Originally Posted by dirtracer1
gubbs......that might be a true statement in coon rapids mn, however, in the heat and humidity of florida, extra cooling is usually needed. we race in 95 degree heat with 90 to 100 %RH. that's cookin'.....not only for the motor, but for me too.
That might be slightly true. But we do have our fair share of hot humid days. Just maybe skewed slightly cooler to 85F with 90% humidity. But this still brings up my point of running temp vs. suficient oil. As long as an engine has suficient oil, temp does not make a huge impact on performance or longevity. I've temped airplane motors consistently at almost 400 degrees F!!! And those motors still last nearly forever. A buddy of mine had an OFNA/Picco 8 port that would only run 325+. That one lasted nearly two full seasons.
My point is, barring any horribly small cooling heads, tune the engine to good, slightly rich, performance. Then temp it. Use that temp as a checkpoint to make sure you don't develop any problems.