Oil Question

CZero · 07-09-2011, 02:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nastyniSmo

I do some spirited driving with these 100+ temps but dont plan on tracking it yet. Oil temp stays around 220-230 on the street but was curious if I could potentially lower the temp 5-10 degrees based on the oil. I think I will run 5w30 redline and see how it does in these crazy texas temperatures. Thanks for the responses.

Just buy an oil cooler for around 190 shipped.
I live in Houston and with the oil cooler I run right at 185 in the mornings (around 80 degrees?) and around 200 during the afternoon. If I drive spirited during a really hot afternoon it goes to about 220. Made a huge difference.

The higher viscosity will be a lot better than a 30 weight oil though. The lower the number the less protection the oil provides at elevated temps.

ChrisSlicks · 07-09-2011, 07:48 AM

The standard 0w30 and 5w30 oils are going to be in their sweet spot viscosity wise from 200-230 degrees. If you are regularly above that (i.e. dedicated track car or FI) then you might want to step it up to a 40 or 50. I can't see changing to a heavier weight oil on a street car as you are going to reduce performance of the oil in the 180-210 range, just makes more sense to install an oil cooler (the Mobil 1 0W40 is a possible exception). A 15W oil is not going to protect as well as a 0W or a 5W even on a 90F cold start. The winter weight isn't just for winter conditions, take a look at some viscosity charts. The quicker the oil gets to the ideal 10-12 cSt range as Nissan intended the better lubricated you are going to be.

Here's a good warm up chart. Note how thick the 15W40 is even at 35C (95F).

07-09-2011, 07:48 AM	#2 (permalink)
ChrisSlicks A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: North East Posts: 6,203 Drives: 09 370Z Sport M6 Rep Power: 654	The standard 0w30 and 5w30 oils are going to be in their sweet spot viscosity wise from 200-230 degrees. If you are regularly above that (i.e. dedicated track car or FI) then you might want to step it up to a 40 or 50. I can't see changing to a heavier weight oil on a street car as you are going to reduce performance of the oil in the 180-210 range, just makes more sense to install an oil cooler (the Mobil 1 0W40 is a possible exception). A 15W oil is not going to protect as well as a 0W or a 5W even on a 90F cold start. The winter weight isn't just for winter conditions, take a look at some viscosity charts. The quicker the oil gets to the ideal 10-12 cSt range as Nissan intended the better lubricated you are going to be. Here's a good warm up chart. Note how thick the 15W40 is even at 35C (95F). __________________ Hotchkis ARB \| Stillen CAI \| Art Pipes \| Berk CBE \| Stillen AP Racing Brakes \| AE Performance Oil Cooler \| BC Racing ER Coilovers \| Doran Control Arms

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