Redline SAE40 in the TL for track day??

[BuickGN]

Some co-workers are getting together and organizing a track event. It will either be at Buttonwillow or Willow Springs but I signed up and pre-paid already.

There are a couple that I absolutely don't want to lose to due to cockiness, one drives a 1LE 3rd gen 5.0L Trans-Am (a little slower than my TL in a straight line), and the other a Cayman then there will be various IS350s, 335s, etc.

I plan on running it very hard, even installed the a-spec springs and shocks just for this event. My question is, it will be hot outside by the time this takes place.

Money aside, any reason to switch or not to switch to the Redline from my Amsoil ACD or should the ACD hold up ok? The Redline will only be in the car for a day and it would be fully warm before I run it. I'm just a bit nervous racing the daily driver as I learned my lesson from the GN.... or so I thought.

 

[Drew99GT]

I'd stick to the ACD. If it can't hold up to a track day, nothing can!

 

[Jim 5]

Save the money for tires. You'll likely need new ones soon after your track day. Enjoy, you're going to have a ball!

 

[aquariuscsm]

Originally Posted By: BuickGN
Some co-workers are getting together and organizing a track event. It will either be at Buttonwillow or Willow Springs but I signed up and pre-paid already.

There are a couple that I absolutely don't want to lose to due to cockiness, one drives a 1LE 3rd gen 5.0L Trans-Am (a little slower than my TL in a straight line), and the other a Cayman then there will be various IS350s, 335s, etc.

I plan on running it very hard, even installed the a-spec springs and shocks just for this event. My question is, it will be hot outside by the time this takes place.

Money aside, any reason to switch or not to switch to the Redline from my Amsoil ACD or should the ACD hold up ok? The Redline will only be in the car for a day and it would be fully warm before I run it. I'm just a bit nervous racing the daily driver as I learned my lesson from the GN.... or so I thought.


Man I bet you`re gonna have a blast!!!!!!!

 

[Steve S]

I would have to ast do you think the oil temps will go up enough to need to go up a grade? are you using straight racing or 10w40?

 

[BuickGN]

Originally Posted By: Steve S
I would have to ast do you think the oil temps will go up enough to need to go up a grade? are you using straight racing or 10w40?


That's the problem, I have no idea what to expect from this car so I'm thinking about going on the thick side. I would run the straight weight if I change it out. The ACD is a straight 30wt also so I'm sure it will do ok but the guilt is already setting in for tracking my daily driver and only running car at the moment.

 

[Audi Junkie]

Real-Time uses it in their TSX, that's the 2.4 though.

 

[Steve S]

A.J. Redline sponsers them!!! I am not knocking Redline but like Amsoils boat racer guy would win races using any oil of his choice but Amsoil gives him big bucks so Amsoil is the best oil Cash talks!

 

[BuickGN]

I'm thinking since I already run a straight 30 in a car that recommends 5w-20, and the fact that some of the supercharged guys track their cars all the time with a 5w-30, maybe I'll stick with the Amsoil.

 

[AzFireGuy79]

Redline is a more robust oil than the ACD hands down for the track. Your choice. I vote Redline.

 

[BuickGN]

Originally Posted By: AzFireGuy79
Redline is a more robust oil than the ACD hands down for the track. Your choice. I vote Redline.


You had to say that right when I had made up my mind.

What I'm wondering, is will a stock 258hp 3.2L really heat the oil that much? Mine put down 210whp and 183lbs of torque. I haven't bothered with engine mods because it's a losing battle with this car, $3,000 will get you ~25whp so I have bought a larger adjustable rear sway bar, urethane front swaybar bushings, factory a-spec springs, adjustable Koni shocks, and 255/40 summer tires on stock rims vs 235/45 factory all seasons. Nothing spectacular but it should drop my times much more per dollar spent than engine mods and it retains perfect daily drivability.

Cost is no object when it comes to protecting my daily driver from wear but I don't want to throw money away for no reason either.

 

[Jim 5]

I doubt if it will heat the oil much. I'd be more worried about the transmission, as every shift will be at 100% power, plus you'll presumably be downshifting with the manual selector. It looks like you are using ATD, which must be an amsoil product, and it looks like you have a trans cooler. You've done all you can from an equipment perspective. I'd go easy on the transmission if it were my car.

You won't be able to corner with the smaller cars, but you'll find that even a 100 hp difference doesn't mean that much. I was significantly faster in the corners than my neighbor's M3 of the same year, and in the 3/5 mile straight away, he couldn't pass me in that distance unless I let him. The difference between are cars was alost exactly 100hp.

I have never seen elevated temperatures on my track day, but I did not have an oil temp gauge. My neighbor's M3 has an oil temp gauge and it didn't show elevated temps.

Heat typically isn't an issue in my experience on track days because usually the track is shared among a few groups, and it doesn't get that hot here. Group 1 (maybe 4-8 cars) of 3 will use the track for 20-30 minutes, then pull off, raise their hoods and sit. They rotate in this way on our local track (pretty small admittedly).

I'm interested in hearing how you enjoyed your car on the track, and your impressions of the other cars' strengths and weaknesses on the track.

I'm pretty sure the guy who has the most to worry about oil-wise is the owner of the 335.