Oil cooler scoop: should I bother?

[pgeorgeson]

I have an '86 911 that is becoming used primarily for DE and TT in northern Nevada and California throughout the spring, summer, and fall. I am considering installing on of those oiler cooler scoops that replaces the front right marker light. Anyone with experience with one? Does it make a noticeable difference? Is it worth bothering with?

[84porsche]

I have been debating the same thing. It would be good to get some differing opinions.

[Driver8]

Are you having cooling issues with the way the car is set up now? If there are no issues, I would not install one. I have an 87 Carrera that is a dedicated track car and with the Carrera oil cooler I do not have a temp problem. What weight oil are you running?

[North Coast Cab]

For what it's worth, I would remove my fog light and I had installed a block-off plate below to direct air to the cooler. It definitely helped with air flow. Now I decided to turn my fog light opening into brake ducts and install one of those cooler scoops. From wht Isee it should do a much better job of directing air directly to the cooler. I would also add that having a bottom block-off plate and a stone guard with gasket around the cooler can significantly reduce the temparature. Finally, I had also aded a cooler fan, but found it only beneficial when in traffic or stopped and of no value at the track.

John

[JMPRO]

You can take what i say with a grain of salt because i make the oil cooler scoop. The scoop pulls in about 500cfm of air at freeway speeds and the air at bumper leval is generaly cooler than the air going under the valance. I have read that tests have shown the air may be as much as 10d cooler at bumper level that at street leval.
JMPRO

[KTL]

My car has seen no ill effects without the scoop.

I have no fog lights and have fake brake cooling screens in place of the hole for the lights. The opening of the fog light to allow cooling air to enter is certainly beneficial, and creates a larger path to the cooler than the scoop?



But keep in mind that the airpath is largely blocked by the cars horns. I removed one of my horns because it wasn't working. An even better solution is to replace your horns with the much smaller puck style design.

I drove my car in 90+ deg. weather in August @ Gingerman 2 day DE and the temps on the track were the same going wide open around the track, as they were sitting in gridlock traffic on I80. So my cooler must have been doing something productive?

I agree adding the lower sheetmetal to force the cooling air thru the cooler is a good idea. Otherwise a lot of air is lost by spilling beneath the oil cooler body. I also have the factory fan that I never bothered to turn on while driving on the track, because I have to turn on the lights due to how I rewired the cooling fan wiring to the passenger side foglight harness. Plus I don't think the fan pushes as much air as would be created by driving at track speeds?

[Jubbie]

For what it is worth, (an my attemts of justifying not spending more money)

I would also say it depends on what kind of cooler you have. If you have the old brass tube, I always figured that the cooling air was pumped by the tire. To that end, the air flow is from the top of the radiator to the bottom tangent to the tire. Any air coming from the front bumper will grab the stream lines around the tire and be quickly directed to the road. This version of my male answer syndrome justifies why the brass tube cooler is better at high speed and the fan driven Carerra one is better in traffic.

That is my contribution to the speculation pool.

[PatrickB]

YES, YES, and YES!

No affiliation with the manufacturer, but it gives the most bang for the buck! However, it obviously only works when you have forward motion... When pushed hard, at high outside temps, I've noticed a true 25-30 degree drop in indicated oil temp's via the dash guage. I don't track my car, but do occasional long haul high speed trips through the desert with A/C blasting. This for me, was the true test. I've run my car for long distance at 100+ MPH, with outside temps at 100*+, and rarely see engine oil temps above 210*, 190* with A/C off. Prior to the Cooler Scoop installation, I might be able to run under the same conditions for maybe 10 minutes, before the oil temp would push 240*, 215* with A/C off.

IMHO, the most cost effective way to drop your oil temp's!

