Very hot track day

I'm participating in a Trackdaze event this weekend at Summit Point. Tomorrow's high will be around 100. Any advice for how to keep the car and driver cool? I've heard suggestions to run the A/C. I've also heard that running the A/C will burn out the compressor. I've heard that I should run the heater to keep the engine cool, although I've never had any overheating problems on track (even last year at Lime Rock when it was 103). Any general advice on how to handle very high ambient temps? Decided to post this on the 996 forum instead of the DE forum because a lot of the threads on this topic over there focus more on the air cooled cars, which are obviously much different. Thanks

Keeping your car cool between sessions is key. http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___20015 or http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___28256

Watch out for deer. https://rennlist.com/forums/off-topi...-de-event.html

If you can stand to have the heat on, it certainly wouldn't hurt the engine. When my PCA instructor took me out in his own 997, he ran the AC. It helped the occupants a little, for sure. Wear the lightest cotton clothing your club will allow. If you have to wear full pants, try cotton PJs. I found I had to take a 5 minute drive out the access road after each session (low revs to let the engine get back down to 'normal' parameters. If not, the car smoked on the next start-up

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Be sure the oil is fresh and of the right type/viscosity. Do not overfill. Be sure (damn sure!) the cooling system is pressure tight. High temps increase pressure and if the system can't hold this pressure localized overheating (with probably no sign of any overheating from the temp gage/warning light) will occur with almost certain serious negative consequences for your car's engine. Be sure the brake fluid is fresh. Then drive the car and focus on your driving. I wouldn't turn on the A/C unless you need the cooling to stay focused on your driving. I've never tracked my cars but under spirited driving in the twisties with the A/C on I do not like the on again/off again nature of the A/C. Under hard acceleration the compressor is turned off then back on and the A/C vents blow cool then warm/muggy air and back to cool again and I find this not to my liking. Thus I just turn off the A/C and use the fan and vent controls to provide plenty of air flow through the car's cabin. I wouldn't turn on the heater. The amount of extra heat this helps remove from the car's cooling system is inconsequential and the heat could affect your concentration. When you are done on the track take the car around again for a cool down lap. At this point you can switch on the A/C which will turn on the radiator fans -- assuming they are not already on -- and help remove the substantial heat load that the up to the cool down lap the engine had been generating. Back at the pits you can let the engine idle a minute or two. Try to park the car into the wind which will help carry away heat from the radiators/engine compartment. Relax. Oh, and drink plenty of water. Sincerely, Macster.

Pulled a bird out of one of the rads this AM. Started searching the forums for other causes of higher temp readings...so I guess the point for me was don't forget to check the basics.

Are hot temps really that big of a deal for these cars? I mean the coolant runs at 180 degrees and we're only looking at a 15 degree difference between 85 and 100. Does it really matter? Yes I know we'll be down on power in warmer temperatures but the car itself should be able to keep itself within operating temperature in this weather, correct?

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To your point, I've driven my Turbo in -2 degree weather and 102 degree weather. At highway cruising speeds, the oil temp is nearly identical. This amazed me with a +15 year old Porsche. Impressive.

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Hot temps are no deal at all for these cars provided: 1) Oil is reasonably fresh and of the right type, etc. NO need to get all freaky but keep that oil reasonably fresh folks! 2) The cooling system must and I repeat must be pressure tight. Anti-freeze is just that. But when real hot outside or when pushing the car hard, or even sitting in traffic on a mild day, coolant temps can climb to over 212F and it is the ability of the cooling system to maintain pressure that keeps the coolant from boiling. If it boils the engine almost certainly will experience localized overheating which can be worst case disaster for the engine and you and your bank balance. BTW, the hottest coolant temp I've seen with my Boxster is 226F and for prolonged periods on real hot days (once in 116F temps!) and on milder days when pushing the car in the mountain twisties. The radiator fans come on low speed when the coolant temp reaches 212F and shut off at 205F. If the temp climbs to 216F the fans switch to high speed and turn off when the coolant temp drops to 205F. BTW, the car's coolant temp gage unless in newer cars it is digital is next to useless to know how hot the coolant is. About all you can tell from the gage is the coolant is cold/cool, warm, or hot and way too hot. If way too hot the warning light flashes. I have driven my 03 Turbo in even hotter temps, up to 119F, but the coolant temp stays remarkably cooler. The Turbo has much better aerodynamics (cooling related as well as handling/stability related) than my 02 Boxster and I suspect newer models have similar better aerodynamics in both areas. I can't stress how important a properly working cooling system is to these engines and their continued good health even on mild days. Sincerely, Macster.

a nice igloo with cold water and a towel will help you cool. Roll up the towel and keep it around your neck like a neck pillow. Drink lots of water. Watch the tire and pressure. Don't push it. Tires become really, really greasy w/ high heats and hot laps so dial it back. You're not winning any trophies or sponsorship monies.

