sugarwood

Do you change the oil after X number of DE days?

I remember reading a poster who changed the oil for every DE..
Or do you count the DE miles as the same as regular driving, and stick to 5k-7k regardless.

I'm just curious what range of opinions are out there?

badabing

I've been sending my oil to blackstone every oil change since I started tracking my 987.2 CS.

Using Mobil 1 0W-40. Seems about 5-6 track days plus 1K road miles or so (to and from track) is a good interval.

I've got about 5 or 6 analyses at this point to support this practice.

tgavem

Temperature and age is a factor. I change my oil after 2-3 track weekends. If you drive on the street and track, every 6 months.
When oil heats to very hot it may foam, after that it degrades quickly and could damage engine due to low lubrication.

NYoutftr

I also use Mobil 1, 0w40.
I have noticed that the pressure does drop after motor is run hard.
The oil pressure goes back to normal after engine cools.
This usally happens after a couple hours of driving in traffic or a couple of run sessions at the track.
I just ordered my first Blackstone test.
I have been considering switching to DT40 Gibbs oil.
But I have been using Mobil 1 in all our cars for 35 years.
Not sure which way is best route.
David

golfnutintib

i think the advice given is solid using basic spec m1 0w40 as oil fill

heat is the key factor

there have been reports that m1 0w40 does shear down to lower effective viscosity under high heat so better to play it safe and change more often

what i do to cars that are tracked is blend m1 5w50 with 0w40 in matching amounts... this gives better shear resistance under abusive conditions and buys a little more margin for error

i then change oil every 5-6 track days

Veloce Raptor

Or just use all 5-50. IMO 0-40 is too light for serious track work in warm weather

mark kibort

use the recomemded temp range oil, and dont change . the larger the multivis , the worse it is for the track. 0 weight is way to thin and is not recommended by porsche. (in most cases) keep in mind that mobil 1 tends to lose viscosity worse than most of the performance synthetics.
I change the oil after 3 -4 race weekends .. you have to think about all the fuel and other contaminants that enter the oil under full load conditions. i would estimate that a track day equals 1-2000 miles of regular driving. (IMHO)

garrett376

Sugarwood, you didn't mention what kind of car you have. Are you talking about a wet sump or dry sump engine? ...in an M96/M97 wet sump engine that has oil pickup issues, using a lighter oil that sloshes around more could increase the risk of sucking air/vs oil leading to oil starvation problems.

NYoutftr

Garrett
Is that still true if I have installed an X51 oil baffle?

I was under the impression my 2003 996 3.6L NA 0W40 was the correct oil?

Veloce Raptor

For serious track use in summer heat? Bleh

Bill Lehman

I have had lots of track days on Motul 300V with no issues and change once per year. Its not an approved Porsche oil and its claimed its bad for CATS. CATS are a lot cheaper than engines.

dgrobs

I change my oil and filter every 6 to 8 track days, Playing it safe.
I use Mobil 1 0-40, and yes, it is recommended by Porsche. Check any relatively new Owners Manual. Mobil 1 0W-40 is the oil of choice "by' Porsche.
Every 6 to 8 track days (appx 3 to 4 DE's of 2 to 3 days each).

Jabs1542

I measure everything in track days (not miles) and change oil whenever I cross 5 track days (i.e. after a second 3 day weekend event). Same with brake fluid except that I use 15 days as the threshold. Everything else (brakes, tires, rotors, etc.) are all replaced based on visible wear - though I do track the consumption for planning purposes.

NYC993

When I used to drive to the track I would do every 2-3 events (2-3k miles) depending on type of event and how hot it was or how hard the car was run. Oil analysis was pretty good, but those should be read with a grain of salt.

now that I tow I change oil every 3 events (equivalent of 9 days) and those tend to have more sessions that a usual DE. I'm about to do Tbolt with 5 25-30min session per day.

My car is air-cooled so I run 20w50 vtwin oil (non of that 0-40 stuff here). I ran redline oil for 3 events and oil analysis came very comparable to the previous ones.

Veloce Raptor

A bit of anecdotal info about oil and the track:

Manufacturers are using super light oils now, both to speed up cold start warm ups (emissions) and to improve fuel economy (CAFE). Both benefit the manufacturer, not us.

I have a current model Stingray Z51 (dry sump engine). The OEM oil is like 0-30 or 0-40 or something. HOWEVER: Chevy is honest enough about the car.s track capabilities as to specifically and emphatically state, in the owners manual, that's it is important to use 15-50 Mobil1 for track use. In fact, the first four oil changes (or maybe its 5?) are free, and they will use the 15-50 Mobil1 at no extra charge if you tell the service tech you're using the car on track.

So...your mileage may vary, both literally and figuratively.