Quote:
Originally Posted by caiNeco
One other thing I thought about:
- I know when tracking the cars we do a few laps, then let the car cool off before going back again. However, does anybody know the "maximum temperature" I could let the car get when tracking it?
Over the summer my car runs around 200F if I am going easy, but if I floor it to pass a car or just to have a bit of fun when the roads are free, I notice the temps rapidly increase to 235F, but it goes down shortly after since it was just for that pull. I'm assuming at the track I will be abusing way more of the engine, so I wonder what would be the maximum temps I let the car go without having to be worried (and before letting cool off too).
Any opinions on that?
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OK, so let's talk about engine heat and oil. Your car does not have auxillary coolers for the engine oil or transmission fluid, so there will be more heat in both those systems when you drive on track. Here are a few points to consider:
1) The Camaro High Performance supplement owner's manual (for 1LE and ZL1 owners) says that for " LS/LT 1LE, SS 1LE, and ZL1,
change the engine oil to 0W-40 or 5W-40 that meets the dexos2 specification." The 40W oil is important to maintain oil pressure and lubrication of engine parts at these higher track temps.
2) In addition, it the high performance supplement
suggests adding additional oil beyond the normal fill. "For LS/LT 1LE, add 0.9 L (1.0 qt) of oil over the nominal fill level for a track event. After the competitive driving, remove the excess oil so that the level on the dipstick is not above the upper mark that shows the proper operating range." You do this because running the car near the peak lateral G loads on track can cause oil in the pan to pool toward one side, away from the oil pick up tube and can lead to oil starvation of the lubrication system and engine damage.
3)
Oil temps. Not sure if the numbers you quoted were for engine coolant (water) temp or oil. If your car has a DIC readout option for oil temp, you will want to look at that. The SS 1LE norm oil peak temp on track is 272F. Synthetic oil is normally OK when kept below 300F, so I'd say keep it below 290F to be safe. Thus, if you get up to 290F, do a cool-down lap going a good bit slower at low RPM. Water temp readout is a poor substitute, as I find in SS 1LE (it has lots of extra coolers) that water temp barely rises above normal road temps, even when oil temp is at normal 270F track temp.
4)
Transmission fluid temp If you have a DIC display option for trans temp, monitor it from time to time and see if it ever gets toward the high end of the scale. If so, do a cool down lap as per #3 above. If no temp display, not sure what you can do other than pay attention to how smoothly the trans is or isn't shifting and if it starts getting out of character later in a track session, do a cool down lap or two.
5)
Cool down laps: Most HPDE events have a cool down lap built into the last lap before you come off the track. Problem is that sometimes it's not even a full lap and may be inadequate to properly cool things down. I'd suggest after a session that you: 1) Do some additional driving near or outside the track paddock area (anywhere you can do ~ 35-45mph) to provide additional cooling before parking the car in the paddock. 2) When you park in the paddock, raise the hood to help engine AND brake heat to discipate more quickly. Your car will take longer to cool because it has less built in coolers, so these extra steps may well be necessary.