Changing oil viscosity to track my 996
07-07-2018, 02:46 PM
#1
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
Changing oil viscosity to track my 996
I know there are dozens of oil threads, but I don't recall seeing this particular question answered. Should I swap from Moble115W50 to Driven XP9 10W40 when I track my car, or should I use something else? My car has always run Moble1 15W50 since it was purchased new.
My 996 has spent its entire life in upstate South Carolina (relatively warm weather). The first owner was Michelin Research and Development and they used it at their Spartanburg SC test facility where they installed a roll cage, Euro GT3 seats, and put 42,000 miles on it. They purchased it from Brumos Porsche in the spring of 1998 when the water cooled cars first went on sale. I'm not sure which oil Porsche had in it when they bought it, but I am theorizing Michelin went with 15W50 since that is what the air cooled cars ran, and since there would be a lot of hot weather driving.
I am the third owner and the car currently has 92k miles. The engine is the original low serial number M96.01. I will be installing the LN Engineering 2 quart deep sump kit. As I recall from reading one of the other oil threads, the LN folks recommend the deep sump mod, using a low foaming oil (such as XP9), and running low in the dip stick range to keep the AOS from getting overwhelmed and getting excessive oil in the intake. I will be running it at Road Atlanta later this month when the track will be as hot as the surface of the sun.
My 996 has spent its entire life in upstate South Carolina (relatively warm weather). The first owner was Michelin Research and Development and they used it at their Spartanburg SC test facility where they installed a roll cage, Euro GT3 seats, and put 42,000 miles on it. They purchased it from Brumos Porsche in the spring of 1998 when the water cooled cars first went on sale. I'm not sure which oil Porsche had in it when they bought it, but I am theorizing Michelin went with 15W50 since that is what the air cooled cars ran, and since there would be a lot of hot weather driving.
I am the third owner and the car currently has 92k miles. The engine is the original low serial number M96.01. I will be installing the LN Engineering 2 quart deep sump kit. As I recall from reading one of the other oil threads, the LN folks recommend the deep sump mod, using a low foaming oil (such as XP9), and running low in the dip stick range to keep the AOS from getting overwhelmed and getting excessive oil in the intake. I will be running it at Road Atlanta later this month when the track will be as hot as the surface of the sun.
Last edited by Splitting Atoms; 08-29-2018 at 09:24 PM. Reason: Correction. I listed XP-9 twice with different viscosities.
07-07-2018, 05:28 PM
#2
Rennlist Member
More important than the weight is the oil type. I would run an oil not succeptible to aeration. If you’ve noticed, 15w50 is not an approved weight for your engine. The 15w/50 is still not too thick for temps above freeezing for cold starts, but on the track, makes little difference. So it’s either 40w or 50w, either is fine. If your car runs hot, then 50. If it runs normal and/or won’t be hot outside, 40 is fine.
07-08-2018, 06:04 AM
#4
I think at the track you could use a w50 or even a w60. Your engine internals will get anyways up to a temperature range where w50 or w60 oil characteristics are perfectly useable even maybe preferred!
Spirited street use the oil goes from 90-105degC.At the track you will see 105degC and higher up to 115-120degC even. So a w50 or even a w60 grade would be perfectly fine. Forget further about viscosity. What matters is the capability of an oil to hold its hot film strength even at those locations in the engine where temperatures locally get much hotter then your meters tell you. Viscosities do not tell the whole story.
Spirited street use the oil goes from 90-105degC.At the track you will see 105degC and higher up to 115-120degC even. So a w50 or even a w60 grade would be perfectly fine. Forget further about viscosity. What matters is the capability of an oil to hold its hot film strength even at those locations in the engine where temperatures locally get much hotter then your meters tell you. Viscosities do not tell the whole story.
08-28-2018, 01:55 PM
#5
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Just ran my E39M5 at Road Atlanta over the weekend. Honestly my oil temps didn't get as high as I thought they would; mostly due to a lot of the track being a bit too fast for third but not that high in the RPMs in 4th. As ejdoherty said, DT40 on the street and XP9 10w-40 on the track for the 996.
