best brand of oil cooler to install?

[twin plugged targa]

Apart from the original Carerra oil cooler,
are there any other brands of oil coolers which are cheaper/easier for installing in the front right fender well? (wheel arch).
I do not want to install a front mounted oil cooler for asthetic reasons.
Also can you install soft tubes back to the rear or do I have to go hard tubes?.
The car has never had any extra cooling pipes (trombone or otherwise)
I am not interested in the cooler fan as the car runs cool at the mo. - it's just for spirited driving and future track days!
Thanks for any feed back
Regards
Ben

[makaio]

http://www.elephantracing.com/oilhandling/oilcoolingkits.htm

To me this would be the easiest way. And it's all available from Pelican.

[Yellowbird RS]

setrab or mocal bouth are great oil coolers,
call elephant or BAT

[RoninLB]

Originally posted by makaio
http://www.elephantracing.com/oilhandling/oilcoolingkits.htm

To me this would be the easiest way. And it's all available from Pelican.

yep.. the real deal for a full system imo.

[twin plugged targa]

I am hoping to carry this stuff back to France in check in baggage, so is there an alternative to the long sections of hard pipe?
Or would I be better off getting that section locally?
Would rather buy the lot off Pelican in the States!
Rgds Ben

[pwd72s]

With the Elephant system, the lines ARE a big part of the cooling. Soft lines don't add to the cooling.

[twin plugged targa]

Would it be safe to use a rubber hose which is perhaps s/steel braided?
I cannot ship chealy the finned solid hoses, so I would end up with stock steel? hoses so I guess flexible would be no less capable?
regards
Ben

[pwd72s]

Stock (brass, not steel) lines dissipate heat better than the rubber lines with braided steel covering. Elephant's finned lines offer a significant oil temperature reduction over the stock lines. I've seen the rubber lines with braiding used on race cars, so I don't think they present any safety issues...they just don't add to the cooling factor. Not important to the race cars that run a large RSR style front bumper mounted radiator cooler. If you wish to have an effective right front fenderwell mounted cooler, I have yet to hear of a combination better than the Elephant racing suggested set-up.

[twin plugged targa]

I understand your point, I guess unless elephant racing has a distributor in the UK I may have to get the solid brass ones locally maybe from a salvage yard- as they seem to be the expensive part in the install?.
It all makes sense what you are saying about the finned tubes- after all the old style trombone cooler were just a length of brass tube!.
- Just trying to purchase as much of the system here in the states as components are cheaper here, plus with the bad exchange rate= bad time to buy in Europe!.

[pwd72s]

I don't blame you on that...trying to save some coin is good. As long as it doesn't cost you in the long run, that is. If you can find used factory lines, they will work well. Not as well as elephant lines, but I would think adequate for your intended use. Certainly better than no front cooler at all. Wish I could help you on the shipping problem. Added tip on used lines or coolers...be sure they are clean inside before installing. If used on a car that had a blown engine, metal bits undesirable to your engine may remain.

[Bones]

Last weekend I saw a Mocal cooler (available in the UK from http://www.thinkauto.com/) installed in the engine bay of a 2.7S with three fans strapped to it. I don't know how effective it was as the owner was just installing it and didn't have it connected. However front or rear attachment they are quality coolers and the supplier is very helpful too.

[Kahuna]

B&B

[widebody911]

Setrab

[Randy Webb]

How good are the Earl's coolers? That's what a PO put on my car -- hopefully it won't explode....

[Bill Verburg]

B&B


But I'm starting to think 2 smaller coolers agled to the tub ala 964/993 w/ a central ducted intake then out the wheel wells. The feedback is better front end downforce and better cooling.

A pic

[banjomike]

Buy the factory hard lines from a local salvage yard, remeber to have them include all of the mounting parts.

Call EBS Racing (also known as Engine Builders Supply), and ask about 'the austrailian cooler'. Apparently the kit comes with all the needed mounting parts and a bigger cooler than the carrera cooler for $350? Great deal since a big part of the cost in using all factory parts is the brackets, and gromets, etc.

[Randy Webb]

Bill - Are you thinking of ducting the front + side flow to the angled coolers? Or sending part to the coolers and part (the cooler part that doesn't go thru the coolers) to the brakes?

(OK, I couldn't resist using a pun to obfuscate...)

A few years ago I saw a car Jerry Woods place that had the front flow ducted up thru the front trunk area - not sure where it went from there -- a yellow car if anyone knows more about it.

Also, have you seen JO's recent air flow posts?

[Carl_Boehme]

This may be a silly question but has anyone tried using the discarded AC condenser/dryer as an oil cooler?

[RoninLB]

Originally posted by Carl_Boehme
has anyone tried using the discarded AC condenser/dryer as an oil cooler?

without investigating I'd guess it'll create a back-pressure prob.

[Bill Verburg]

Bill - Are you thinking of ducting the front + side flow to the angled coolers? Or sending part to the coolers and part (the cooler part that doesn't go thru the coolers) to the brakes?

No, central intake to a plenum in the front of the tub, ducted to the angled coolers, the brake light holes are still available for brake cooling. Works great and avoids the hassle of constructing a sealed through the hood vent.

The side benefit besides the great cooling is the extra down force at the front. The Blue car in the pic just switched this summer.