[dd74]

I would think one advantage of the cooler is it lowers oil temperatures faster once one is stuck in bad traffic that suddenly abates. It must be a real shock to the engine to suddenly be asked to do more than inch forward once the road opens up, particularly at higher temperatures. The cooler must be able to lower those temperatures much faster so that the engine experiences less strain from being more or less stagnant and hot, to a time when it suddenly is reving upward under load.

I'd get an oil cooler scoop. Actually, I am getting an oil cooler scoop. Right now, as a matter of fact.

[bigchillcar]

yes..absolutley..especially for your purposes.
ryan

[Richard Burns]

I fitted an oil cooler scoop when I changed the trombone oil cooler for a late carrera cooler in my 77 3litre carrera and noticed a drop of several degrees on track days. This may be because of the change of oil cooler as well as the air scoop. I also fitted a manualy operated fan to the oil cooler so that I could cool the oil at idle in the pit area on the track there is no point in running the fan. Hope this helps.
Richard.

[bigchillcar]

i think any track-dedicated car would surely benefit from this mod unless you're running in the dead of winter and actually need the heat, which would be very possible in certain climates..
ryan

[pgeorgeson]

Thanks for the input. It looks like the concensus is that it will help. Anyway, I can't see how it can hurt. Therefore, at only $100 or so, I think I will go ahead and get one.

[Rot 911]

I've got one. Not a huge temp. drop, but definitely 5-10 degrees lower on the highway.

[bigchillcar]

just to add a little more..it's a track 'no brainer', but in the winter months, i'd remove it from my car. hardest thing for most of us in winter is getting near operating temp. so i think it's a track and hot weather addition that can be removed for winter.
ryan

[Chuck Moreland]

That's what oil thermostats are for. There is no need to limit airflow through the cooler when it's cold

[bigchillcar]

chuck,
you've just exposed the fact that i don't have an aux oil cooler...just spoutin' my mouth about what a good idea it sounded like to me. somebody bonk me on the head now, please..dohhhh
ryan

[2002M3Drew]

NO!!!

Well, didn't mean to be that emphatic, as this is a cheap part. It is totally worthless, however. It didn't lower my temps one bit on the track or around town, and I do run a front fender cooler. It is such a small amount of air that is let in that it is insignificant. Don't waste your money.

You are far better served with removing your front turn signal light at the track (as I now do). This is a larger opening, and is directly in front. I ran at the track with just the sccop, and temps climbed too high. Pitted, removed the turn signal, and temps dropped.

That scoop is like a running joke around the performance crowd.

[PatrickB]

Originally posted by 2002M3Drew
NO!!!

Well, didn't mean to be that emphatic, as this is a cheap part. It is totally worthless, however. It didn't lower my temps one bit on the track or around town, and I do run a front fender cooler. It is such a small amount of air that is let in that it is insignificant. Don't waste your money.

You are far better served with removing your front turn signal light at the track (as I now do). This is a larger opening, and is directly in front. I ran at the track with just the sccop, and temps climbed too high. Pitted, removed the turn signal, and temps dropped.

That scoop is like a running joke around the performance crowd.

Those who have 3.2's would be laughing at you Drew... As the scoop's are worthless with SC style Trombone cooler's. However, for the Carrera 3.2 cooler, they are extremely effective! I speak from personal experience. I have seen 30* temp differences under extreme conditions

[aigel]

Originally posted by 2002M3Drew
NO!!!

Well, didn't mean to be that emphatic, as this is a cheap part. It is totally worthless, however. It didn't lower my temps one bit on the track or around town, and I do run a front fender cooler. It is such a small amount of air that is let in that it is insignificant. Don't waste your money.

You are far better served with removing your front turn signal light at the track (as I now do). This is a larger opening, and is directly in front. I ran at the track with just the sccop, and temps climbed too high. Pitted, removed the turn signal, and temps dropped.

That scoop is like a running joke around the performance crowd.

Just take the side marker and retire it to the shed. Move the blinker in the sidemarker location, VOILA! Big hole that costs you nothing, but maybe a little symmetry, if you are anal.

George