Oil Cooler - Is it really necessary?

Originally Posted by Erob

Hey all,

Please don't thump me too hard. I've been reading alot of posts about oil coolers. I understand there is definitely a place for them when tracking a car and also on FI cars. But here's my question....Is it something I should consider when my Z is driven mainly on weekends with some occasional spirited driving?

Like alot of Z owners I'm never going to track my car nor will I ever put any type of FI on it. I do have a Gen 3 Stillen intake and full Stillen exhaust with hi flo catalytic converters but that will be the extent of my engine mods. My oil temp is the usual 210 or so when driving. Occasionally I do have some fun on the TN mountain roads where I live but mostly it's just enjoying the drive.

So is an oil cooler worth the bucks? After reading it seems the Z1 is the most well thought of and I would probably do the 25 row with setrab cooler, thermostat, etc. I live in East TN so I imagine on a sunny 90 degree day the oil temps would run 180 - 200... Only guessing. Is it really that big of an advantage or have the Nissan engineers taken care of things pretty well? Thanks in advance for any input.