ogulcanio

Hey guys

Recently swapped LS376/480 to my 05' I have fast 102, milled heads, and a tune. Yesterday air was about 50 degrees. And my oil temp was 221 while i was in the traffic and was about 208-210 while cruising in the highway. I think which means I need an oil cooler for upcoming summer days. I know oil temps above 250 can mean trouble so I dont want to risk anything. Max I saw with my Z was about 245 on track days

My question here is which cooler to go. Is Z06 cooler too big? Is Z51 cooler too small? Are there any aftermarket coolers can do the job? Ive done some research. I read some people said Z06 cooler is kinda too big for a LS3. And does the Z51 cooler worth all to effort to put it in? I need some suggestions

Since the car is my daily im not taking it to track or anywhere. And in the hottest time of the year its about 95 degrees here. And changes between 50-70 over the most of the year.

Thanks,

MyLS1Hauls

Those oil temps are in the normal range, especially with a stock thermostat. If the car is street driven, an oil cooler isn't really needed. If you insist on running one, a good option is to run the Z51 style radiator, which has an integrated oil cooler. You can either use an OEM GM rad or an aftermarket like a DeWitts. Then just use the OEM Z51 oil cooler hoses to plumb it. The stand alone air cooled oil coolers (Gran Sport/Z06 styles) aren't a great option for a daily that sees air temps in the 50s...takes the oil too long to warm up.

ImprovedRacing

Honestly, if you're not tracking the car at all, you will probably be okay. It may get a little warm in traffic in the Summer, but 240-250 temps are not a big deal.

But if you want to be on the safe side, the Z51 cooler is probably a decent option. The Z06 cooler will have a harder time getting up to temp due to the lack of an oil thermostat.

One option is to go with the Z06 cooler and our upgraded oil line kit and thermostat. This way you will have more cooling capacity in case you do an autox or track day, and your oil will get up to temp faster than both the factory Z51 and Z06 cooler setups.

Here is our line kit upgrade: http://www.improvedracing.com/oil-co...ade-p-767.html

And here is the Z06 cooler: http://www.improvedracing.com/coolin...358-p-332.html

You could also go all out and get our complete performance kit for another $100, and your oil temps will still warm up just as quickly: http://www.improvedracing.com/oil-co...kit-p-768.html

I think the best bang for the buck would be to find a used Z06 or Z51 cooler for cheap, and get our upgraded thermostat and oil line kit. That's probably what I would do in your situation.

timd38

<My 2006 Z51 came with a cooler in the radiator for the oil, but when I upgraded to a Z07 (ZR1 with normal ends) all aluminum radiator, I also installer an early Z06 oil cooler. Now my temps are so low on the street that I built a carbon fiber filler to get oil temps up. Low oil temp is bad for your engine because the additives don't really work well until you get to around 180+ degrees.

ogulcanio

That was my exact concern! Thanks for the info. Seems like z06 cooler is not an option for me. By the way did the filler help?

Yes in winter days it may take forever to warm up with big coolers. What about Z51 stand alone cooler. I think its much more smaller than z06/GS coolers.

z51 cooler withThermostat kit seems like a good option since sometimes it gets about 30 degrees and it takes forever to cars to warm up.. Thanks for the detailed reply and suggestions. Ill mail you

mikeCsix

ImprovedRacing: can your oil cooler kit be adapted to cool the A-6 transmission?

timd38

Yes, until I went to work for an oil company, I always thought cooler was better. Then found out that the ideal temp is 212 degrees.

Unless I go to the track, I leave it in all the time and just suck air from the bottom.

Gearhead Jim

IIRC, the integrated oil cooler was used only on the 2005 base cars (probably only on Z51 and maybe on Z51 stick shift), so OP needs to check carefully if he buys a different radiator.

Some companies make an easily-removable cover for the Z06 oil cooler- install it to keep oil temps up for street driving, remove it for track use.

rabrooks

air to oil cooler will cause your temps to rise quite slowly. the ZR1 water to oil cooler will warm the oil quickly and maintain it at a reasonable level.

I have a complete water to oil kit I would sell, All new, never used

timd38

Doesn't it require a block that will accept it? Question, not statement.

MyLS1Hauls

Jim, good point. It was only the early (05-06 IIRC) Z51 cars that had the integrated oil cooler in the radiator. The later ones had the stand alone air/liquid cooler. I believe it is the same one used in the automatic Gran Sports. The manual Gran Sports used the full width cooler that the early Z06s did.


In order to use the ZR1 style cooler (also used on early LS3 Camaros), you need an oil pan that will accept the mounting bolts. You will also need a return point on the radiator to accept the coolant coming from the oil cooler, or a T fitting to plumb it in.

ImprovedRacing

The lines are designed for the oil cooler adapter, so you'd need different lines. And the oil cooler we use would probably be overkill for the transmission.

You could however use the Z06 or Z51 cooler as a transmission cooler if you made custom lines. We can assemble custom oil lines for you, if you take the measurements and know the lengths and fittings you need.

CMY SIX

I have done a DeWitts Rad w internal oil cooler, if you want to do your own, I have a B&M oil cooler and the Lingenfelter adapter for the block all you need is braided hose and ANI fittings and you can mount it anywhere, I was going to do a "rear mount" right where the filler plate would go, I have these parts for sale cheap.

rabrooks

As far as I know all the blocks will accept the water to oil cooler. If you have a late 2008 or newer c6, the oil pan will have the proper bolt holes to install the water to oil cooler. If your pan doesn't have the bolt holes, Edelbrock makes an adapter bracket for the earlier models. They sell it with their supercharger kit so you can install the water to oil cooler. The kit I have has a t connector for the radiator and a fitting to replace the freeze plug. I'm not sure if earlier blocks receive this freeze plug fitting. If not I'm sure Edelbrock has that part too.
Maybe someone else can better answer the question

TKOGTO

100%.

If you are not tracking the car, you don't need an EOC: a) your temps are not even close to being a problem and b) your temps will likely be less than ideal if you did put one in.

Save your $$$. You're good to go as is.

Gearhead Jim

If you just use your 'vette for driving to church on Sunday morning, you probably don't need an oil cooler. But for enthusiastic street driving, you likely need one. I've gotten our 2009 LS3 up to 260' rather quickly on twisty back roads many times, and hit over 290' several times in one mad blast through the back roads of Wisconsin. In both cases, I eased off the power and rpm to keep the oil from getting even hotter.

You can wait and see how your own driving style and conditions work out, maybe you won't need a cooler. But don't be surprised if you end up installing one.

My plan is to install the factory Z51 cooler and get a cover for it to use in cool weather. The best installation would be a big cooler with a thermostat, but that's more complication than I want.