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Rob at Pineapple Racing told me the stock coolant seals limits are 220F. Take it for what it's worth. I trust him so even though I am on heavy duty coolant seals, I back off when temps get in the 220 range while driving hard under boost. That is not hard to get to when driving hard in 100+F temps.
i reached 240 during my last track day but only on the last lap before my cool down lap. throughout the previous laps i would stay around 220. the car smelled like burnt plastic once i pulled into the pits and smell lingered for a few days until i did ozone treatment to the interior cabin. but ater 2 weeks the car is pulling just fine with no problems.
Hitting that temp isn't a garuanteed coolant seal failure. No one says it is. It's just entirely possible. And the higher you go, the more likely you are to cause damage.
I did my first track day in my RX at Laguna Seca yesterday. Temps were only in the fifties, but it was sunny. My engine is stock. I have an Ultragauge that was reading 208 pretty consistently. That's a bit too close for comfort to 220.
At some of the tracks I go to, such as Thunderhill and Buttonwillow, ambient temps in the summer are often around 100, probably hotter on the track surface. I'm too cheap to get a bigger radiator unless I absolutely have to, but I think I'll try some Water Wetter. I should also remove my front license plate, which partially blocks the grill opening.
I'd recommend an oil temp gauge. I have one on my Miata. On the street you barely see it move, but on track you can see a pretty radical increase in temps sometimes. They are cheap and easy to install, you just put a sender in a special oil pan drain plug.
This is typical for my car on a 90F summer track day. I think it peaks at 215F on 95F days. I don't drive when it is hotter than 95F, as it is too hard on me and too hard on the car.
I'm quite satisfied with the performance of my cooling system. I would back off at 220F, but not before.
Research Water Wetter before you use it. It is incompatible with many modern coolants and creates brown or black sludge.
If you are going to be tracking your car in the summer, the only correct approach is to perform the required reliability mods. Koyo's HH radiator is a good, reasonably priced option. There are several other choices as well. Be sure to seal and duct appropriately to maximize performance. A radiator and pipe insulation is cheap compared to a new engine.
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Last edited by Steve Dallas; Feb 25, 2017 at 09:32 PM.
My 8 hit 229 f once several years ago on the track.
Like I've said before, after putting a 18,800 btu cooler after the in-tank ATF cooler, the ATF comes out 14 deg cooler which keeps the water coolant down around 210 max on the track now.
One hot spring about 95+ day, I drove approx 100 for about an hour; the water was 193 deg and the ATF was 193.
