

Thanks,
Chris

[anders johan graff]

I don't run them, at all. With synthetic oil, the heat doesn't break down the oil as it would do to conventional oil. The hotter the oil gets, the more power the engine is allowed to produce.

When I had one on my old car, I started with an accurate oil temp. gauge. Based on what it said, I bought the oil cooler size, accordingly. It was a bit of trial and error, but, in the end I got the temp. to where I wanted it. After a while, I took the thing off. Just wanted hotter oil.

Botttom line: I based my oil cooler choice, and eventual abandonment of it, on the oil temperatures I read from my gauge. If you start with an oil temp. gauge, it reads very high, then get an oil cooler. If it reads 'in the ballpark,' no cooler needed.

[Chris More]

Good info! What is everyone else's comments about running a oil cooler or not?

Thanks,
Chris

[Will Burton]

It's true that synthetic oils are great for temperature stability. My engine survived with oil temp of 325F due to poor water cooling (water temp 230), which brings me to my point. When water temp gets above ~200, you start loosing horsepower. I ran an oil cooler to help with general heat load; it helped keep water temp down. After I got an aluminum radiator, I didn't need the oil cooler. At 195F water temp, oil temp is 225F. So if your water temp is OK, then your oil temp is probably OK too.

[eaglefordracer]

Well, everything stated is true with regard to the allowable temperatures...however, it's really a question of ambient temperature, and how hard you twist the engine.

If ambient temps are in the 100's, and relative humidity is 85-90% (welcome to the midwest), in addition, you shift at 6800 rpm, you'd best have an oil cooler.

If you run nationals, and you have a smaller oil tank capacity, you'd best have an oil cooler. If your temperature pickup is in the oil tank, rather than the sump and you read in excess of 300 F, you'd better have an oil cooler.

Bottom line is, most of our races are short enough, and the weather reasonable enough that you won't need an oil cooler. However, I grenaded my engine last year due to decreased oil capacity, lack of an oil cooler, and water/oil temperatures that were very high (>300 oil, 225 water).

[Todd TCE]

It's some added weight but offset by added volume too. And you can always tape it off.

[Chris More]

I am going to go without a oil cooler for the time being just to get the engine running incase I need to work on something else. After I get the rest of the car sorted out I will determine the oil temps and see if I need one or not.

Thanks,
Chris