Oil Cooler Advice
Road Master
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 1,049
Likes: 5
From: Emerald Coast, FL
Maybe but not critical to the life of the engine if you use top grade oils and keep track of your maintenance intervals. In the last 47 years of riding mostly air cooled bikes I have lived and ridden in many different climates... from hot and dry to hot and humid... etc. Have never needed an oil cooler... have never had an engine go bad because of it. And cooling the engine oil too much can do more harm than running it hot.
5th Gear
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
From: Lawton, OK
Maybe but not critical to the life of the engine if you use top grade oils and keep track of your maintenance intervals. In the last 47 years of riding mostly air cooled bikes I have lived and ridden in many different climates... from hot and dry to hot and humid... etc. Have never needed an oil cooler... have never had an engine go bad because of it. And cooling the engine oil too much can do more harm than running it hot.
I live in Oklahoma and this week it has been over 100 every day, my bike regularly hits 250 and and little higher ( thats in the tank where it has cooled a little already).
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Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 2,395
Likes: 153
From: Utah
Ah... don't you love opinions? My local newspaper came out in support of helmet laws 'because they save lives and lower brain injuries'. Nary a fact based statement in the paper... just, well, 'because'.
There are two things about oil coolers that can't be denied. Whether they are worth their cost or not is another matter. First, it increases the quantity of oil in the engine resources and thus the oil (and engine) runs cooler, sitting still or not. Second, they lower engine temperature from greater air flow exposure which is a known performance improvement in an EPA choked engine.
Improving air flow to the fuel system leans the engine out. The economical add on tuners cannot set the AFR properly for the entire range of RPM's and environmental conditions, dyno'd or not. A lot of people complain of popping on decel. It would seem to me that lowering the engine temperature will help with this malady of an air cooled EPA compliant non 02 sensored engine. I know from my own experience that my bike runs better in cooler temperatures.
Or, I can go get a $1k TMax and some O2 bungs and convert my '06 to what HD should have been doing THE MINUTE they came out with Fuel Injection. If I decide to keep this bike, I would go with the TMax solution. If I decide to get a Road King, then it depends upon my patience when sitting in traffic over a hot engine as to whether I want to explore an oil cooler, plus the good opinions of those that have them installed in a similar situation to mine and that speak from the seat of their oil cooler equipped bikes.
C#
There are two things about oil coolers that can't be denied. Whether they are worth their cost or not is another matter. First, it increases the quantity of oil in the engine resources and thus the oil (and engine) runs cooler, sitting still or not. Second, they lower engine temperature from greater air flow exposure which is a known performance improvement in an EPA choked engine.
Improving air flow to the fuel system leans the engine out. The economical add on tuners cannot set the AFR properly for the entire range of RPM's and environmental conditions, dyno'd or not. A lot of people complain of popping on decel. It would seem to me that lowering the engine temperature will help with this malady of an air cooled EPA compliant non 02 sensored engine. I know from my own experience that my bike runs better in cooler temperatures.
Or, I can go get a $1k TMax and some O2 bungs and convert my '06 to what HD should have been doing THE MINUTE they came out with Fuel Injection. If I decide to keep this bike, I would go with the TMax solution. If I decide to get a Road King, then it depends upon my patience when sitting in traffic over a hot engine as to whether I want to explore an oil cooler, plus the good opinions of those that have them installed in a similar situation to mine and that speak from the seat of their oil cooler equipped bikes.
C#
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