Ford Focus ST Forum banner

Oil Cooler is a must

61K views 116 replies 34 participants last post by  justint5387 
#1 ·
After a few different track days and trying my best to keep it cool alone, I have realized this. I ghetto cowled my hood, drilled out the grill and still could only get about 10 minutes into a decent track pace before having to run a slow cool down lap.

Any other ideas?
 
#44 ·
Need input... my car is always on the edge of overheating, and has overheated briefly at times on the track..

After reading plenty of older and newer Oil Cooler threads, here is what I have concluded:

1. It's necessary
2. Kevin's latest setup with the AM crash bar (can't remember who made it, but I want it), guides, and short & wide profile seems to be the most effective that I have seen.

After reading through the radiator threads, they all seem to be far outdated today.

- Questions -


A. Who makes the most effective off the shelf OC these days? (I see that JBR just released on not too long ago, though I haven't found any feedback)
B. Which radiator seems to be the most effective and reliable? (I have found no concensus on this, so I'm looking for input from those of you who have ACTUALLY installed one and tracked your car)
C. I have the bigger cp-e FMIC, which is already a tight fit to the bumper. What kinds of issues could I run into with AM radiator fitment?

D. I am skeptical of sanding down the back of the grille to expose the holes, where this can't be reversed if it turns out only to make things hotter somehow.. Has the community come to a concensus on whether to open up the grille holes or to leave them as is for better cooling. Consider, for example, that I ran one session without my splash guard under the car, and had the upper cowling off aswell, and that was the session where my temps reached their peaks, so I reinstalled them. (I have since read that a few guys on here had similar experiences over the past few years)

With the GTX2867, my temps are a bit hotter than stock, though my more mild climate helps compared to those guys in the southern States, but I am absolutely committed to OC install and rad upgrade, so that I can leverage my turbo without sacrificing reliability. I run my WMI on the track just for insurance, but I tune the engine way back as if I were running without it. I'm hoping that the water content of the injection cools combustion a few degrees, and this may be a factor in why I did not experience nearly immediate overheat like some of the local track car ST's.

I am looking to order both a rad and OC in the next few months. I have no issue spending good money on GOOD parts. I will read and re-read, and reach out to other members for months if I have to, before I pull the trigger. So this is me trying to acquire some sort of consensus on these parts, and hoping that it helps others who feel as though the community is divided on rad and OC selection.

Thanks,

Cody
 
#48 ·
I can't verify the use of the JBR Oil cooler yet, but the install was simple and product is solid. I'm racing all weekend this weekend and temps are expected to be in the mid to low 80's. I'm expecting to have to do a radiator next winter, but this summer I wanted to test just how much the OC will make a difference alone, so here's to giving that a shot! I leave for the track Thursday. :big smile:
 
#49 ·
#51 ·
I was thoroughly impressed with the cooling this weekend. I was only out on the track for 20 minutes, but was pushing it just about the whole time and never saw the oil go past any unreasonable temp, and the coolant temps stayed in op range as well.

I'm just mad I didn't get the apples to apples comparison I wanted. Track temps were in the low 70's/ high 60's, so quite a bit cooler from the get go then years past. I smoked a brake pad/caliper/rotor somehow on my first set of open laps and didn't have a new rotor to replace the damaged one. I think the caliper is fine, but haven't taken it apart to source the actual issue yet.

Overall a good experience, just need to button up some more things.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Lou64
#53 ·
After oil temp problem solved, brakes were my next challenge. Go ahead and get you some VelossaTech brake cooling ducts for next track day. I have the stage 1 and they work pretty well. @Kevin has the stage 2 since he's "full race car".
 
#56 ·
hey guys,

where are people getting the low profile heat sink oil cooler from?
 
#57 ·
#64 · (Edited)
If it's a DD, no one needs an oil cooler. 212° is actually a perfect oil temp and have never seen mine top that in repulsive Midwest heat. Track...different story. Oil is not a fluid you want/need to keep as cool as possible. Thus, on any other vehicle where I've messed with oil coolers, if you legitimately "need" an oil cooler to handle tough situations, then a thermostat for DD/normal/tame situations would be somewhere between needed and a good idea IMO, especially in winter.
 
#65 ·
That is exactly my point. Most of the time it will just be a daily, and won't need the cooler necessarily. I want the oil to heat up efficiently and keep normal temp, but want a thermostatic oil cooler for when I track the car. I just came from an r32 gtr and an oil cooler was an absolute must in the mountains and on the track. Lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#66 ·
I may be misunderstanding what you're saying here...Why would you want a thermostatic oil cooler for when on track? I ask because the thermostats typically open at or around 30 degrees below normal operating temperatures. This is another reason that there's really no need for one. It's gonna be open regardless of the vehicles use. The point of the cooler is to prevent the temperatures from rising beyond the normal range when the vehicle is under prolonged load.

Thanks,
James
 
#78 ·
How imperative is an oil cooler if you're on an upgraded IC, but still on the stock tune? I have a track day at Putnam Park (Higher speed course, most corners will be 3rd gear or faster) and expect the ambient temps to be around 75-85*F. Would you guys reccomend installing an oil cooler when tracking this thing on the stock tune?
 
#81 ·
One of the rules or racing/tracking, how much power do I need to make and how long do I need to make it for.

My observation of the ST is this. Tracks with long straights where you get into boost 3-4th and maybe into 5th tend to see higher oil temps compared to short technical courses where you might stay in 3rd a majority of the time.

What's hot for an oil temp? If you think your ST is going to lap the track and oil temps are going to be 220, you're crazy. Expect your oil temps to be 240-260ish, the ST runs a high oil temp. Is that to high, no it's not your synthetic oil can handle those temps. 270 is where I'd maybe start to back off and 300 is trouble.

The ST needs all the cooling mods you can get if you're going to track it and run in the advance or expert catagories.

The issue I think is more concerning is water temps. 230+ is getting hot. Addressing the water cooling also helps to cool the oil.

Which should I get? The answer is both, just like a race car. You're doing race car things I don't why you think one or the other is ok.

My other track toy dosent need these things? The ST does!

What I haven't seen available for the FoST tha makes a HUGE difference in the FiST is a lower temp opening thermostat. Looking at you JBR, hint hint wink wink.
 
#82 ·
@Kevin, It's available and could help get you maybe a lap or 2 extra, but once the stock 180+ T stat is fully open it's still just a matter of heat from the engine versus heat rejection from the radiator. Also, you need to be sure to be able to get the coolant down to 160 before your run starts. This should slightly hurt normal highway cruising MPG, but not a big deal for most of us. Some newer cars have controllable thermostats that allow a higher temp set-point during normal cruising to improve efficiency and a lower setting when running the engine at higher power.

https://www.livernoismotorsports.com/product/LPP2514-160
 
Top