New WR 5-Row Aluminum Oil Cooler for 356/912

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John Willhoit
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New WR 5-Row Aluminum Oil Cooler for 356/912

#1 Post by John Willhoit »

Our new 5 row aluminum replacement oil cooler for the 356 and 912 is finally available. This new cooler, designed with the help of Bell Intercoolers, has 5 rows of oil flow rather that the 4 rows of our previous aluminum cooler. This results in less oil pressure drop and a 20 percent increase in heat transfer. We have done testing on our in-house dyno and spent hours of driving and the results are impressive.

To see the test results and to view more photos please go to our online store at:

http://willhoit-auto-restoration.mybigc ... new-5-row/

We've kept the price the same at $495.
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John Willhoit
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Martin Benade
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Re: New WR 5-Row Aluminum Oil Cooler for 356/912

#2 Post by Martin Benade »

It should get rid of a lot of heat, I see it is about ten feet tall!
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Mike Wilson
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Re: New WR 5-Row Aluminum Oil Cooler for 356/912

#3 Post by Mike Wilson »

My guess is the combination of the aluminum cooler with the remote oil filter should really keep the temperature down.

Thanks for yet another great product!

Mike
Last edited by Mike Wilson on Tue May 22, 2018 10:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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C J Murray
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Re: New WR 5-Row Aluminum Oil Cooler for 356/912

#4 Post by C J Murray »

I wonder what that does to the temperature of the air blowing across the 3/4 head and cylinders or if it causes any restriction to the air flow to those cylinders? Probably not, I guess that would have showed up during testing if it was a problem. Functionally, for those who don't care about an original appearance, the best method is to remove the cooler in the fan and use a remote cooler up front. If you do that on the street you really must use a thermostat to get the oil up to operating temperature on short trips. I even use a thermostat on the race car for a quick jump up to a healthy temperature. The new WR cooler looks like nice product.
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John Willhoit
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Re: New WR 5-Row Aluminum Oil Cooler for 356/912

#5 Post by John Willhoit »

Removing the fan housing cooler is not a good idea. It changes the air flow as it was designed.

We have tested numerous engines on the dyno with cylinder head probes in all cylinders. At idle, the number 3/4 cylinders go up in temperature about 20-30 degrees over 1/2. When the engine rpm is raised to 2500 rpm and above, with a load, all cylinders adjust to within 1 minute to the exact same temperature.

The German engineers designed the fan housing properly.
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Re: New WR 5-Row Aluminum Oil Cooler for 356/912

#6 Post by C J Murray »

John Willhoit wrote:Removing the fan housing cooler is not a good idea. It changes the air flow as it was designed.

We have tested numerous engines on the dyno with cylinder head probes in all cylinders. At idle, the number 3/4 cylinders go up in temperature about 20-30 degrees over 1/2. When the engine rpm is raised to 2500 rpm and above, with a load, all cylinders adjust to within 1 minute to the exact same temperature.

The German engineers designed the fan housing properly.
Truth be told I have never had to resort to a remote cooler on a street 356. I came close on the 2133 because it ran hot on our first cross country trip but I made a few changes to the camshaft design and ignition mapping that reduced running temps and as an added benefit smoothed the engine considerably.

On the race car with front mounted dual oil coolers, no fan housing cooler, and extra oil capacity the engine(oil) is very slow to rise to a safe operating temperature. The addition of a thermostat eliminated that problem and I no longer have to warm the engine by an extended running in the pits prior to going to the grid only to find that our session was delayed by a track clean-up therefore defeating my process.
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Re: New WR 5-Row Aluminum Oil Cooler for 356/912

#7 Post by Jacques Lefriant »

Hi
i was looking at the "predicted" performance data and i would agree with the decreased 1.2 psi oil press difference but based on the "predicted" increase in air temperature the old cooler should remove more BTU unless i am missing something.
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Re: New WR 5-Row Aluminum Oil Cooler for 356/912

#8 Post by John Willhoit »

Maybe you mixed up the reports. The "heat exchanged" at the bottom of the reports shows the improvement.
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Re: New WR 5-Row Aluminum Oil Cooler for 356/912

#9 Post by Jacques Lefriant »

I don't understand the methodology used but the previous cooler had 4 rows but 5 air fins and since what you give up to the air is what is important we would have to do actual testing and based on other factors the optimum cooler may not be the most efficient but the best suited to the vehicle and it intended use.
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Re: New WR 5-Row Aluminum Oil Cooler for 356/912

#10 Post by DonCichocki »

How about someone making an oil cooler with a built-in thermostat for those of us who drive in cooler climates where the oil barely gets up to operating temperature. In the cooler months my oil never gets out of the left hand green zone or less than 160 degrees verified by a PreMat temp gauge dip stick. I attribute this to a VP aluminum oil cooler, PreMat oil filter system, aluminum sump plate, aluminum push rods, and aluminum push rod tubes. I think the combination of these components is keeping my oil from getting to 180-200 degrees. My engine is a 356C, 1720 kit, stock cam.

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Re: New WR 5-Row Aluminum Oil Cooler for 356/912

#11 Post by Jacques Lefriant »

Hi Don
for some reason Porsche abandoned the thermostat in the late A engines.
Are you using a multiviscosity oil? a switch to a single grade may enable the usual method of diverting flow to the cooler.
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Re: New WR 5-Row Aluminum Oil Cooler for 356/912

#12 Post by DonCichocki »

Jacques,
Righty now I'm using 30wt break-in oil until I have 1,000 miles. In the past when using 20W-50 synthetic it very rarely got out of the left green. Seems like straight 30wt dissipates heat better than 20w-50, does that sound correct?

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Re: New WR 5-Row Aluminum Oil Cooler for 356/912

#13 Post by C J Murray »

DonCichocki wrote:Righty now I'm using 30wt break-in oil until I have 1,000 miles.
Do you still wear shoes that button? :P
DonCichocki wrote:Seems like straight 30wt dissipates heat better than 20w-50, does that sound correct?
No. There was a theory 30 years ago that the viscosity enhancers of multi viscosity oil was holding heat and that narrower range oil was better for heat and lubrication. That was then. Now it is universally accepted that a low cold number is important for start up flow and that the hot viscosity should be as thin as the characteristics of the engine will allow, things such as machining clearances and the engine's ability to dissipate heat. I would like to use a 10-30 or 10-40 but when I have tried that the engines seem to use a bit of oil and are noisy. I have settled on Mobil 1 V-Twin 20w-50 even during break-in. It is very kind to the camshaft and I know how to seat rings and never have a problem with ring seal. Notice what viscosity Porsche recommends for the classic air cooled engines.
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Re: New WR 5-Row Aluminum Oil Cooler for 356/912

#14 Post by Neil Bardsley »

John Willhoit wrote:Our new 5 row aluminum replacement oil cooler for the 356 and 912 is finally available. This new cooler, designed with the help of Bell Intercoolers, has 5 rows of oil flow rather that the 4 rows of our previous aluminum cooler. This results in less oil pressure drop and a 20 percent increase in heat transfer. We have done testing on our in-house dyno and spent hours of driving and the results are impressive.

To see the test results and to view more photos please go to our online store at:

http://willhoit-auto-restoration.mybigc ... new-5-row/

We've kept the price the same at $495.
John thank you for developing these products and backing them up with test data.

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Re: New WR 5-Row Aluminum Oil Cooler for 356/912

#15 Post by Jacques Lefriant »

Hi Dan
Porsche uses the viscosity of the oil to regulate the oil cooler flow. unless you want to go to a full flow system having a thermostat will require modifications to the oiling system that are not easily accomplished in the fan shroud.
j
 

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