Thanks for the help!

I ran my stock oil-coolered 2012 at a track day in Vegas a few weeks ago (2.4 mile road course). Ambient temps around 80-85 and sunny all day. I would do about 3-4 laps, temps would shoot up to 270+, no limp mode, run a slower lap to cool down, get the temp back to 260, run another couple laps until it got hot again.... Lather, rinse, repeat, all day long. Bonus fun: Pop your hood in the pits and watch your power steering fluid boil.

So yes, you can run your stock car at the track all day and generally be fine as long as the ambient temps aren't too hot. But let's face it, as soon as you run one track day you'll immediately become addicted and start modding your car for the track - the first mod will always be an oil cooler.

Speaking of cooling - does anybody run the Z1 power steering cooler? Any reviews? Or other suggestions for a good PS cooler? That's next on my list after the oil cooler.

Thanks good to know! I took my last Z '09 to the track and have been addicted ever since. I am looking to install FI CBE & Stillen Gen 3 CAI. Then maybe tune it a bit. I'll try a track day with that without and oil cooler (aside from the "factory one") and see how it does. If its getting a little toasty, I guess it goes without saying what the next mod will be. I want to give the factory oil cooler a fair shake before I just simply get a new one.

Thanks for the advise!

The factory cooler seems like it does nothing. Nothing at all. My temps immediately shoot over 220 as soon as I get 'spirited' in my driving, and if it lasts more than 20 seconds it gets up to 240. I live in Vegas, so it's usually hot as sh!t out here. I'm getting a big 34 row oil cooler to keep things in check.

these engines will still run at 240-60 with a 34 row oil cooler w track driving... nothing u cna do about it and it is not harming anything, use a good oil like motul V300

Do you have a lot of mods? More HP/Tq = more heat?

Really? I have heard that aftermarket oil coolers keep the temps in the low 200's.

I think it really depends on the driver. I drive somewhat hard on the track 2:12 at autoclub ( or at least it feels hard to me :)). I think that's fast but there some guys that break 2 min which is crazy. Maybe they melt their own oil cooler lol?

I use Nissan Esther Oil religiously. of all the reviews ive read for Z's i fell like Ester Oil is the most recommended, even though Purple something and some others are recommended as well.

AutoX in CT I have not needed an oil cooler. But I open the hood and let it run for 10-15 mins. idol to bring the temps down. But I have yet to see it go higher than 240.

I hit 245-250 on the Dragon this week. Yeap, it does need some attention.

Oh Brother I know THAT feel - I was up there last month and I had to keep an eye on the Temps.

Hell today I hit 250 ish running with a Lexus IS on the freeway.

I think the stock 2012 radiator isn't up to the task of cooling the water and oil both. I saw large drops in oil temperature when going to the CSF radiator, and yet again with the CSF triple pass. Typical oil temps in normal driving were less than 200F with the triple pass, down from about 245 with the stock radiator.

Never had a problem auto-xing with a full stock setup.

O

PM's you. These temps were with the stock oil cooler? What mods do you have?

stock oil cooler is surprisingly not bad on 13' nismo. In 95F ambient within the first couple hot laps oil will reach 260F~270F but it plateaued there mostly for the next 20 minute session. never hit limp mode but I do cool down on rare occasion. In the cooler days they do slightly better job..

:iagree: My first track time i run with my oem 2013 oil cooler and never hit limp mode... I dont remember how much minute i run... i think as 5 min session almost hit 260º if i dont touch it lool!

Good posts carlito and street. I am doing a track day at autoclub speedway in fontana, CA in Jan. I want to see how the '12 Z hold up with a stock oil cooler first before i go ahead and look into buying an oil cooler. I will post results then

Great dude! enjoy your track day :tup:

same here. wanted to know what the capabilities of OEM parts were and slowly upgrade the weak links..

honestly, I don't even sweat it at 260F. VQs are fine at that temperature with fully synthetic oil. Honestly I don't think our cars with stock oil cooler run THAT hot as most people make it out to be. 16' Vettes run over 300F on the track. I do start being cautious when I see around 270F. 10+ track days this year in TEXAS but NEVER had limp mode ever. and you definitely won't see limp mode with traffic holding you back.

here's a quick footage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uo0M00Pe5-I

With a 34-row cooler in my '09, I typically peak out at 240F on the track, including at ACS. Before that, I was hitting 300F and experiencing severe limp mode. Obviously the 2012+ model years have improved cooling, but I would still be concerned about hitting 260F+ because you are likely to get some reduction in performance even if it's not full on limp mode.

