oil pans....it's not the size......it's how you use it?

[peepsbro1]

After reading the newsletter about the amount of oil needed in an oil pan under racing conditions, got me thinking. We have an 8 qt. circle track pan on our 355 chevy, just how much oil could we get away with using without worrying about cavitation? I wondered if there were any power gain from the crank not slapping around in the oil as much as it would be if you had all 8 qts in the pan and more in the cooler and lines. I would hate to loose my good motor trying to figure this out so I am considering installing my back up engine and giving it a whirl, I am currently running 10 qts and using mobil 1 synthetic . You have any ideas where to start? maybe 5 to 6 qts? Am I shooting myself in the foot?

[Guest]

I know a guy who builds his own pans and baffling around the oil pump and has used 3 quarts successfully in circle track cars.

[speedtalk]

Hey peepsbro1, Nice title! IMHO you are doing a lot more harm than good by running 10qts. The enemy of bearings is lack of oil or more to the point, air, and by running that much oil you're adding air to the oil via the crank turning. To be safe I'd put 6 in the pan, mark your dipstick (install one if you have to), then start the engine to fill the lines/cooler and then add more oil to regain 6qts in the pan. It should really be safe at 5 in the pan, but if you want to be safe...

Thanks for posting,
Don