Oil Coolers?
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,968
Likes: 867
From: Tulsa Oklahoma
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 21,325
Likes: 3,841
From: small town in S.E Pa. PA
St. Jude Donor '03-'04
Yeah if you're tracking the car and are seeing 280+, an oil cooler will help to get you back to the sweet spot...But for anyone who occassionally gets up into the 240/250 oil temps... it's not for you... if 90% of your drivng in highway then an oil cooler will be counter productive.,.unless you use a bypass valve. you want your oil around 210 for optimum performance.
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 16,135
Likes: 5
From: Newberry FL
Cruise-In VIII Veteran
St. Jude Donor '07
Originally Posted by Evil-Twin
Yeah if you're tracking the car and are seeing 280+, an oil cooler will help to get you back to the sweet spot...But for anyone who occassionally gets up into the 240/250 oil temps... it's not for you... if 90% of your drivng in highway then an oil cooler will be counter productive.,.unless you use a bypass valve. you want your oil around 210 for optimum performance.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 21,325
Likes: 3,841
From: small town in S.E Pa. PA
St. Jude Donor '03-'04
Originally Posted by mph1972
Thanks Bill, that is great news, I have been cruising between 200-215 and I have sort of worried, because I have seen 217-219 a few times. Appreciate it.
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 16,135
Likes: 5
From: Newberry FL
Cruise-In VIII Veteran
St. Jude Donor '07
Originally Posted by Evil-Twin
There is nothing wrong with running at 220/230, no loss of lubricity or anything.. the only problem is your oil life monitor will have you changing your oil sooner. when I say the sweet spot..It's the sweet spot for general driving like 98 % of the C5 owners... alittle spirited driving is part of the 98 %.. those who track their car every weekend needs a cooler to keep their oil from thermal breakdown and sheer... 220 and 230 oil temps are very common and at no real cost to your engine.. thanks to the oil life monitor.
Appreciate the info. Seriously, it is nice having someone that has a real knowledge of the LSX systems.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 43,084
Likes: 33
From: Raleigh / Rolesville NC
With contact tracking of the LS6 equipped with oil cooler, and accusump, and big radiator.
running 15-w50 M1 oil
oil temps run 240-260 with the oil cooler and the 15-50.
Oil life monitor goes from, fresh change at 100%
to first two day even on the track or about 250 miles the oil monitor drops to 70%
second two day even on the track and about another 250 miles, the oil monitor drops to 30%
so oil gets changed every ~500 miles or every Two 2 day events.
Sending the oil off for analysis says this about right, Might be able to go a third 2 day event. But with 30,000 hard 3,000 to redline, track miles, I watch the oil analysis for degradation of internal engine parts closely.
running 15-w50 M1 oil
oil temps run 240-260 with the oil cooler and the 15-50.
Oil life monitor goes from, fresh change at 100%
to first two day even on the track or about 250 miles the oil monitor drops to 70%
second two day even on the track and about another 250 miles, the oil monitor drops to 30%
so oil gets changed every ~500 miles or every Two 2 day events.
Sending the oil off for analysis says this about right, Might be able to go a third 2 day event. But with 30,000 hard 3,000 to redline, track miles, I watch the oil analysis for degradation of internal engine parts closely.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer