Quote:
Originally Posted by Doubleblank
It is strange that some owners experience this and others run hard (like myself) in hot weather and have no issues at all. I've never seen my oil temp above 250 deg, even when running in 100 deg weather. I run the recommended 15-50 oil when on track.
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Well, then I would have to say I've never owned a car that could stay at 250 degrees F or less at the track ('04 STi, '05 STi, '06 C6 Z51, '06 C6 Z06, '11 EvoX, '12 C6 GS, '13 C6 Z06, '13 Supercharged MX5, '14 1LE). The one that fared best was the '12 Corvette Grand Sport, which stayed around 265-270 degrees F range. I believe Camaros have a very limited air flow compared to what Corvettes have. I am actually surprised they did not use ZL1 frontend on the Z/28 for better flow.
I think it has to do with the local track venues (the ratio of straights vs. streets), the driving style (do you always get to redline?), usual ambient temps, etc. The RPM range used seems to make the biggest impact. What is your average RPMs? (Most track programs provide this data if you collect RPM data through OBD II).
Long story short, my 1LE did not overheat, but I had to let it cool down after every few laps since it came to 290+ degrees F oil in just a few laps, and would get back to that range with just two more laps after a full cool-down lap (of 2+ miles track), and this was with a moderately sized external oil cooler. Keep in mind, LS7 gets to even higher temps due to higher power and RPM range.
I ended up replacing my oil cooler core with the biggest one Setrab sells, and this time my oil temps stabilized in 270s despite my best efforts to overheat. My coolant temps were also around 220 degrees during my 45 minute sessions.
Oil cooler how-to thread:
http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=381050
