So, I searched and looked through 20 pages of results and it appears that there really isn't an oil starvation issue with the 350Z at autocrosses or on the track. Locally I know of two people who had problems with oil starvation at WSIR but I don't know any details about how the cars were setup or how well the owners kept an eye on their oil levels.

Any one else heard of problems?

 

no

 

It certainly wouldn't be a problem in an autocross because of the almost constant direction changes. The same is probably true of most road courses.

Now if you were on a circular or oval track it might be a problem because of the long period of time around a constant curve sloshing the oil to the outside of the pan.

 

I haven't heard of any oil starvation issues for the 350z here in northern CA. Now, on an e36 M3, that's another story. I know two people who have blown up their engines at the track.

 

Fuel tank issues are what you have to worry about. All the fuel sloshes to one side of the divided tank, and takes a while to equalize. Do a search if you want-there's a good thread on it. It's pretty annoying if you have less than 1/2 tank and your gas indicator comes on. Some guys have reported coming out of a sweeper into a straight and having the engine stutter. There's a fix involving foam blocks you drop in the tank from the hole where the fuel pump is.

Oil coolers from Stillen are pretty cheap if you want to get some oil insurance.
Here's a link to my install if you are interested:
http://myweb.cableone.net/lawson370/oilcooler.htm

Sorry if I jacked the thread
I haven't had any oil problems from autoX or road racing.

 

Since you mentioned it - Have you noticed any decrease in COOLANT temps after you installed the oil cooler? If it gets over 80 ambient I can't get more than 20 minutes on track out of the stock radiator before pulling off to cool down. I've bypassed the tranny cooler loop (auto) with a separate air cooler, that bought me about 2 more laps. I'm now considering an oil cooler to help knock down the heat load. Notice any difference?

 

I'll have to get back to you after this weekend on that. I have a track day scheduled, and it will be my first with the new oil cooler, stickier tires, a harness, Nismo LSD and 3.9 gears. I haven't had any trouble with overheating in the past on the track or *****-out canyon carving. Without aftermarket guages, I'm not sure if I will be able to see anything. Either way, I'll let you know.

 

Your factory temp gauge should be enough. Mine went from mid point on street tires, up 2-3 clicks on skinny R's, up to max on fat R's. Also, I'm in a G35 on a 1.6 mi track (12 turns) when this happens, so your results may vary.

 

I've never heard of any oil starvation problems either, but you could always add a JWT pan spacer for added insurance.

 

are you boosted?

 

Nope. All stock and working hard.

 

Is there any reason why your car would overheat? How is the track you are running on, and do you run on r compounds?

I'm getting worried my car would overheat on the stock radiator, and might upgrade to a koyo, although i've been to 6 events without any problem so far.

 

I have an 03 Touring that has been heavily modified except the engine. I have EVO suspension(ie camber arms, sway barsect) T2 springs V710 275x40 race rubber, 3.9 rear gear, nismo LSD. I run 2:10's at Thunderhill (3 mile course) and at 102 degrees I just start to see the tempreature gague move a little at the end of the day. The sessions are 30 min long. Oil pressure runs 60 psi at speed. Below about 95 degrees air temperature I see no evedence of increased heating. That doesnot mean the car does not get hot. All the fluid levels in the compartment get to the max hot levels.

If you are having a heating issue with the stock engine there is a problem lerking down stream.

Sounds like the need for an oil temperature measurement.

Good luck

 

When this first occurred the temp gauge got to max normal operating range. I opened the hood after pulling off track hot and was getting some boilover into the reservoir (along with the usual PS fluid gurgling), I think I could boil the windshield fluid with a little more effort .

Since then I've added a cooler thermostat and higher pressure rad cap. With a lack of true oil or tranny fluid temp readings I had assumed that torque converter slippage was the source of excess heat. I installed a tranny cooler upstream of the rad and this bought me about 2-3 more laps. Since then I've completely bypassed the rad tank and run tranny on just the air cooler. My first time out with this arrangement will be 2 days at The Glen toward the end of the month. I'm crossing my fingers that cooler ambients and the isolated tranny cooler will do the trick. An oil cooler and maybe some gauges are on my list for next year.

I run 10-30 Mobil 1 synth oil, any particular "lurking problems" you're referring to?

 

Since I said I'd report back, here's the update. I ran for several 15 minute grip sessions and a 20 minute drift run on Saturday. My PS fluid splattered on the underside of the hood. The water temp stayed below the midpoint on the OEM guage the whole time, even drifting in 2nd/3rd gear. I also have the Nismo rad cap if that has any effect. (Can someone explain what it is supposed to do?)

 

Thanks for the info. The NISMO cap runs up to 15 psi and the stocker runs to 12. The higher pressure will raise the boiling point of the fluid. Lots of people go to a larger PS cooler after soiling their engine compartment like you. What's a grip session, skid pad?

 

That a drfting term for more traditional driving around a race track. A few years ago at one of the first SpeedTrials events I had someone tell me I was a great "Grip Driver." His tone indicated it was a compliment, so I said "Thanks" but I didn't know what it meant. Then, later, I got reprimanded by the event organizers for "...driving Grip" during a Drift session. At that point I had to ask and got stared at as if I was some kind of fool. That night I searched the Internet and found the answer.