weather // oil

what oil weight???
40wt = what temp.
50wt = what temp.
60wt = what temp.
70wt = what temp.

I know as it is getting colder oil weight needs to change any help???!!!!
thanks Dave Lowe SWR

 

By running heavy oil when its too cold, you run the risk of colapsing the oil filter. I had a customer ruin 2 System 1 screens on his pulling tractor by getting carried away in the winter.

 

Ill only run 60wt if its 60deg. or above, usually run 70wt....in fact if its less then 60 deg, Ill be driving to California or Arizona from Bandimere on the mtn...

 

IMHO - the running temp of a Drag Racing Alcohol engine is controlled by the fuel and tune-up, and not the weather, so I don't believe you need a different oil for different temps.
i.e. does your cylinder head temp vary greatly at the track ? If you adjust the leakdown to suit conditions, you should be in control of your engine temps.

 

Lets think of oil as little ball bearings. The thicker higher wt rated the oil the larger the little ball bearings are. You chose your oil to match your engine clearances at operating temperature. It makes no difference what the ambient air temperature is to a warmed up running engines internal clearances.
Yes pre-warm heavy oil to start a cold engine so the thicker oils flow better. Also prevents oil pump drive stress problems. Doing so also warms up the engine components to reduce clearances and keeps the engine from beating it's self to death warming up.
There are many brands of pan heaters that plug into 110 outlets and warm the whole engine at once. If dry sump the heaters that just screw into the tank are handy indeed but you should still pre warm the engine not just the oil in cold weather conditions.
The Moroso part # 23996 heats oil from 66F to 160F in 25 min. and you just slap it onto the oil pan or reservoir and plug it in. Heating pad style 5" X 7"
The Moroso part # 23980 heats 12 qts of oil 60F in 30 min. is a harder install (weld bung into oil container) but has a removable cord and thats convenient.
Thats just two part #'s from the 5 styles Moroso has and like I mentioned there are many other brands too.

 

OzAlky.....you have a totally wrong aspect of this question!!!!In the heat of the summer you need a heavier wt. oil and in the colder days a lighter wt. when it is cold out and you try to run for instants a 70wt. it might try to caviate the pump also if it don't kill the rod and mains your lucky. also after the burn out with a heavy wt. oil in the cold, would be more aps to try to stay in the top end of the motor and take too long to return to the pan which would lead to poor oil pressure..Dave

as for pan heaters thanks... going to get one..have been using a electric pan warmer from wal-mart

 

Have you actually read any of the opinions offered ?
The post by T.A.D. 776 is a perfect explanation of why you don't need different oil for different weather.
Use a heater if you're engine needs heavy oil and it's cold - that's all you need to do.
After a burnout, the oil and engine will both be at their operating temp regardless of the weather.

 

secondwindracing - I'm guessing that someone has advised you to use different oils in different temps, and you're convinced that anyone who doesn't believe that is deluded, so here's a bit of the logic behind what myself, and some others here have offered:-

Forgetting about initial start-up (which we all agree may need an oil heater in cold temps) the temp of a Blown Alcohol engine is controlled by the air and fuel going in.

A street car is cooled by air through a radiator - when the weather is hot, the car will run hotter.
Our engines don't have water and radiators - the only cooling they get is from the effects of Methanol when it evaporates, and this really doesn't vary much with ambient air temp. If you doubt that, put a temp probe into your manifold.
In fact, if the weather is hot, and you make no other changes, you will end up with a rich engine which will run colder because the air density is reduced, but you are still putting in the same amount of fuel. Even though the outside air is hotter, the air going into, and out of the engine (EGT's) will be colder unless you take some fuel away.

So you have an engine that runs for a short amount of time, and is getting force fed with air at a pretty constant temperature. The oil temps are a result of the heat transferred from the engine components - how can the air around the engine affect it's temperature ?

 

I see very good point and thanks for the indepth of it..now it all makes good to me..thanks again Dave