dbs1

I ran 3 sessions in 85-90+ degree heat yesterday and midway through each race the oil pressure had dropped significantly.

I checked my gauge with a manual gauge and it was accurate.

Within 15 minutes of cool down the pressure would come right back.

I was using royal purple 10-30. What would be a better choice?

mitchntx

iTrader: (14)

I use 15W50 Amsoil Extreme.
And with a cooler, oil temps still approach 280* after a long session is 100* heat.
Consequently, I too get an oil pressure drop.

So it's not so much about viscosity as it is about heat disipation.

EchoMirage

iTrader: (3)

ive had half a season on german castrol 0w30. one light, wet track day, one extremely hard, hot track day, 2 autoxs, another hot, hard track day, and about 300 street miles. after an analysis, blackstone said the oil and motor was absolutely perfect in every way, no evidence of breakdown or premature wear.

lubelizard

iTrader: (5)

What were your oil temps? If you're running OT events, an oil temp gauge is a wise investment. RP shears quickly, btw. A more shear stable oil, like Amsoil or Redline, would be a good choice. You also don't want to go too light or too heavy with the oil selection. Amsoil Dominator series oil is very good. You also may want to avoid oils that have a broad viscosity rating, like 5w50 or 10w60. The broader viscosity requires more polymers which can cause the oil to shear more quickly.

chevynation

iTrader: (8)

Wow, thanks for sharing that. I was told by a few people that you NEED to change oil after every track day.

mitchntx

iTrader: (14)

Its possible.

EM lives in Jersey where there is an occasional 100* ambient track day. I would imagine that 100* ambient track days are more common is Arizona.

It "boils" down to engine oil temps. If you don;t have a temp gauge, it should be on your list of things to install.

lubelizard

iTrader: (5)

A oil temp gauge and an oil analysis after an event will determine how often you have to change your oil, instead of arbitrarily changing it after every event.

EchoMirage

iTrader: (3)

with the exception of the very first day (in the rain), every track day was at a minimum 95+. one day i happened to be running hot, hot enough that the check gauges light came on, and my interceptor gauge read 252 water temp. backed off now and then till it cooled down, and still no wear from the sample.

its not 'needed' to change oil after every single event. just like its not really 'needed' to change a street cars oil after 3000 miles. that was a number thought up by the oil companies in the 60s to make people buy more oil, plain and simple. obviously you wont hurt anything buy changing it more often. but all youre doing is making yourself feel better about it.

if i ever did change oil after every event, i sure as hell wouldnt be using $7/qt GC. which brings me to another point....if you are using plain, regular oil as your car's normal oil, then personally i would change after an event. dino oil is still cheap enough to change that often, and it may not offer as high a level of protection under extreme conditions that a quality synthetic will.