Hi was wondering i see the new harleys have oil cooler and see alot of guys have added oil coolers to their rides.was thinking of putting one on my 2011 street glide but doesnt make sense to me the bike will get hot in stop and go traffic and oil cooler with out a fan will not have air circulating to cool the oil and riding on the highway should be cooler anyways with all the air flowing around the motor.Am i wrong?

 

Jagg makes a Fan assisted oil cooler for Harley, you might want to check it out.
http://www.jagg.com/751-FP2400.html

 

Ya i know they make fan assisted ones but some guys are just putting on the plain oil cooler and i dont think the ones on a street glide from factory have fans.I am just trying to figure out whats the point

 

Your are not completely wrong but it is a misconception that there is no convection happening while in slow moving or stopped traffic. You still have 200*+ oil moving through a cooler that is exposed to a lower ambient temperature depending on the time of year; so there is some cooling going on. Addtionally, the oil will be cooler when the slow moving or stopped traffic is encountered than it would be without an oil cooler.

The ideal situation, IMHO, is an oil cooler to cool the oil at highway speeds and a fan setup like Jason Wards fan setup to cool the heads when the oil cooler loses most of it's cooling capability; cool the heads and cool the oil.

http://www.wardspartswerks.com/cooling-fans-2.html

 

the point is:

more oil capacity

more cooling area

cooler oil ( regulated by thermostat)

I live in PHX, my bikes have oil coolers- except for the vintage rides where authenticity requires originality.

I don't have fans.

i do not commute and don't really experience stop and go traffic

I am of the opinion that fans restrict air flow when the machine is at speed.

the only tricky part of the install is most of us don't hace a 7/16 allen wrench, but making a tool is easy, put the bolt head into the adapter & you just turn the nut with the wrench



Mike

 

Where you at in PHX, I'll bring you a loaner set to try out and see if your opinion remains the same after you actually try them.

 

The additional oil capacity of a cooler is about pint; won't have any effect on oil temps.

Fans are typically t-stat controlled and won't be operating when the machine is at speed.

Doesn't get as hot in south Texas as it does in Phoenix but a t-stat for an oil cooler is not required in either climate.

Convection is happening with an oil cooler regardless of whether the machine is at speed, in slow moving traffic or stopped. Of course, optimum convection is at speed and minimum convection is when stopped. So, there is no downside to installing an oil cooler. I still maintain that be most effective approach is an oil cooler for cooling at speed and a pair of Jason's fans for slow moving or stopped. Move air across the cylinder head and the oil temps will drop. Cool the head, cool the oil; that is why the MoCo has introduce water cooling at the heads.

 

My oil temps have dropped 20-30* with the FCS fans and Jagg Vertical Oil Cooler in combination. In extreme heat conditions it's more like 30-40* cooler than it would be if left completely stock (for example in stop n go crawling traffic on a 100* day).

The single most effective item you can use to bring down temps is the FCS fans by WardsPartsWerks. If the heads are cooler the oil by default will be cooler. If you can do both then the Oil Cooler in addition to the FCS is the icing on the cake. Heat problems are non-existant.

 

I was commenting on fan kits which mount to the oil cooler, not those which cool the heads.


Thanks for the generous offer!
I am on the road with my band. Can I take you up on that when the weather warms?

I didn't know you were local to PHX.

I read your posts with interest, Mike

 

Gotta disagree somewhat, I think the single most effective item to bring down temps is a proper tune. But I don't live in the dez.