Introducing the Z1 Motorsports 370Z Oil Cooler Kit *Customizable*

Dustin@Z1

Not at all. You will have to route the lines a little differently around the Stillen Gen III intakes (if you are installing them with a 34 row core). It is completely do-able, if you look at the pics in the installation manual you will see how we routed the lines.

The width and thickness of the 19, 25 and 34 oil cooler cores are the same. The only dimension that changes across the 3 models is the height. The increased height allows for a greater surface area, allowing for more air to pass thru the core.

Let me know if you have any more questions about the kit!

FL 4Motion

Figured I'd just bump this thread vs. creating a new one just to piggyback on what everyone already knows which is these oil cooler kits rock.

had our Z1 34R oil cooler w/thermostatic plate and protective sheathing installed on Sat by our mechanic. When the kit arrived a couple weeks ago, everything was there and the instructions were very clear. Our installer even commented that the instuctions were very good (not that he needed them). I haven't heard any strange sounds or any other hint that we added anything to the car other than the dramatically reduced oil temps. It does take a bit longer to get up to operating temp (160 deg +) but that was to be expected.

For fellow nismo owners, all we had to to was flip that front yamaha brace 180 deg so the "fat" side of the shock was on the passenger side and there is just a smidgen of space betwn the shock and the front of the oil cooler. I'm going to keep an eye on that area but with no moving parts around, I don't think there'll be a problem.

thanks Z1 for producing such a well thought out and functional kit at a reasonable $ to boot.

XwChriswX

Hey Z1, I'm looking to get an Oil Cooler installed before March 19th, is this possible ordering from you? Here's what I'm looking for, and you tell me which core you'd recommend:

I am planning to get the Stillen Gen III Intakes.

I do not track the car regularly, but if an event popped up for amateurs locally, I might go...

I live in Arizona and typically travel to SoCal so ambient temps are a concern. Last summer my oil temps were in the 240-245* range on the cruise out there. So the thermostatic plate is a no brainer, but based on these facts, would you recommend the 25 row or 34 row cooler?

My last question is how is the cooler mounted? With the feed/draw's at the top, or at the bottom? Is it possible to mount the cooler Vertically? So the feed line comes in at the top and the draw is at the bottom to both ease in flow and drainage for oil changes...

_________ <-- Feed
|XXXX|
|XXXX|
|XXXX|
|XXXX|
----------- <-- Draw

(Sorry for the horrible diagram but you get the idea...)

__________________

Bonnie - Stage 2, Audio build coming this fall!
R.I.P. Abby 3/29/10 - 3/30/14

Dustin@Z1

What's going on Chris?

I will answer each question individually:

1) March 19th - Definitly doable. FedEX Ground only takes about 3~4 days to you in AZ. We have the kits in stock and ready to ship.

2) Core size - this really comes down to your budget. A 25 row would be fine on your car for basic street driving and the occasional, infrequent track event. A 34 row would be more ideal and would offer more heat dissipation, especially during the Summer and early fall months. Both the 25 and 34 row cores will clear the Stillen Gen III's without any issues, so you will not have any issues there.

3) Core Orientation - The standard Setrab/Z1 Brackets supplied were designed for allow for positioning the fittings vertically (12'o'clock position). However, you could flip the brackets around and mount the fittings in the 6'o'clock position. For a side mount position, it will require some extra fab work for the mountings and swapping out of the fittings. At that point you are basically redesigning the kit. The biggest challenge to this type of setup will be the mounting brackets.

Our reason for mounting the oil cooler in this manner is the fact that oil could potentially drain out of the oil cooler core when the engine is turned off. This would cause a brief loss off oil pressure until pressure was built up across the system. This would happen during EVERY start up. A vertical mounting position, like done on our kit (as well as Stillen, GTM and Nissan Motorsports kits) does not have this issue since the oil cooler acts as a type of reservoir for whatever oil does drain out of the oil lines (this will happen regardless due to gravity). This minimizes the amount of oil that will drain back into the oil pan.

I hope that this answers your questions. Give me a shout if you have any questions.

Dustin

XwChriswX

Ok, thanks for answering my questions, the one about the Stillen Gen III's was based on how in your OP you had said the cooler (34 row) would get in the way. Glad to see that issue is resolved.

My other point was based on the worry of if you mounted the ports in the 12 o'clock position, when it came time to change the oil, used oil would still be in the cooler and then recirculated instead of being drained. So I thought about mounting them in the 6 o'clock position, but then I thought gravity would keep oil from being able to flow through the whole thing, not maximizing it's ability.

I guess my problem in theory was the actual flow direction of the oil. I was thinking it went from the engine through the cooler to the pan... Or does it go from the pan to the cooler then to the engine??

__________________

Bonnie - Stage 2, Audio build coming this fall!
R.I.P. Abby 3/29/10 - 3/30/14

Au10tc

Just installed the 25 row oil cooler with thermo sandwhich plate along with my gen 3 intakes. Must say shipping was very fast and the instal was a breeze. Thanks dustin for the good deal. Only problem i had was the protective hose wrap isn't in the right place but i did some mods to make it work. While testing the car hard oil temps never past 185. Awsome kit!!!! Awsome service!!!!

Dustin@Z1

Glad to hear that install went well! I appologize for the error on the line wrapping. I will make sure that this issue is brought up and make sure it is addressed. I appreciate you pointing this out.

