Litchfield Race Oil Cooler Review

[danvitmon]

Just installed the Litchfield Race Oil Cooler on my 2008 M3. I had gotten the car to ~270F after just an out lap, hot lap, and in lap at 95 F at Thunderhill. Lee reached out to me when I placed the order to see if I had the early/late model oil cooler line attachments. Once I had that figured out, they were able to get it to me within 5 days! From the UK to California, I was super impressed.

I got this instead of the DO88 because it came out to 644 GBP (~700 USD shipped) and it was a thicker piece. The build quality of the cooler is super high. I weld for a living and these are way better than I ever could do. It even came with the correct seals. Unfortunately it doesn't come with hardware and you need to reuse the studs/nuts from the cooler to attach the lines. That is the only thing I would change about it as one of the studs stripped when I tried to remove it from the old cooler.

They make a road cooler, and a race cooler. The road doesn't require any cutting, while the race does. You have to cut/trim the shroud above the cooler to let the cooler go up enough to get in the factory mounting points. I followed the DO88 install instructions and start to finish, it only took 3hrs. You have to add around 1.5-2 liters after the install to take the extra space and the drained fluid.

Drove the car around on the highway for a bit and it stayed right at 190-195 F. It used to stay at 205-210 just cruising. I have a track day in a few weeks so I'll post an update after that but I am thoroughly impressed with these guys. Another quality option for the track guys.

https://www.litchfieldmotors.com/sho...ce-oil-cooler/

[tdott]

Interesting, let us know your results.

I just installed my do88 oil cooler, it cost less after the ACM discount a while back.

[pirategenes]

Originally Posted by danvitmon

Just installed the Litchfield Race Oil Cooler on my 2008 M3. I had gotten the car to ~270F after just an out lap, hot lap, and in lap at 95 F at Thunderhill. Lee reached out to me when I placed the order to see if I had the early/late model oil cooler line attachments. Once I had that figured out, they were able to get it to me within 5 days! From the UK to California, I was super impressed.

I got this instead of the DO88 because it came out to 644 GBP (~700 USD shipped) and it was a thicker piece. The build quality of the cooler is super high. I weld for a living and these are way better than I ever could do. It even came with the correct seals. Unfortunately it doesn't come with hardware and you need to reuse the studs/nuts from the cooler to attach the lines. That is the only thing I would change about it as one of the studs stripped when I tried to remove it from the old cooler.

They make a road cooler, and a race cooler. The road doesn't require any cutting, while the race does. You have to cut/trim the shroud above the cooler to let the cooler go up enough to get in the factory mounting points. I followed the DO88 install instructions and start to finish, it only took 3hrs. You have to add around 1.5-2 liters after the install to take the extra space and the drained fluid.

Drove the car around on the highway for a bit and it stayed right at 190-195 F. It used to stay at 205-210 just cruising. I have a track day in a few weeks so I'll post an update after that but I am thoroughly impressed with these guys. Another quality option for the track guys.

https://www.litchfieldmotors.com/sho...ce-oil-cooler/

This looks like an awesome piece. Can you report back any results from track driving? Are you happy with it?

Thanks!

[maicol76]

Originally Posted by pirategenes

This looks like an awesome piece. Can you report back any results from track driving? Are you happy with it?

Thanks!

I’ve been using this cooler for about two years. Earlier this year, I discovered an oil leak and eventually found that the cooler was the cause.
The issue was due to the cooler twisting slightly, which caused the joint between the oil tank and the cooling fin section to separate, resulting in an oil leak.
The race version of the cooler from Litchfield is definitely lighter than the CSF & DO88 unit. However, I found that the cooler’s design is similar to that of a radiator or condenser, so because the upper and lower sections of the finned area are not properly reinforced, it is vulnerable to deformation from external forces. I realized that this is what creates the difference in rigidity and weight compared to other coolers.
I have since switched back to the Do88 cooler, and I haven’t noticed any significant difference in cooling performance.

[pirategenes]

Originally Posted by maicol76

I’ve been using this cooler for about two years. Earlier this year, I discovered an oil leak and eventually found that the cooler was the cause.
The issue was due to the cooler twisting slightly, which caused the joint between the oil tank and the cooling fin section to separate, resulting in an oil leak.
The race version of the cooler from Litchfield is definitely lighter than the CSF & DO88 unit. However, I found that the cooler’s design is similar to that of a radiator or condenser, so because the upper and lower sections of the finned area are not properly reinforced, it is vulnerable to deformation from external forces. I realized that this is what creates the difference in rigidity and weight compared to other coolers.
I have since switched back to the Do88 cooler, and I haven’t noticed any significant difference in cooling performance.

Oh wow this is gold level real world feedback. Looks like I’ll stick with my do88 cooler. Thanks for sharing your experience!