Max RPMs when only 170F?

[KEVIN J TURK]

Even here in GA some mornings are cold enough I’m barely getting up to 170F even on a long drive. I still find myself needing enough to pass or get going at a decent pace but scared to really give it any gas unless I’m slowly working her up to 190 somehow. Is there a comfort level at 170F? I don’t really go past 4000 and may have hit 4700 once or twice until I recognized my sins.

Even here in GA some mornings are cold enough I’m barely getting up to 170F even on a long drive. I still find myself needing enough to pass or get going at a decent pace but scared to really give it any gas unless I’m slowly working her up to 190 somehow. Is there a comfort level at 170F? I don’t really go past 4000 and may have hit 4700 once or twice until I recognized my sins.

Even here in GA some mornings are cold enough I’m barely getting up to 170F even on a long drive. I still find myself needing enough to pass or get going at a decent pace but scared to really give it any gas unless I’m slowly working her up to 190 somehow. Is there a comfort level at 170F? I don’t really go past 4000 and may have hit 4700 once or twice until I recognized my sins.

I know drag mode is not available until oil temp hits 170. So if you can use drag mode at 170 you should be able to let it rip!

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[GT_Dave]

If you want the best source for what temperature the piston is at, reference the cylinder head temperature. The cylinder head will always follow the piston temperature when heating up. In this car you can have a cylinder head temp of 200 degrees and oil temperature of 140. Your pistons would be properly expanded under those condition, even with the oil spray below the piston. The reference to oil temperature for operation and and any limit imposed by the computer based on oil temperature is mainly insurance for track conditions.
At 90 - 110 PSI oil pressure and 140-160 oil temperature, you are fine for spirited driving at higher RPM. Try not to run extended 7000+ Rpm until the oil gets to 180+ degrees.

 

[oldbmwfan]

Had a drive in my E39 M5 tonight to pick up the Fiesta ST transmission from the rebuilder. All the warning lights that suggest a lower rev limit were out by the time the oil was up to ~150F, and the car was running just north of 190F once fully warm (on a 31F evening; the S62 runs a bit hotter than the Voodoo on the street).

Maybe not the most relevant data point, but BMW engineers think it's safe to use the full RPM range (7k in this case) at 150F in their big V8 from 20 years ago.

Edited to add: this is on 10W-60 oil so it's a moderately good comp from a flow and viscosity perspective.

 

[CoolHandLuke]

Even here in GA some mornings are cold enough I’m barely getting up to 170F even on a long drive. I still find myself needing enough to pass or get going at a decent pace but scared to really give it any gas unless I’m slowly working her up to 190 somehow. Is there a comfort level at 170F? I don’t really go past 4000 and may have hit 4700 once or twice until I recognized my sins.

First I'd like to give a shout out to my fellow Atlantans. This is exactly why I do a 5-6 minute lap (20 mph) through my neighborhood to get some heat into her before I get out on the road. Lol. Admittedly, this also serves another purpose in pissing off the homeowners I don't like...

One would think that once your oil temp is up to roughly 150 degrees you can spin her up to 5,000 rpms with no issues, assuming you are watching your oil pressure. Other people have mentioned BMW M cars having a "cold start" rpm limiter which is true. I believe my last '17 M3 allowed revs up to either 5 or 6k on a stone cold motor. I know, I know, the engines are completely different and the oil viscosity was lower on the BMW but it tells me that the real danger likely lies in the 6000-8,250 rpm range.

If you daily your vehicle, then unfortunately you're going to have to alter your driving habits when she's cold. Just think of it as "foreplay" as other lesser cars zoom past you on the road!

 

[Lorne34]

Wow.. and I thought I was suffering here in WI.. LOL... When I brought my 350 home it was difficult to get the oil temp all the way to 190.. it would hover around 150-160..
I didn't worry about it because I wasn't hitting the red line at all. I think you are fine with what you are doing and hitting 4-6k you should be fine. Once summer hits then you can really give her in a shorter time span. I wouldn't over think it as others have said.

 

[mavisky]

Fellow Atlantan here. According to Ford's own engine calibration you're good to send it to 8k, personally I keep it under 6I until I'm above the 180/190 mark.

 

[Lorne34]

Which brings up an interesting question.. how many of you actually go to 8250 on a regular basis? My understanding that 8250 in 2nd gear will get you pulled over....

 

[mavisky]

I'll tag it in 1st and 2nd from time to time when the mood suits me, don't often reach it in 3rd or 4th very often.

 

[Hack]

Which brings up an interesting question.. how many of you actually go to 8250 on a regular basis? My understanding that 8250 in 2nd gear will get you pulled over....

Rarely and only by mistake would I hit the rev limiter when I had my GT350. First gear close to the rev limiter the rear tires are typically going to be spinning, so on the street there would be no reason to get there. Second, third and fourth I've been near the limiter and accidentally hit it a few times on track, though.

At the GT350 Track Attack they told us to hold third on the limiter at a few places, so I did do that. It was a little weird IMO to be told to do that, but the car handled it no problem.

 

[mavisky]

My car in cold temps on pilot super sports holds 1st gear all the way to 8250, but I'm on the Ford Racing springs so maybe that's helping it hook up better?

 

[Droopy1592]

Thanks for the insight everyone.

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