This one had me gobsmacked...really
Quote:
Don't Fill 'Er Up
Gary Penn; General Motors; Performance Parts; 800/468-7387; www.goodwrench.com
A mistake we often see from all racers in all venues is they buy a high-volume oil pan that holds eight quarts, for example, and they put eight quarts in it. This is a big mistake because that brings the oil right up to the crank. The real beauty of a high-volume deep-sump pan or a pan with wide kick-outs is you can run the five or six quarts that the engine wants and still keep the oil level down away from the crank.
At GM, we are also big fans of synthetic motor oil after break-in. The stuff has really improved over the years and allows you to get by with things you might have never thought possible. A good example is our 385 crate engine, which is the same engine that our new 400hp circle track crate engine is based on. At the drag strip, we actually run the 385 engine out of oil at 1,000 feet and run it with no oil pressure across the finish line at 7,500 rpm. The pump has it all in the top of the engine at 1,000 feet because we only run three quarts of 0W-10 in the motor. That frees up a few horsepower because nothing is going through the pump, it just cavitates. Plus, there is no oil in the crankcase so you don't have any windage.
Even though the engine is running for about two seconds with no oil pressure, we really aren't seeing any undue wear on the engines. That's a testament to the quality of synthetic oils out there today. Now, I definitely am not recommending a circle track racer try this--those engines require more oil with more viscosity, and they require a lot more endurance--but you get the idea of how the envelope is being pushed. The advanced quality of the oils on the market means the old rule of thumb that you need 10 pounds of pressure per 1,000 rpm is not valid any more.
Read more: http://www.circletrack.com/tipstricks/139_0306_engine_oiling_tips/#ixzz2jvBrVKWg
Quote:
Don't Fill 'Er Up
Gary Penn; General Motors; Performance Parts; 800/468-7387; www.goodwrench.com
A mistake we often see from all racers in all venues is they buy a high-volume oil pan that holds eight quarts, for example, and they put eight quarts in it. This is a big mistake because that brings the oil right up to the crank. The real beauty of a high-volume deep-sump pan or a pan with wide kick-outs is you can run the five or six quarts that the engine wants and still keep the oil level down away from the crank.
At GM, we are also big fans of synthetic motor oil after break-in. The stuff has really improved over the years and allows you to get by with things you might have never thought possible. A good example is our 385 crate engine, which is the same engine that our new 400hp circle track crate engine is based on. At the drag strip, we actually run the 385 engine out of oil at 1,000 feet and run it with no oil pressure across the finish line at 7,500 rpm. The pump has it all in the top of the engine at 1,000 feet because we only run three quarts of 0W-10 in the motor. That frees up a few horsepower because nothing is going through the pump, it just cavitates. Plus, there is no oil in the crankcase so you don't have any windage.
Even though the engine is running for about two seconds with no oil pressure, we really aren't seeing any undue wear on the engines. That's a testament to the quality of synthetic oils out there today. Now, I definitely am not recommending a circle track racer try this--those engines require more oil with more viscosity, and they require a lot more endurance--but you get the idea of how the envelope is being pushed. The advanced quality of the oils on the market means the old rule of thumb that you need 10 pounds of pressure per 1,000 rpm is not valid any more.
Read more: http://www.circletrack.com/tipstricks/139_0306_engine_oiling_tips/#ixzz2jvBrVKWg