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Oh yeah? I won the DE last year. Then I went on to become DE world champion. I'm looking to three-peat.

In addition to what was mentioned above, if temperatures start to worry you could consider not running the car up to redline. I know this sounds blasphemous, but I had an instructor point this out one time and was surprised at how well it works. He mentioned that after you learn how to be fast you need to learn how to keep your car in the race for the entire event. Shifting a little early and letting the gearing help you out keeps the stress (and heat) down. I had a fan that wasn't working properly and I was able to keep the temperature several degrees cooler by shifting a little earlier. I wasn't timing laps, but it didn't seem to have much impact on my ability to pass others (or get passed by even faster cars). -S.

Thanks to everyone for all the advice. Going to make sure all the crud is clear of the rads (found a plastic bag in there at the last event), keep an eye on the tires, review the cooling system and try to win that trophy. Should be a great weekend.

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I don't know about your Turbo but on many models the displayed oil temp is not actual oil temp, it is the coolant temp. When driving at high rpms oil temp can be 40+ degrees higher than the coolant temp!

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I don't got no stinking coolant in my Turbo!

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it's easy to see how the heat affects your oil temp.... normal temperatures you should have 4BAR @ 3000 rpm... so if you track your car and you think your coolant temp is getting hot... just come off the track and take the revs to 3000 rpm... I bet you lost 1 full BAR of pressure because the oil is so hot... and that's a good way to tell if you need to come off or slow down for a few cooldown laps... for hot track days 50 weight oil keeps the pressure much better than 40 weight oils...

Interesting re the oil pressure. I did notice at one point (when it was 104 outside) that the oil pressure was lower than usual. Probably around 3 bar when at maintenance throttle. I normally see it between 4-5 during normal driving. Noticed the pressure dropped to around 3 during sustained longer turns (the 6-7 complex at Summit main), and I had some smoke from the exhaust a couple times as I accelerated through 8-9. Pulled in, no leaks or anything. Motor running well. The oil had been changed about a week or ten days ago (I didn't do it - no time/space) and the dealer shop often fills it right to the top. I decided to adjust my line so I straightened out a bit between 6 and 7, and didn't have any problems the rest of the weekend. Still, kind of concerning...

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I know my heart skips a beat when I see a puff of smoke after cornering on the track. In any other car it wouldn't bother me but with all the crap you read on the Internet it's difficult to think the worst when you're surprised by something.

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U don't want below 3 bar ideally your low point should be 3.5 bar. If your at high revs at 3 bar come off the track or take a few cool down laps. I have found that a 50 weight oil gives 1/2 bar more pressure than 40 weight oil when tracking. Also I tried taking the belly pans off the car and that further reduced temps as it cools the engine and tranny underneath.

In the UK I'm generally runnning the AC on during the winter track days to stop the car from fogging up. It's done a couple of dozen track days with the AC on and no issues.

Surely you can track your car on a hot day with the AC on?, manufacturers do a load of tests before signing a car off in extreme hot and cold weathers. I would doubt running the heater on a hot day would make any difference to the engine life, but would roast you instead. Last DE I did the instructor told be to open the engine bay trunk and let the car idle for a few minutes after the session to help it cool down, but didn�t say anything about not using the AC whilst on track

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The A/C system can take it, the car's cooling system can deal with the heat load. During hard acceleration the A/C compressor is disengaged or switched to a low/no displacement setting. The result is the air being blown into the cabin through the vents becomes warm and muggy, well, compared to the cool and dry air that was coming from the vents. I find this change from cool/dry to warm/muggy and back again mildly unpleasant and I sort of cringe thinking about the A/C compresor and the load the serpentine belt has to withstand. Sure it is up to it, but still my empathy with the car and its mechanicals almost always causes me to turn off the A/C when pushing my cars hard and adjust the controls manually to blow air through the cabin. But it is a matter of personal preference what one does: use the A/C during track time or not. Oh, one possible 'issue'... I note sometimes when I have had the A/C on and turn a corner the car sheds water. On the track I wonder is this might not be a safety hazard and the track rules might forbid or limit the use of the A/C for this reason. I have no direct experience, just thinking out loud. If the track rules do not forbid the use of A/C then it becomes simply a decision of the driver. Sincerely, Macster.