Reply to "oil temp answer"

Your results are right in line with an article I wrote a few years ago. In it, there were results from an oil company's tests where they mounted sensors inside the block to measure temps at the bearings. Those oil temps averaged some 40 degrees hotter in the bearings than in the pan. This's what makes me say that if anyone's pan temps are approaching 280F, you need an oil cooler since the in-bearing temps are likely approaching 340F! And this is dangerously close to the charring temp of normal oils. Synthetics give an extra 25 degrees of protection, but no engine should be expected to run very long under heavy load with oil temps at or near this point. Thanks for the data.