Project EVO X, Keeping the SST Transmission and the engine oil cool!
By Mike Kojima
In the last editions of Project EVO X we worked to get our car's handling and stopping power up to world class standards and eagerly attended our first track event. However we were really disappointed when our car went tilt after just a few laps at Streets of Willow Raceway. When the SST dual clutch transmission in the EVO X MR gets too hot the engine's ECU automatically makes moves to protect the transmission and the car goes into limp mode killing all measures of speed until the temps drop. In our hot Southern California climate, this happens so fast that it’s a frustrating experience and probably not good for the transmission either.
Read More About Project EVO X Here!
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| The stock transmission oil cooler is a high quality part and seems large. However, it is vastly undersized for anything other than brisk street driving. For any sort of track use, even with moderately skilled drivers taking it easy, the transmission gets too hot and the car goes tilt into limp mode until temperatures drop. |
The EVO X like most turbo cars also runs high oil temperatures at track speed, especially in our often over 100 degrees at the track conditions. Oil temps of around 300 degrees are not uncommon. Since modern reduced heavy metal bearings start to soften at 260 degrees or so and degrade at 300 degrees, we felt that once we fixed our transmission's heating issues, that oil temperature would be the next item to give our car issues.
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| Although the stock engine oil cooler is also pretty big, the oil can still easily get into the 300 degree range during on track driving on hot days. Turbo engines add a lot of heat into the oil as the engine oil must also cool and lubricate the super hot turbo center section. To fit our large auxiliary cooler we decided to V mount another oil cooler in line with the stock cooler. |
The SST transmission found in the EVO X MR is an awesome piece of technology. It is a dual clutch six speed semi automatic transmission which shifts faster than a manual transmission without the slip associated with an automatic transmission. The SST transmission has two input shafts each with their own clutch. One shaft has 1st,3rd, and 5th gears while the other has 2nd, 4th and 6th gear.
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| A nice feature of the EVO X SST transmission is an easy to replace cartridge type external oil filter. No more dropping the pan and cleaning out the screen! This is a nice feature. |
Having dual clutches allows the transmission to pre select the next gear before the shift actually happens. This means that the transmission is capable of really fast shifts. Sophisticated electro hydraulic controls allow the transmission to shift in a fully automatic mode or with full manual control, complete with automatic rev matching on downshifts.
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| The filter was super dirty, a good sign of it doing its job. This was from one track day and some easy street miles. |
2 comments
Hi MotoIQ,
I have a 2009 Evo 10 (sst) that I would love to make track ready. I was wondering if you have a list of all the parts you used to keep the sst and engine oil cool or if there is an available bolt on kit.
Julian, you can purchase all the parts easily and install it yourself. Ping me at Evo Dave on Instagram