08-28-2018, 03:04 PM
#6
On the track your car will run hot.
so I would certainly use a w50 or maybe even a w60
10w or 15w cold viscosities will certainly not hurt your engine when you are in a moderate or warm climate. Their viscosity at cold start at these temperatures will still be lower then 0w at a cold start in freezing mid winter. Also consider you will use this oil temporary. So little cold starts.
I agree about not using Mobil Water 0w40 for track use. Mobil has a Mobil1 10w50 or a 10w60 Motorsport oil. Which differs a lot from M1 0w40. There are other racing options such as Motul 300v or Millers CFS NT10w50
Some extra oil with a Motorsport type deeper sump will not hurt in fast curves. I see oil pressure drops even in spirited road driving!
Keep your runs to 30mins max
Foresee a long enough cool down lap, and keep the revs at 3000 for the water pump to circulate enough water through the rads and back to the engine
Be sure your rads are clean and in good condition.
Oh did I already say not to track your standard 996?
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so I would certainly use a w50 or maybe even a w60
10w or 15w cold viscosities will certainly not hurt your engine when you are in a moderate or warm climate. Their viscosity at cold start at these temperatures will still be lower then 0w at a cold start in freezing mid winter. Also consider you will use this oil temporary. So little cold starts.
I agree about not using Mobil Water 0w40 for track use. Mobil has a Mobil1 10w50 or a 10w60 Motorsport oil. Which differs a lot from M1 0w40. There are other racing options such as Motul 300v or Millers CFS NT10w50
Some extra oil with a Motorsport type deeper sump will not hurt in fast curves. I see oil pressure drops even in spirited road driving!
Keep your runs to 30mins max
Foresee a long enough cool down lap, and keep the revs at 3000 for the water pump to circulate enough water through the rads and back to the engine
Be sure your rads are clean and in good condition.
Oh did I already say not to track your standard 996?
.
08-28-2018, 04:06 PM
#7
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08-28-2018, 04:51 PM
#10
Rennlist Member
I will be installing the LN Engineering 2 quart deep sump kit. As I recall from reading one of the other oil threads, the LN folks recommend the deep sump mod, using a low foaming oil (such as XP9), and running low in the dip stick range to keep the AOS from getting overwhelmed and getting excessive oil in the intake. I will be running it at Road Atlanta later this month when the track will be as hot as the surface of the sun.
They know more about this subject than we do...........................
Craig
08-28-2018, 05:01 PM
#11
08-28-2018, 05:03 PM
#12
if not disregard it because the answer is in my post.
different oil, upgrade sump, proper cooling
having fun is also a part of it!
Unfortunately the M96 engine is not the best suited for the track. You can improve it in some aspects. But the risk is there. Nothing new.
08-28-2018, 05:15 PM
#13
RL Community Team
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
FREE DOWNLOAD: Tracking your car and M96 engine
https://lnengineering.com/education/...96-engine.html
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https://lnengineering.com/education/...96-engine.html
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08-28-2018, 05:37 PM
#14
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
I ran two track days so far with XP-9. 11 quarts in the engine with the 2 quart deep sump. This kept the oil level at mid range. No issues at all with the engine. Coolant temperatures went up just a little. Road Atlanta is a fairly fast track. I was in fourth gear most of the time, so lots of air flow through the radiators. Tires took most of the abuse. It has been a lot of fun.
08-28-2018, 05:45 PM
#15
RL Community Team
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
I ran two track days so far with XP-9. 11 quarts in the engine with the 2 quart deep sump. This kept the oil level at mid range. No issues at all with the engine. Coolant temperatures went up just a little. Road Atlanta is a fairly fast track. I was in fourth gear most of the time, so lots of air flow through the radiators. Tires took most of the abuse. It has been a lot of fun.
At least it's not an ancient thread.