are ya'll getting better performance from your HD oil cooler than I am?

I bought the HD oil cooler 26155-09 for my 2009 Road King FLHR and I can only see about 10 degree difference. Really. And I don't know how much of that difference is on account of going from HD360 oil to Mobil 1 full Synthetic 15w-50 in the engine compartment.

I'm looking over the VTune recordings I made using Datamaster module of TTS Mastertune, back through 3 periods this year. In each VTune data-gathering run, I ran with AFR of 14.6 for 30 minutes, on the same roads, with about the same rpm over the same stretches of highway and streets. The difference is ambient temperature, although the earliest recording this year shows only 10 degree difference to last weekend's recording when it was about 96 degree ambient temp.

I see from the data recordings that my engine likes to run at about 265 when I'm just cruising down the highway. When I get off the highway, that's when the latent heat apparently has no easy way to dissipate, so the temp goes to about 286 degrees. That's without the oil cooler and with dino oil.

Now I have syth motor/ primary/ tranny oil and the oil cooler. I was hoping for 25+ difference. But as I went about the route things got dissappointing. Well, now the bike warms to about 254 degrees cruising at highway speeds, and when I get off the highway it goes to about 270+ degrees.

I'm not impressed. I sure as hell ain't getting my money's worth out of that damn $300 cooler.

Before I start telling my friends to not buy hd oil cooler I thought I'd ask if ya'll getting better numbers?

 

I don't use an oil cooler for one reason: Oil coolers only work when the bike is moving, when the oil is running at it's coolest anyway. When stuck in traffic, an oil cooler has no advantage, except maybe additional overall oil capacity.

 

Some folks have started installing fans on the coolers and report some success. I refuse to do that as I like to keep things as simple as possible. Why in the blue he!! harley does not install a professional looking cooler on there that works beats me. What you have is some add-on stuck down there on the chin of the bike right behind the wheel. Some of the sporsters and Buells have a fine looking piece mounted right up there high on the down tube professionally plumbed and it looks like it belongs there. I think it's all the "accessory" income the MOCO reaps. I use the crash-bar, but some folks are also reporting better suggess for the JAGG unit...which mounts up there in the wind.

 

I am in agreement with the above statement. Certainly not worth $300!

 

yea, I had read the threads on this forum before I purchased. I get the jist of it, that at slow speeds it's not going to make a difference. I don't remember seeing any numbers though; I must have missed those threads. So I bought the HD cooler, thinking it may not perform as well as the Jag, but it ought to be comparable? I didn't like the fact that HD puts theirs way down there, right by the hot asphalt. That just seemed dumb, but I figured they must have a reason learned from experience. So off I went throwing money at it. Lesson learned.

But does anyone have numbers? Either for HD or Jag. For me, the real story was that my specific bike config runs at 265 or so on the highway, and I reduce that by only 10 degree even with all these fancy shmancy oils and the cooler. It would be great if someone else posts their numbers, so that others can make an informed purchase or equally as important: not purchase.

Either way, thanks for the tips - and especially for numbers if you gott'em.

 

I am pleased with mine. Just returned from a 155 mile poker run today. My average temperature was 223*F. The highest was 238*F through a 3 mile construction zone. Before adding the cooler and syn oil at my 1k service the temps were about 20*F hotter. My bike is stock. Next will be pipes, a/c, and tuner.

 

Agreed, the cooler only works when moving, but when you stop you have 10-20 cooler oil to work with instead of coming in with already hot. It buys some time to get through the stop and go chit. I've seen a couple of harley coolers and they basically blow. Go aftermarket for better units.
Ron