10 extra horsepower anyone?

[Black1987Stang]

What is one of the things oil does in an engine? Takes heat awat from hot parts, the hot oil is drained back into the oil pan to be "cooled down" mostly through the air hitting the oil pan. If theres less oil theres less time for it to be cooled off and its sent back to the engine becoming even hotter and so forth. Might not seem like a big deal but i dont think its worth the risk of an engine just for maybe 10 hp. And for anyone running a high volume oil pump theres a higher chance of running the pump dry if ur going to high rpms.

 

[95COBRA241]

It is true, but I don't know if the figure is 10 hp. In fact the SAE is trying to standardize dyno methods used by car manufactures. Apparently, import car manufacturer specified HP numbers were obtained by running their engines with less than the recommended oil capacity..resulting in higher peak numbers. Good for an engine dyno but not good on the street.

 

[Maryland Stang]

I've heard (don't know for sure) that nascar teams do it in qualifying, because they don't give a crap about the engine they are using because they are swapping it anyway.

You need to watch a few races. Cup cars (and most of the other top series like the trucks and Busch) run dry sumps. Additionally you are not allowed to switch out engines anymore. You gotta run what you brung.

 

[jackchan]

well think of this way.........if its true........then run a thinner weight oil when racing say run 10-30 instead of 10-40...........so there you have it!

I know people running 0 weight oil in their race cars........but they change it every second or third pass. That is one of the old Factory stock tricks!
Jack

 

[mbsprinks281]

I think that sounds like a tech giving you a hard time. I call BS.

 

[18mustangs]

See post #6

amnit: I guess my speedreading needs improvement! Oh well, just take it as backup then!
Tim

 

[85_SS_302_Coupe]

I think that sounds like a tech giving you a hard time. I call BS.

LOL, us? Nooooooooooo


Seriously though, it is true. Scroll back up and read what i wrote about parasitic drag... Surely you've been in a pool sometime in your life, and you've probably been in a pool/water fight with some hot chick (i hope for your sake). Surely you've noticed that while you're smacking your hand through the water, there is a considerable amount of resistance right? If you fill your tub with water, try running your hand through it like a "knife" and slice through the water. You'll still feel resistance. Now imagine that your tub is full of 10W40....much thicker and much heavier than water, so logically you're going to feel a LOT more resistance. Now consider that your typical crank has 6 major counter weights that are spinning through that heavy oil anywhere from idle RPM to 6k+...imagine how many times those weights are hitting that oil....it's easy to see that if you take oil away, you'll pick up some hp, but at what cost?


Secondly, as mentioned just a couple posts ago, oil's second job in an engine after lubricating is cooling. If you consider that the average running temp of engine oil is around 200 degrees....the fact that the oil still cools the rest of the engine even at 200 degrees is incredible...meaning that the metal parts in the engine can get VERY hot (obviously). If you run less oil (again, as mentioned above) you're taking away not just lubrication but also cooling. The viscosity of the oil is much more likely to break down if there's less of it to circulate and cool down.


If i told you that you could gain 10hp from running low radiator fluid, would you?

 

[Black1987Stang]

Secondly, as mentioned just a couple posts ago, oil's second job in an engine after lubricating is cooling. If you consider that the average running temp of engine oil is around 200 degrees....the fact that the oil still cools the rest of the engine even at 200 degrees is incredible...meaning that the metal parts in the engine can get VERY hot (obviously). If you run less oil (again, as mentioned above) you're taking away not just lubrication but also cooling. The viscosity of the oil is much more likely to break down if there's less of it to circulate and cool down.

See post #21. you just worded it better

 

[vristang]

The power gains are real, but hp numbers will vary.
It is not unusual for the oil usage of a new motor to be 1qt per oil change interval. The motor will not suffer any ill effects from running 1qt low, assuming normal driving conditions. There is increased risk of drying out the pan if the car is running at high g-force cornering speeds, or a high volume oil pump is being used.

If theres less oil theres less time for it to be cooled off and its sent back to the engine becoming even hotter and so forth.

If you consider that the average running temp of engine oil is around 200 degrees....the fact that the oil still cools the rest of the engine even at 200 degrees is incredible...

This is a point that needs to be considered as well. However, the majority of cars on the street run the oil at too low of a temp anyway. Engine power output and engine longevity will decrease when oil temps are below 190-200F. Oil coolers are not recommended unless oil temps consistantly jump over 240F, and then care should be taken to use an appropriately sized cooler. The "Ideal" temp seems to be between 210-230F, depending upon the source. Of course synthetics can be run at higher temps, without the risk of viscosity breakdown.

In my opinion, it is not worth doing on a street car. However, for a track car oil volume does need to be considered.

jason