What are safe oil temperatures during spirited driving?

V

VQAndrew

Joined
Dec 18, 2019
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Metro Detroit Michigan
I’m running Mobil1 0W40 (changed from M1 5W30 because of supposedly much better shear stability and better base) in a VQ35DE engine. I have a stock oil cooler and stock radiator, just have a secondary trans cooler. I have gauges installed and cruising on the highway, oil temp is 206-213F depending on how hot it is outside and how fast I’m going. Driving illegally I’ll peak at about 225F. Once it gets to that point I let it cool down to the constant temp before I romp on it again. I’ve heard someone on here say oil life is halved for every 10F above 220 degrees? Is it cause for concern when oil temp goes beyond 220?

I plan on doing a 4,000 mile OCI on this oil. Using WIX XP filter.
 
The ranges you describe are not a problem, especially knowing you moved up to 0w40. Even pulling back at 225 F is very conservative. Type “oil temperature” in the search function and you’ll get stories of people who are running their vehicles on the track at much higher oil temperatures than yours. As far as oil life goes, change your oil more often if you are concerned, or have a UOA done to look for shearing and a resulting lowering of the viscosity.
 
Ford sets the engine protection system for 20 grade for 248F+ and 50 grades for 302F+ so my guess is somewhere in-between those temps.

It's unlikely you will see temps for concern on the street unless highly modified.

Many modern cars use liquid-to-liquid heat exchangers so oil temps will mirror coolant temps in normal operation.

In some cases modern cars don't have coolant sensors (Use head temp sensors instead) so you may see more variation than expected when data logging. I believe this is an artifact of the method used.
 
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Safe oil temp would be 250 degrees if you wanted a firm number to live by and shoot for and oil can handle 275 degrees but I would look to keep it under the 275.
More or less like the others have posted, you have nothing to be concerned about.
 
If I **** around with my Stage 2+ B5 S4 I can hit 250. But I don't anymore since one of the turbos is shot. I will try for ~225 just to get oil up to temp when I drive it but I don't drive it often at all.
 
I wish I knew my oil temps. I have not had an oil temp gauge since my VW bug.
 
VQAndrew said:
I’m running Mobil1 0W40 (changed from M1 5W30 because of supposedly much better shear stability and better base) in a VQ35DE engine. I have a stock oil cooler and stock radiator, just have a secondary trans cooler. I have gauges installed and cruising on the highway, oil temp is 206-213F depending on how hot it is outside and how fast I’m going. Driving illegally I’ll peak at about 225F. Once it gets to that point I let it cool down to the constant temp before I romp on it again. I’ve heard someone on here say oil life is halved for every 10F above 220 degrees? Is it cause for concern when oil temp goes beyond 220?

I plan on doing a 4,000 mile OCI on this oil. Using WIX XP filter.
Click to expand...

I have a VQ35DE as well, I am running 5k OCI with Castrol 0w40, but I am probably switching to Mobil 0w40 next oil change for the rebates. I like the Castrol but I don't think the VQ will notice. With the XP filter are you running it 2 OCI? Do you have the Maxima, G35, or 350z? I notice you said when driving hard it will peak at 225F, by peak do you mean its never went up or do you back off once you hit 225F? If you are worried about Oil temp/engine temp, make sure your coolant is full as well, that plays a big role in cooling as well.
 
Remember, too, that while 20 weight doesn't handle as high temps as thicker oils, it does cool more efficiently and rapidly in an oil cooler than they do.
 
I've seen 230 degrees once just going a bit crazy down a 4 mile stretch. It's the oil keeping those pistons cool by being sprayed under them, and that area can get as hot as the exhaust. Think of a valve cover leak and all the oil dripping on the exhaust manifold. It smokes like crazy and gets burnt off. Oil changes below 5k intervals like you plan to do are probably a good idea if you race the car often lol.
 
In my 09 and 2k11 Maximas, I have noticed 210F as max (196F as minimum once warmed up) last July and August (cruising 40 to 65mph in a hot afternoon) . But I'm a very conservative driver. Running PUP 5w30. Which I'm ditching for another 5w30 or likely M1 0w40.
I think with a more "spirited" driving than mine I'd expect higher temps, and that's with the thin 30 weight. I think your numbers are totally normal, for a hot weather and kind of hard driving.
OP what setup do you use to get oil temp? BAFX, Torque and custom PID?
 
