If my eyes haven't been deceiving me I've been reading around the forum that the recommended minimum oil temp range is ~180 before going WOT?

Did they perhaps means coolant temperature? If I'm not getting on it I could drive for 20 minutes and my oil temps might not even get near 180 degrees but I would feel like the vehicle and all its reciprocating parts have had ample time to warm up.

this is for a 2012 GS btw. thanks everyone.

 

That's certainly a safe method to follow but I've jumped on it with oil temps lower than that, as low as 150* even as long as the coolant temp was reading higher than that.




They might've.
Though they are both critical, I do tend to look at coolant temps more than oil temps as an indicator of when to go WOT when warming the car up because one often follows the other somewhat closely. And roughly 170* coolant/160* oil (though a little higher on each is more ideal) is probably the minimum that I would want to see before going WOT.

 

the whole point of watching temperatures before flogging a car is two-fold:

#1: making sure all critical parts (and dimensions) are equally heated, to decrease the chances of unusual shearing or part stress. Just like setting a cold glass on a hot stove surface, rapid heat exchange can sometimes result in wierd (bad) things happening. The stresses of high RPM can be rough on things like transmissions or not-fully-broken in internal rotating parts like rods, bearings or piston rings when they are not evenly up to temperature.

#2: more importantly, we're all REALLY making sure that lubricants are hot enough to lubricate properly: As you might know, oils in the transmission, differential and engine have different properties at different temperatures. They tend to be very thick, viscous and VERY poor lubricants at cold temperatures... which is not good when you have a few thousandths' clearance between parts moving 6,000 revolutions per second. Once the typical 5w30 synthetic oil reaches an operating temperature of around 150*, it has significantly more flow and is able to readily squeeze into those tight places and keep metal from touching metal.

There's far more science to it than that, but I don't feel like listing references in this post. So we'll suffice to say that the only temperature really worth worrying about is OIL temperature, because you want the engine to be well lubricated when you push the Happy Pedal. This only happens when the oil is around 150* F or higher (but 200* plus would be considered "normal" operating temps for a 30 weight synthetic).

However, in most cars with an oil cooler internal to the radiator... it quickly becomes moot. But since you asked - keep an eye on the oil temps, IMHO.

 

150* is what I look for/was always taught.

 

Revolution per Second?

"which is not good when you have a few thousandths' clearance between parts moving 6,000 revolutions per second."

Do you really mean that?

 

I don't think he knows what the actual bearing clearances are in an engine, or that the oil pump forces oil into all those itty bitty spaces.

 

My problem is that I like my coolant temps to be as cool as possible before I make a 1/4 mile pass.

Letting the motor cool down too much is also bad as numerous times, I've been ready for a pass, but because of the cooler weather, the motor has actually gotten cold and the oil temp has gotten down to 130*. I then have to let the motor warm back up to at least 150* oil temps.

 

According to Bob, the oil guy, fully warmed up, oil temps of 212 Degree Fahrenheit. (or close to it)

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/motor-oil-101/

Much to read and learn in above hyperlink but the summary is oil companies in concert with engine designers adjust the properties of their motor oil so that it will flow and lubricate best at 212 degrees Fahrenheit (which also happens to be the boiling temp of water to get the condensation out). All the oils are too thick (even a 0-20) anything under those temps especially at cold start (where the most damage to the engine is done). This is if you want to be absolutely perfect!. I do it when I see 190 oil temps (usual operating temps for my 11 GS), that is the temperature of oil around the temp sensor, but the actual temps close to the or within the block will be at or above 212.

Read it. It will change everything you thought you knew about engine oils.

 

Well that's trouble--my oil never gets above 200*on a daily basis. Hell it never gets above 190 usually. If I'm at the track, I'll see it spike above 200 on back to back 1/4 mile passes, but otherwise, it stays cool.

 

We have a retired oil engineer on this Forum who says that generally (not specific to Mobil 1 or Corvette engines), you want oil temp between 190'F and 260'F for full power/rpm.

If you are a little hotter or colder, it's not a disaster. But you have to draw a line somewhere.

It does take a long time for oil to warm up, especially in cold weather. Our 2009 coupe has no oil cooler but on a cold Fall day, I have to drive something like 10-15 miles before I hit 190'.

 

That's interesting. I never see oil temps over 230, ever, no matter what I'm doing. The highest I've seen is 218 when I made 3 back to back to back passes at the dragstrip.

I like to let the motor cool down between passes but I never run it hard unless the oil is above 150*.

I always have oil temp on the DIC as I don't see a need for anything else--when I'm driving to work,the temps stay at a constant 184* and it never fluctuates unless I get caught in stop/go traffic.

 

I try to keep my oil in the 200-220 range especially at the track. I run a 160 stat and flip on the heater full blast shortly after the finish line and leave it on until I pull out of the staging lane for the next pass. That keeps the coolant in the 180-190 range for every pass and I can make multiples just as consistantly as waiting for long periods.

 

On the street I try to get to 180F before getting on it, although I have been known to be a bit impatient...

On the track, I won't beat on it until the oil temps are at least 180F. Usually after one warm up lap, I'm well over 180F and then have trouble keeping oil under 270F!

 

As others have mentioned, I wait until the oil temp is around 150 (and at this point coolant is obviously at least 180). I use this guideline for both my LS7 and my blown LS1.

 

That's interesting Tom--thanks for the tip w/the heater. I'll have to try that next time. You obviously leave the motor turned off, but let the accessories/heater run?

I have a small deka battery now so I'm not sure I'll be able to get away with it, but I'll try it out.

 

That's why I have also have a transmission temperature gauge.

 

I use aviation standards. My Lycoming IO-360 was 75*C (167*F)

 

No, I let the engine run to circulate the coolant. If you shut the engine off and just run the heater fan, it'll only cool what's in the heater core.

If I had an electric water pump with or without a main fan switch, then I could shut off the engine. It's obvious it'd cool quicker with the fan on.

By letting the engine run, it keeps the oil temps high (200-220) and the coolant temps below 190. I just wish I could hold the trans temps around 160-170.

 

Dang.... I never see oil temps much over 160 degress in my Z06. I can drive it 50 min to work and the oil temps are only 150 - 160 by the time I get there.......

Mark

 

I see. Great info Tom. Thanks for sharing. My issue with having the motor run is that the IATs start to spike and then you're coming out of the hole with reduced timing anytime they get above 86* and that's no good.

Or, do you have a solution for that as well? I have a vented shroud and forward-placed maf, in front of the radiator.