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Old 05-14-2013, 01:33 AM   #10
re-rx7
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Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Gainesville,Tx
Age: 38
Posts: 2,405
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Most if not all wear on an engine come upon startup. At operarting temptures the oil is around 212degrees or so. At htis temp all oils pretty much have the same thickness its the startup that makes the difference. At 75 degrees the thinner oil will actually better lubricate.
Now let me discuss what people think is a similar situation to racing. That is hot summer traffic jam driving. Your car should be able to handle this. If you have problems then you have a problem with your car, most likely in need of a cooling system overhaul.

When you drive that car down the road mid-winter in upstate New York or mid-summer in Florida the engine and oil temperatures will be around 212°F. But your Florida vacation is suddenly altered by a hurricane. You have to get out of Tampa, but so do a million other people. It is now 95°F and you are in a snarl. Everyone thinks they need a thicker oil for this situation. This is false.

Your engine is not producing much heat at low RPM and low BHP output. The production of heat is relatively slow. It can easily be transmitted to your cooling system. The problem is that your cooling system has trouble getting rid of the heat. The oil and the coolant will slowly rise in temperature. They both rise together. The increase is no big deal for your oil. It goes to 220°, then 230°F. The problem is that the cooling system can only handle heat up to 230°F. After that you overheat the cooling system and the car must be shut off. The oil never got that hot, It was just that the water got a little hotter than its system design.

You now see that overheating in traffic is a cooling system problem and not an oil system problem. Do not change to a thicker oil based on your traffic situation.

Last edited by re-rx7; 05-14-2013 at 01:39 AM.
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