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VQAndrew said:
I’m running Mobil1 0W40 (changed from M1 5W30 because of supposedly much better shear stability and better base) in a VQ35DE engine. I have a stock oil cooler and stock radiator, just have a secondary trans cooler. I have gauges installed and cruising on the highway, oil temp is 206-213F depending on how hot it is outside and how fast I’m going. Driving illegally I’ll peak at about 225F. Once it gets to that point I let it cool down to the constant temp before I romp on it again. I’ve heard someone on here say oil life is halved for every 10F above 220 degrees? Is it cause for concern when oil temp goes beyond 220?

I plan on doing a 4,000 mile OCI on this oil. Using WIX XP filter.
Click to expand...
MY BMW is running 230f in normal driving.
 
I have a 370z. Install a 19 row oil cooler with a thermostatic plate and just be done with it if you’re going to daily and spirit drive it. The VQs run hot, it’s a known fact. If you’re going to track, use a 25 or 34 row oil cooler, I got mine from Z1.
 
I had a 2009 Nissan 370Z with the VQ37 engine. It was a couple of model years prior to the introduction of the oil cooler to the engine. Oil temps of 220 F were common. It easily hit 260-265 F with some spirited driving. I think it went into limp mode at 285 F but I never pushed it to that point.
I ran Redline 5W-30 and did 5,000 mile OCI's. I live in SouCal so outside temps rarely got below 40 F but often exceeded 100 F in the summer.
 
ZeeOSix said:
Test data source?
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Thinner liquids heat up quicker. I deduce that they cool quicker, too. In my Jeep, coolant temp heats up much more quickly than the oil. MUCH more quickly. It also cools much more quickly. There are other variables at play but if not true, a liquid cooled engine would just cool the oil rather than bother with water. Water is thinner. It is also why a 50/50 water antifreeze mix cools better than higher percentage of antifreeze. For cooling, thinner is better.

So you think a thicker liquid sheds heat as quickly as a thinner one? Let's hear your explanation of that.
 
IndyFan said:
Thinner liquids heat up quicker. I deduce that they cool quicker, too. In my Jeep, coolant temp heats up much more quickly than the oil. MUCH more quickly. It also cools much more quickly. There are other variables at play but if not true, a liquid cooled engine would just cool the oil rather than bother with water. Water is thinner. It is also why a 50/50 water antifreeze mix cools better than higher percentage of antifreeze. For cooling, thinner is better.

So you think a thicker liquid sheds heat as quickly as a thinner one? Let's hear your explanation of that.
Click to expand...

There are other properties of a fluid involved in heat transfer than just the "thickness" of the liquid. You just can't say that "20 weight cools more efficiently and rapidly" than 30 or 40 weight without showing a source where that was actually proven by controlled experimentation. You're just making a statement for what ever reason that if you research it doesn't seem to hold water. If you do some searching on the subject matter you will see that more dense liquids (just like more dense solids) do transfer heat faster/better and have more heat capacity which is part of the heat transfer equation.

 
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ZeeOSix said:
There are other properties of a fluid involved in heat transfer than just the "thickness" of the liquid. You just can't say that "20 weight cools more efficiently and rapidly" than 30 or 40 weight without showing a source where that was actually proven by controlled experimentation. You're just making a statement for what ever reason that if you research it doesn't seem to hold water. If you do some searching on the subject matter you will see that more dense liquids (just like more dense solids) do transfer heat faster/better and have more heat capacity which is part of the heat transfer equation.

Click to expand...

Ok, so Mobil 1, for example. 0w20 EP, which I sometimes use, has a density of .852. Mobil 1 15w50 is .870. So the thicker oil is more dense. Generally. Maybe you'll dig up a 40 weight that has less density than a 20 weight, but I'm betting that's not common. Certainly it doesn't seem common among the oils whose data sheets I've seen.

You have to study pretty hard to find an exception, which may be out there. But I believe it is still accurate in saying "Thicker" vs. "Thinner" if I put it in terms of density.

So you are tagging me for a belief, but you've presented simply an alternate belief with nothing more than a web discussion as support.

Until then, I'm convinced that in general, an SAE 20 weight will cool more efficiently, especially when an oil cooler is involved, than 30, 40, or 50 weight oils.

So let's see this big revelation you have. Show me the study. I'd love to see it.
 
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