My 78 SC is almost ready for its first day on the track. It shouldn't have any cooling issues with the temperatures in the 60's at Laguna Seca. However, the track temperatures easily top 100 at Thunderhill and Buttonwillow in the summer. Will I need a new oil cooler? Should I go for a center mounter oil cooler and an IROC style bumper/spoiler or will the Carrera oil cooler do the job? The car is a street legal event car and will be driven to and from events.
The engine is stock.

 

You might want to read the 911SC FAQ and 911 engine cooling articles on tech.rennlist.com.

 

Your stock oil cooler should handle it. I run my 1982 911SC on the track when the temperature is in the 90's, so no telling what the track temperature is. I do have SSI's with no cat, which makes it run a little cooler.

 

Yup, I've read the tech article on recommended track upgrades. I'm trying to get a feel of next year's budget. I see the logic of enhanced oil cooling as the stock SC coil looks primative. Does a center mounted cooler work better than a Carrera cooler and air duct?

 

Hi Eric:

First, I would tell you that a properly mounted, large center cooler is more efficient than a fender-mounted cooler, all things being equal. Its all about surface area and getting air in AND out of the cooler properly.

Engine longevity is directly proportional to oil change intervals and tunning temperatures so anything you can do to keep the engine cool as possible pays big dividends,.....

They like to run between 190 deg F and 200 deg F. Power starts falling off above at 210 deg F.

 

My experience with SC's is that all 3.0L engines don't behave the same, and while some get by with the loop cooler, others need either a fender-mounted or front bumper-mounted cooler. Driving style can also influence the cooling needs too.

 

Replaced the trombone with a carrera cooler, and rigged a Bosch fan in front. On top of that, routed as much airflow there and blocked airflow around it...

It helped, but on MY SC, the only real good solution would have been a front mounted cooler, RS style, period !

 

While the carerra cooler with fan will probably do the job, if you have the budget, going to a front coller is a sure thing. Of course the two are not mutually exclusive, and if you were to add a front cooler or replace the carerra cooler with a front one in the future, it will be worth what you paid for it.

My '76 works just fine with th carrera cooler, and an aux. fan switch which I only seem to need on the track or in traffic with the A/C on. I have done nothing to enhance ariflow into the cooler; it has not been neccessary, but Pelican has a scoop your can mount where the marker light goes, and I saw a thread here some time ago about notching the valance under the bumper to direct air into the cooler.

I'd go with the carrrera and only explore further if oil temps demand it. Mine runs at max 210-220 in 100 Deg heat on the track. Never over 210 on the road with AC on and temp in high 90s.

 

Agreed.. The only downside to a front cooler is that you can't put a fan in front of it, for those times you are stuck in traffic on a 105F day going to Buttonwillow, and there is no airflow;-) That day made me swear I'd switch to synthetics ;-) Like I said, the carrera cooler + fan was not enough to keep my SC cool... I'd recommend the front cooler, but not alone given the above. Can you have both coolers "inline" ? Does't this put more strain on the oil flow and the pump at some point ?

 

I have a carrera cooler on my sc w/ the scoop and it stays pretty cool (about 210 tops). The scoop tends to help w/ airflow. If you have the budget go w/ the front cooler. not only does it work better, but it looks cool. the faster the track, the cooler you'll tend to run since you're getting more air over the cooler. LS shouldn't be bad at all. Don't forget to put in new track pads for LS... its evil on the pads.

My car stays around 210, but w/ the trombone cooler I was 225 or even higher in the summer at the willow springs streets track.

just some anecdotal evidence, but if budget allows, go w/ front-mount w/ iroc.

 

Eric,

A very timely thread!

Anyone know (Steve ) how well the OE euro 28-row radient cooler does? My SC has it (mounted in the fender) and it certainly keeps temps low, but I have yet to traack mine and I admittedly have no back to back reference between it and the trombone thing. I've heard that it's much better than the trombone type, but how does it fare against the Carrera radiator-style cooler (mounted in the fender) on the track on 95+ degree days. Should I swap it for a carrera style or ADD a center one to it?

Edward

 

fwiw.. hp is related to the amt of oil cooling needed.

the fender cooler maxed out in a low hp 2.7 at consistant 100mph thru 105deg desert heat.

 

You need to plan on a real cooler for the track. We covered this in another thread a while back. https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...&highlight=row

 

Hi Edward:

IMHO, you will need a good front cooler to contain oil temps at the track in your climate.

You can add the front one to your existing cooling system and plumb it in series with -16.

 

Steve,

Why do I know that I can ALWAYS count on you! Thanks!!

Should I just bypass the idea of adding a carrera style oil cooler altogether? I was thinking (though have no idea at if at all even possible) if adding a carrera-style in the left fender would augment the euro cooler and be effective, or if the effort on such a project is worth it ...especially given that the front cooler seems to be the tried and true method?

Edward