EvoNick

And how are you monitoring the charge temp?

FWIW, I'm using Hawk Blues, and there's no fade after lots of heavy braking, but boy, does the system get hot! A friend uses the Ferodo 3000s, and they seem up to the task as well, although he doesn't brake as much as I do...

Stop&TurnFreak

The meter is mounted in the plumbing just before the intake, but not over the engine. The charge temp rises +50-75 degrees Fa when driving under load.

Maybe this is a moot point, how hot is too hot for the engine? I am not famaliar with this design? What do you most of you run?

GDB

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned about ENGINE OIL or WATER temps yet.

Overheating is an issue for me (or that's what I think anyway). Tropical climate (at least 32C), on track days I see 125C oil temp (and climbing, before I pitted in) and 106C water temp.

I know one other Evo8 ran up to 140C before, another reaching 135C.

It seems nobody in the US is much concerned about oil temps; can someone clarify?

DynoKing

I have not done a dyno yet but it should be 350ish whp about 400-420 crank I am guessing. Also Oil temps should be watched but I did not have that setup at the time and the temp did not move and it was about 100 out on the day I was at the track. The Rad in this car as well as the oil cooler are huge.

GDB

While it's true that the evo has oil cooler standard, do monitor the oil temps (I'm asking a FAVOR not an advice, I want to know what you guys in the US are running in terms of oil/water temp).

My old STi with aftermarket oil cooler won't go above 105C no matter how hard I beat it.

The Evo reaches 120+C within 2-3 laps.

Stop&TurnFreak

I hit around 125C for oil in 30F weather. Looks like I need a larger oil cooler too.

GDB

What do you guys reckon is a "safe" oil temp for the Evo? My buddies and I have had this guessing for a while.

A tuner here says 130C is alright. I've seen the Japs on Best Motoring video push their Hondas to 140C and still going. Others (albeit mostly STi owners) warn me to watch out for anything beyond 120C.

Personally I fear going above 130C so I usually set the warning at 125C.

Yep upgraded oil cooler kit should work. A fellow trackie with TME upgraded to HKS, reported good results (he's here somewhere, 3171).

I just fitted a water spray nozzle to spray onto the cooler core in conjunction with the intercooler, and fitted RalliArt water thermostat which brings down water AND oil temps noticably on the street. Have yet to test both on the track though, hoping for an early Jan workout

FWIW my old STi uses Greddy oil cooler kit and I couldn't be happier with it. Larger core than HKS, sturdy fit-finish, good hoses and interconnects, cheaper than HKS kit. Oh and that blue color is sexy

Turbocake

I think oil temps are irrelevant (until the oil gets so hot it cokes, but that would happen in the turbo). the important part is the oil viscosity. if you know you're getting the oil really hot and thin, just go with some 50 wt to compensate (top quality synthetic, of course). you could also trim the plastic behind the oil cooler. from the factory, theres not really anywhere for the air to go. you could cut out those louvres and replace with wire mesh to protect the backside of the cooler from tire-flung rocks and get LOTS more air through it.

I would also go 2 steps colder on the spark plugs and remove the louvred piece from the inside of the hood. ive been bugging tuners and MFR's to make a CF accentuator of the stock hood's lip. this lip is there to help pull air from the engine compartment. if the lip were bigger, it would pull a lot more air out and hence cool the radiator better.

hope this helps!

I also have some questions, but about brakes...

does anyone have pics of the burnt-red calipers? I want to track my car june 7 at Laguna, and I just got the Mitsu air guides, but you experienced guys say those are junk.

my evo is a daily driver and i dont have a garage, so i dont want to compromise the caliper longevity (seals, etc) at all, and I'm really not fond of turning the calipers dark red.

would I be better off waiting a while and installing real ducts onto the properly modded splash shields (like the BMW's)? Has anyone gotten away with tracking their Evo (driving hard) with proper ducting and NOT discolored the calipers?

thanks guys!