18 replies to this topic

[MJWarren]

It is a factor to consider, but for normal driving or even hard driving it wouldnt make any difference at all.

[TopCatCustom]

It is a factor to consider, but for normal driving or even hard driving it wouldnt make any difference at all.

Thats a very definite comment- "even hard driving it wouldnt make any difference at all"- do you want to be the reason someone might do some damage? Best to say "probably" or something similar in there as I'm pretty sure you can't be 100% sure, anyway what do you call hard driving? Racing and rallying are both hard driving IMO but they will be fine without an oil cooler??

[Cooperman]

It is a factor to consider, but for normal driving or even hard driving it wouldnt make any difference at all.

Thats a very definite comment- "even hard driving it wouldnt make any difference at all"- do you want to be the reason someone might do some damage? Best to say "probably" or something similar in there as I'm pretty sure you can't be 100% sure, anyway what do you call hard driving? Racing and rallying are both hard driving IMO but they will be fine without an oil cooler??

The old adage that "you can't advise those that won't be advised" comes to mind here.
You fit a sump guard for competition, hence you are going to be using a lot of revs and generating heat. The sump guard will seriously interfere with the airflow past the cooling fins on the sump. In fact, for serious rallying a piece of heavy density foam is often fitted between sump and guard to prevent mud & stones from lodging there.
Personally I would only ever fit a sump guard for rallying as it is expensive to fit a guard and an oil cooler and I would never have a sump guard without also having at least a 10-row cooler and preferably a 13-row. Also, a sump guard reduces the ground clearance so it's a good idea to raise the car up a bit, which is what you do on rally cars anyway.
But then, each to his own and if someone wants to take the risk of engine/gearbox damage due to overheated oil that's their business. I know I was surprised, when I first fitted a guard without a cooler to a 998 Cooper, at how quickly the oil pressure dropped when simply cruising up the M1 on a cool evening at 75 mph in top gear. The pressure halved in less than 20 miles of driving. The oil also has a major part to play in overall engine cooling, so if the oil heats up too much, so will the coolant water. Thus a 6-blade export fan might be a good idea if fitting a sump-guard.

[MJWarren]

Hard driving i meant by on the road giving it some.

Blasting round silverstone for 15 laps where your flat out in every gear racing, yes you need a cooler and yes for rallying definitely.

Fit an oil temperature gague and take it from there.