Oil Cooler or Intake?
 

I will eventually get both, but right now I can only get one at a time.

I'm looking at Stillen Gen 3 intake and Z1 25 row oil cooler kit.

Which one first? Suggestion?

As long as you are not racing and will get the oil cooler by summer time, start out with the CIA. But if I were you, because you want to get the Stillen G3's I'd save and get both so not to have to remove the front bumper repeated times.

Oil cooler first..

Forget about the intake. It's a waste of money.

OIL COOLER. 34 row with thermostatic sandwich plate is a must have first mod.

Eh seems like I pull off my bumper about once a month these days, it can take it :)

:iagree: It was my first mod, and least sexy mod, but a must. Intakes are sexier by far and I advise both mod's as you intend.

Do you guys think an oil cooler is necessary in canada? Even in summer its not that hot here

Drive uphill with some gusto and you'll see. At 59*F ambient, I hit 260*F. You are right about warmer climates, today was 81*F and I hit 220*F with my oil cooler.

Good to know. Could it be the nissan engine's/modern oil safe temperature is higher then what we traditionally accept as ok? I don't have a z yet but probably will get one in the next month. I think I Can get by one summer here in canada without the cooler, winter definitly won't be needed :icon18:

Aftermarket intakes aren't necessary with the 370Z.

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I expect so. But I can't do 2 laps in 10 minutes without the oil hitting 280 and putting the car in limp mode.

If I only drove the car on the street I wouldn't bother with an oil cooler. And I plan to get an intake this summer, but primarily because I love induction noise.

I doubt i'll ever be hitting the track myself. For daily driving in canada do you think oil temps will really be an issue for me? I will certianly drive it spirited at times but nothing extreme.

Bang for the buck:

High flow panel filters (e.g., K&N), high flow cats or resonated test pipes (or ebay test pipes if you can dodge emissions testing, and don't mind some rasp on decel -- could be CEL issues with test pipes and no tune, tho') and two to three sets of ARC cool fins plastered to bottom of oil pan (remarkably -- this pulls oil temps down by about 10 -15* F).

All of that will give you a nice bump in power for very little money and help keep oil temps lower. I never see over about 220* F beating on it in the summer in FL. Every engine runs a bit differently tho', so see how yours does before deciding on the oil cooler.

Also, if you do decide to get one, I'd spring for a 205*F thermostat -- the 180* ones tend to run very cold in the winter, and do not let the oil reach optimal temp, which is about 200* F even.

:iagree: I did the same thing as far as testing out my engine, seems i'm one of the lucky ones as even a spirited run through ortega hwy. i only see the temp. max out at 240* so seeing as i didnt have an immediate need for an oil cooler i decided to start by upgrading the handling and once i'm done with that then i'll move on to the power upgrades. btw my baby is all stock besides an upgraded front swaybar now :D

I drove fine last summer in Texas heat. 220-230 temp level. I'm still undecided.

As for Stillen Gen 3 intake, I thought it does provide gains. Seems like a lot of people that post in this thread disagreed

Don't forget I also have HFC and CBE. So I won't gain much with Gen 3?

I wouldn't bother getting an oil cooler unless you plan on tracking the car. Especially since you said you didn't have any temperature issues last summer. It'd be a waste of money. Occasionally hitting 260 or even 280 isn't a big deal. Normal operating temperature is around 220 degrees.

I'd mostly agree with the above, but I'd perhaps back it off to "If you're occasionally hitting 260 for brief moments, but mostly averaging 240-250 or under on the hot days, that's ok". IMHO if the needle ever goes past 260, you're probably in a situation that needs some additional cooling, ideally. I believe 280 is when you hit the first, partial ECU rev limit ("limp mode"), with 300 being when it severely restricts you.

I suspect the 2011 model's additional oil:water cooler interface is probably the most ideal fix if the car is mostly street driven and only has mild oil temp issues in really bad weather (or on a rare short track/auto-x run), and can probably be retro-fitted fairly easily on the 2009-2010 models and provide less overall maintenance/risk/hassle than other options. It probably won't be enough for longer track sessions in hot weather though.