Dustin

flashburn

I'd get the 34-Row if you are planning on tracking it, the price difference is negligible, versus the repercussions of not having a large enough one (having to end a session early, or going lighter). Under aggressive downshifting I was hitting a little over 220 degrees, during a cool day (~50 degrees) on my first track day.

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Current Ride: 2012 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport Centennial Edition Carbon Flash 6M
Previous Ride: 2009 Nissan 370Z Sport Platinum Graphite 7AT

BLM

Here's a stupid question. I live in NJ, where the summers are decently hot (nothing like the south) and I sit in a lot of traffic (there have been times the car hits 220 when it's 50 degrees out in bumper to bumper traffic). I plan to track the car ~ 8-10 times per year as well as autoX and lots of "spirited driving". My question is, even if I go with the 34 row, will having the thermostat ensure that even when I'm not pushing the car hard and it's not really warm out that the engine will get a minimum oil temp that it needs to operate optimally? That is, does the thermostat ensure that the oil won't run "too cold"?

Or do I just need to go with the 25 row?

__________________
K&N // GTM // BERK

XwChriswX

The thermostatic plate won't close all the way to allow the oil to get to operating temps, but some will still make it to the cooler. This is why some members have ventured out and made DIY's for Oil Cooler plates to block the airflow. It's a simple and inexpensive mod that has promise. Most of the tracking guys swear by the larger the cooler the better, so you can't go wrong with the 34 row.

__________________

Bonnie - Stage 2, Audio build coming this fall!
R.I.P. Abby 3/29/10 - 3/30/14

BLM

Yea the more I think about it there's no sense in taking a chance with the 25 row just to save $100.

__________________
K&N // GTM // BERK

XwChriswX

Especially if you follow one of the DIY's that uses different plates to cover up parts of the cooler, so essentially, you could make it a '25 row' or '15 row' cooler if you wanted...

__________________

Bonnie - Stage 2, Audio build coming this fall!
R.I.P. Abby 3/29/10 - 3/30/14

Dustin@Z1

Here is the complete explanation on how the Mocal Thermostatic Sandwich Plate Operates:

At low operating temperatures, the valve within the sandwich plate is actually OPEN 100%. This is counter-intuitive for some customers, which is why I wanted to explain it in detail.

Since fluid behaves just like electricity by taking the path of least resistance. By having the passage within the sandwich plate fully OPEN at low operating temps, the oil will actually divert itself into block, by-passing the oil cooler. More oil pressure is needed to pump the oil thru the lines and core than what is needed to simply divert the oil thru the passage in the sandwich plate (back in the engine block).

This serves a few purposes by having the valve operate this way:

1) Oil pressure is still allowed to prime the oil cooler when starting the car

(If the sandwhich plate did not operate this way, it would take until the engine was at operating temperature before your oil cooler would be allowed to fully prime itself. This would cause a possible issue with oil starvation to the engine until the oil cooler lines were filled. This is one reason why it is recommended to prefill the oil cooler as well, to minimize this time in which the engine MAY experience a loss of oil pressure during the initial priming of the oil cooler.)

2) This prevents air pockets from forming within the oil cooler in the event that oil drains from the lines while sitting overnight.

3) It allows the oil cooler core to gradually warm up (at a slower rate than the oil that is circulating in the sandwich plate adapter) in order to prevent any thermal shock caused by significantly cooler oil being introduced into the lubrication system.

Once the oil reaches the predetermined temperature, the valve will close causing the oil to bypass thru the oil cooler core 100%.

The addition of a block off plate is an old school trick used by many. You will see some factory Diesel vehicles even here in South blocking off air flow to their radiators to bring operating temps up. Road Race guys will even tape up their oil coolers during test & tune to dial in their oil temps, bringing them to their optimum range.

Both of these scenarios can be experienced by 370Z owners. Some northern or midwestern Z's located in colder climates will benefit from blocking off the oil cooler during these colder months. In addition, since the weather changes so often throughout the country (especially during the spring and fall), track conditions will change along with it. Some 370Z owners who track their cars may find that experimenting with blocking off varying amounts of the cooler will help them dial in their oil temps. The amount needed to be blocked off will vary on the track, track conditions, driving style, front fascia etc. This is why road racers will use a tape to wrap/unwrap the oil cooler cores an infinite number of times.

The exact oil temp that you want to shoot for varies with the oil grade and type along with the vehicle.

BLM

I think I'll be going with the 25 row. It's not hot enough in NJ and it's still primarily a DD, with 10 or so track days a year

__________________
K&N // GTM // BERK

Dustin@Z1

When our car went into limp mode, we actually did not have an oil cooler installed at that time. That is when we learned how important an oil cooler actually was on the 370Z.

Since the turbo charger builds up so much additional heat that is soaked up by the oil during lubrication, it will only further exagerate the issue that already exists with these cars. A 25 row may infact be suitable for your driving needs, but I would honestly be concerned about it since you are going FI. Drag racing will build up alot of heat in the engine quickly. The 1/4 mile sprint you will be doing will put a huge load on the engine. Follow this by a slow, short return lap to the pits and a lengthy wait in the staging area/lanes. Depending on the outside track temp at that time and engine/oil temps this may cause your engine temps to continue building.

You will need a core large enough to be able to control the oil temps during the 1/4mile sprint and be able to extract heat quickly once you get back to the staging areas sitting idle.