On a like ~90 degree day at acs I hit like 230 on warm up, 265ish after first full lap (usually best time) then close to 280 after 2 more full laps, where the engine is noticeably slower, then ran a cool down lap after 3 green laps which usually got it to the 260-265 range. The stock oil cooler definitely does not cut it. I would strongly recommend you plan to have cool-down laps unless you are stuck behind traffic. For a 20 minute session I think I got usually like 5-6 full laps in, not counting first warm up and ending half a lap after checker. So I did warm up, 3 laps, cool down, 1-2 laps, checker i think. Probably better if you plan warm up, 2 laps, cool down, 2-3 laps, checker. I would also recommend you treat your warm up lap like a warm up and not to go crazy and overheat your engine on a useless lap.

According to motoiq, 280F is bad

*****************************************/id/2720/project-nissan-370z--keeping-it-cool-with-a-csf-radiator-hps-hoses-and-a-nissan-motorsports-oil-cooler.aspx

edit: apperently can't link to motoiq? just search for their 370z project car.

In my '09 Z i don't recall ever going passed maybe 265ish and same with my '12 Z however my only track day was wet so i pushed it about 85%. I may do one track day all out to get a baseline before I make a commitment. btw, is your video all out like that with oil temps still 260?

See, I can imagine a 90 degree day raising old temps, usually right now, especially in Jan when i begin my "tracking season", ambient temps never exceed 65-70 so i bet that will help a small bit. If I find that im getting to the 260-270 mark rather easy i will def do a cool down lap. Maybe its just me, but i think the guys (like you and maybe some others) are way more intense on the track than I am. I usually run 2:12's at autoclub and consider myself a casual track day guy. some of these guys are brutal which im sure makes the oil temps scream! Plus maybe 7AT dont get the engine as hot because the RPMS might not get as wild as a 6MT? just a theory....

Whats times were you running at ACS. I had a base stock 09 7AT and never hit limp mode. I was kissing the 265-270 every now and then but never really got close the 280. i ran 2:10-2:12 times

keeping this pace for around 10 laps~ 20 minute in the summer time will brings it to 270ish but it plateaus there. maybe if i ran more than 20 minute 100% i would go over, but never experienced it so far.
in this video weather was a cool~55-60F so i was maxing out no more than 260F.. i actually think cooling got better after several track events.. almost like "Track break-in".. maybe i have a freak oil cooler..

true. if you start grooving on trackdays, sooner or later will need an oil cooler.. i need to stop being lazy and get an oil cooler

hahaha! like i said.. i test already my stock oil cooler and work great enough at least for the track that i run here on PR... But already have my Stillen 25 rows oil cooler and can wait to tested :driving:

Tomorrow im going to install new rotors, brake pads brake fluid... Almost ready for January track day and test how much hold my new oil cooler. :tup:

Lol I'm installing new rotors, brake pads fluid this weekend too. This thread made me just pull the trigger on 34 row oil cooler.. i'll be homeless by christmas

Looooooool! nice bro! see it this way.... that is your own personal Christmas Gift ;)

BTW what brand of rotors and brake pads do you go?

Im going to install the EBC USR Ultimax rotors, EBC yellowstuff brake pads and Motul RBF600 as brake fluid :) can wait to see how this setup are going to work in the track and in my daily :stirthepot:

I heard good things about yellowstuff. not too noisy for DD and bites really well on the track. is the Ultimax rotors 2 piece or 1?
I got OEM blanks, Carbotech XP10 front and RBF600. it's always been the recipe that works for me on the track! Lol my friend suggested getting Duralast blank rotors from Autozone for $38 a piece, but I haven't seen anyone really reviewed them for track purpose. but we go through rotors pretty quick and maybe i'll try them out next time

Mines are 1 piece :) hahaha! if someone make the review for the Autozone blank rotors please have to let us know cause in rotors i spend a few $$$ lool! I was reading about the Carbotech bro and i almost buy those pads but i buy the EBC yellowstuuf to match my EBC rotors... next time im going to try it :tup:

Sweet! I should be expecting similar temps then. Exactly what I needed to know. Thanks man!

I run 2:08 at ACS. Even at 260, the engine's going to be slower...it seems to me that you start losing performance gradually at 240F and it gets really severe, to the point of restricting RPMs, at 260-280.

I was running 2:05-6 with passenger on OEM tire (stock everything) :D, but nowhere close to that record 2:01 posted T_T. Engine is significantly less peppy and just doesn't rev when it gets >260.

From what it looks like on this forum, the oil cooler definitely does something, so if you were fine without it, you should be even better with it (unless you have more mods on this one?)

And hmmm, next time I should just not engine brake as much, maybe just brake and downshift at last second. But my brakes also overheat after 3 laps T_T