The best bang for the buck/effort on the intakes is without a doubt straight post-MAF replacement tubes and K&N panel filters, but the Gen3 will open things up a bit more and is the "ultimate" readily-available commercial intake mod on this car so far in absolute terms. It's also one of the most expensive options, is a pain to install, and involves cutting/drilling on your radiator core support, so it might not be worth it for everyone.

Here in Canada I have yet to have issues with oil heat. I haven't tracked my car but do like to do the odd sprint with it. I would say just wait and buy both so you can do the instal all at the same time. Ya it will be longer wait but you save time on instal. I will probably eventually do an oil cooler but it's a little further down my list right now same as the gen 3 CAI. Probably late to end of this summer season or over the next winter I will be getting both of these.

IMO though if you do go with one at a time do the CAI it will be satisfying the first time you step on the gas and hear that baby suck it in! It's definitely noticeable.

For decent gains, low cost, and ease of installation, you can't beat tubes+high flow panel filters (< $210).

The G3's appear to make an extra 6 +2 whp over the tubes + high flow filters at various points in the rev range (but not at EVERY point in the rev range -- most of the gains are at the top)... but it also costs over $500 bucks new.

To me, it comes down to how much extra cash/effort the 4-8 whp is worth to you.

I think if you can find them used for between $350 and $250 (or if price is no object, and every whp is critical to you, buy them new and enjoy) it is worth it over the tubes + panel filters.

However, for simplicity and bang for the buck the tubes + panel filters win, IMO.

CC_370z I'm selling my Gen 3 in a couple of weeks to make way for a Supercharger keep a eye out in the for sale section.:tup:

I say intake for a logistical reason... the intake cannot vary at all how you run it.. the oil cooler can. You might find that if you do the oil cooler first, you will have to re-run oil lines if they interfere with the intake. I ran mine high to avoid cutting the car apart.

It's hard to decide right now, but I'm leading toward the intake. I have enough money to get both right now. I just sold my Z1 post MAF tubes here last week and K&N Drop-ins will be up for sale as well if I decide to get the intake.

if you plan on doing any hpde days or autox, then yes the oil cooler is necessary. If you arent going to race, its not needed. I live in Edmonton and with 40*C days, driving in the city i had no problems...even drag racing no problems. Soon as i did some hpde days, i kept going into limp mode.

So it boils down to...

hpde/autox = oil cooler first

daily driving/drag racing = intakes first.

op- send your money else where, i think. you already have k&n drop-ins (per your sig).

unless you're canyon carving or tracking you most-likely wont see limp mode.

even in canyon carving i have never seen limp mode, my Z always maxes out at about 240* and never goes beyond that. Kinda makes me wonder what it would be like out on the track and also makes me wonder if i ever will need an oil cooler, but then again i decided i would work on the handling of my Z first and then move on to the power/cooling mods.

The stock intake set up is really good. Use the 500$ somewhere else.

Easy one, oil cooler first. Intake only if you're going to reflash ECU.

Anybody on here who never sees oil temps higher than 240* F -- pick up three sets of those ARC cool fins and plaster the bottom of your oil pan with them. Sounds ghetto, but the principle is sound: Add metal and surface area and you will disperse heat. Good for a 10* F or more drop

Behold:

http://www.the370z.com/members/jordo...40606-0000.jpg

I also have two stuck on my diff cover :tup:

where would you be able to buy these at? tried doing a google search , but didnt really turn up anything.

Heres a write up on them...
Coolin' Down With ARC - Turbo Magazine

....and heres where you can buy them.
Amazon.com: ARC Cooling FIN Tranny / Engine/ Intercooler / Intercooler Kit / Exhaust / Header JDM Made in Japan Universal Fit: Automotive

I did a lot of research and many people stated the same as you. I'm going to use Redline oil and see what the temp is this summer. I've been using mobil 1 full synthetic car has 11k miles now.