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Oil Temperatures
Air-cooled engines are designed to run hotter than water-cooled engines, but the rules for oil temperatures are the same for both engines. YOU may be uncomfortable at the higher engine temperatures but the engine has been designed with adequate materials and thermal expansion clearances to run just fine.
From the engine point-of-view, you should expect to see indicated oil temperatures between the gauge midpoint and three quarter mark with occasional excursions to full scale. That’s how the manufacturer selects the gauge mid-point. If the oil temperature is too cool the oil viscosity is higher so you will loose power due to pumping losses.
From the oil point-of-view, you need to maintain lubrication and a high enough viscosity when hot to produce an adequate oil pressure. If the oil temperature is too hot, the oil oxidizes and breaks-down more quickly.
That’s why you should run a synthetic oil, to give you a safety margin against oil breakdown. A regular oil will begin to lose its film strength at temperatures above 105°C, while most full-synthetic oils can be safely used at temperatures as high as 150°C before lubrication-related damage becomes a concern.
As a rule-of-thumb your oil temperature should be kept below 115ºC if you want to change petroleum-based oil at the recommended intervals. For every ten degrees above 115°C, cut your oil change interval in half.
Race car builders usually design for oil temperatures between 110°C and 127°C in order to get the best power. Above that range, engine reliability and oil life becomes a factor in racing.
During an engine’s development time on a dyno, the oil temperature is monitored to avoid temperatures above 127ºC and below 95ºC to avoid oil breakdown at the high end and excessive pumping losses (and higher pressures) at the low end. These dyno runs are simulations of street riding conditions, but not representative of more severe heat loads during actual track conditions.
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