Oil temps at track

[JustenGT8]

Have done the obligatory search with no joy.

I'm after peoples experience with their oil temp ranges at the track (or extended road blatts)...either with or without oil cooler.

[Billzilla]

You want to run between 10° - 20° hotter than the water temp.

[JustenGT8]

Thanks Bill.

Now, any reason why a water temp guage won't work? Range looks fine up to 120deg C.

Just being a tightarse as speco water temp gauge is $25 at SC

[YLD-16L]

Last track day at 32°+ ambient temps I never saw over 108° oil temp (measured pre-cooler), that was on a 35 minute+ session so it was a decent test.

On the street under normal driving I sit at ~85° oil temp.

Hard street driving will push it up to about 95° oil temp.

Interestingly two track days ago with ambient temps of ~28° I was seeing up to 115° oil temp on 20 minute or less sessions.

The difference between that session and the more recent one was only the addition of a thin strip of adhesive foam strip to seal the core against the intercooler and radiator - well worth the addition of that as it obvisouly improved air flow through the oil cooler core.

[YLD-16L]

Now, any reason why a water temp guage won't work? Range looks fine up to 120deg C.

Just being a tightarse as speco water temp gauge is $25 at SC

There'd be no reason I can think of. The gradation on the gauge would be better than most oil temp gauges too, well better than mine anyway.

[JustenGT8]

All good then, just need to make a fitting up to take the sender.

need to spread the love apparently, not that you will miss my trivial contribution

[takai]

All the Autometer fluid temp range use the same sender. Same with the VDO gear.

[Koffee-Black]

My oil temps are surpsingly great on the track, about 87-88deg! Less on track thens treet, street usually about 91.

[big_zop]

All the Autometer fluid temp range use the same sender. Same with the VDO gear.

And Defi have recently released a new range of gauges that are not specific to the medium except that it has to be the same state - fluid (oil, water) vs air pressure and fluid vs air (exhaust) temp. They also dont need the Control Unit either.

Defi - Racer Gauge

My oil temps are surpsingly great on the track, about 87-88deg! Less on track thens treet, street usually about 91.

Would that have to do with airflow more than anything else (not sure if you run an oil cooler)?

[takai]

And Defi have recently released a new range of gauges that are not specific to the medium except that it has to be the same state - fluid (oil, water) vs air pressure and fluid vs air (exhaust) temp. They also dont need the Control Unit either.

Same as all the Autometer gear.

Autometer/VDO/Speco have never been overly complex.

[Celica RA45]

for best power and burning up the water and crap in oil try to keep it about 100 to 110 c and put it in the sump pan about 40mm up from the bottom and try it 1st with out cooler and after 20mins if it goes over this 110c then go to a cooler .ps i still use the factory heat x changer on the 3s and it seems to work ok and i can can be out for 30min and it still sits on 105 c but the brakes get a little to hot so i have to come in ,but im working on this as we speak

[Billzilla]

Thanks Bill.

Now, any reason why a water temp guage won't work? Range looks fine up to 120deg C.

Just being a tightarse as speco water temp gauge is $25 at SC

It'll be fine, but it may not read high enough - Depends how good your oil cooler is.

[JustenGT8]

It'll be fine, but it may not read high enough - Depends how good your oil cooler is.

That was my fear Bill but from temps others are getting it's looking OK.....as a worst case going off scale looks like a good time to call it a day

[Arthur]

This reply relates to a water/oil heat exchanger that I have had running for decades [yeah I'm a wrinkly] on a non Toyota vehicle [read Riley, yeah right no one has heard of it] but the data is relevent to your question. In sump oil temperatures of 125c are common for sustained running or in a track day enviroment but I have never seen more than this. So if you are running any form of cooler it will take out temp before being returned for further duty. I have a sender at 2 locations just before the oil enters the engine and in the sump with a swich that allows me to look at both.

So your 125c gauge should do the job and to evaluate the effectiveness of the cooler 2 senders one gauge and a switch will give you peace of mind.