The GM LS family small blocks are prone to oil starvation at high Gs, especially at higher RPMs where oil aeration and windage is more prevalent. Proper oil pan baffling is critical for improving oil control and reducing oil starvation in these engines.
Improved Racing's baffles provide very effective, track-proven protection against oil starvation for road racing, drifting, autocross, drag racing and even off-roading and rock crawling. The baffle uses directional trap doors to keep oil around the pump pickup and provides vastly improved drainback and oil control over the stock baffle. This baffle is sufficient to prevent oil pressure drops at up to 1.4 sustained lateral G's in most vehicles.
The optional Oil pan gasket kit includes a new performance single-piece oil pan gasket (part number HGA-1001) and a OEM oil pickup tube O-ring. It is recommended that these components be replaced when installing a used oil pan.
Old part number EGM-1000.
Features and Benefits
Track-proven to prevent oil starvation at up to 1.4 sustained lateral G's
Directional trap door baffling completely encloses the oil pump pickup for maximum protection against oil starvation at high Gs
100% bolt in, no welding necessary. This is a direct bolt-in replacement for the stock steel baffle in the stock oil pan
Baffle plate with drain-back guides and drain-back slots help accelerate return of oil to the bottom of the sump while also preventing oil slosh and reducing oil consumption
Reduces the risk of oil starvation when oil levels are low
Works with the factory cast aluminum oil pan, which is considered a structural member of the engine block and is less prone to failure or leaking than aftermarket sheet metal pans
Light-weight aluminum construction sheds 1.3lbs over the factory baffle
Solid body aircraft rivets employed for securing trap doors
The graph below plots oil pressures with the factory baffling (in red) versus the Improved Racing EGM-204 baffle (in black). A complete chart with oil pressure, RPM and lateral G-force plots can be seen in PDF format by clicking here, or as a JPG image by clicking here. A second chart that adds several additional logged parameters can be seen by clicking here.
Great product! Installed in my LS1 SC300 with the F-body oil pan, Melling Oil pump (MEL-10296) and a 50 row oil cooler. The car is running 18X11 315mm slicks front and rear. Max average sustained G's of 1.5, and a high of 1.7 g's. I never saw a dip below 40psi with the pressure well above that 98% of the time. With aero I should be able to hit +2g's sustained.
I have not purchased an accusump yet, and just rely upon the extra capacity of the large cooler. Though I have only driven one track day.
Install was very easy and the piece is very nicely manufactured. Customer service was informative with my concerns for the high g's I would be pulling for road racing. I believe with this baffle, high pressure oil pump, large oil cooler and an accusump very high sustained g's can be obtained without the need for a dry-sump setup.
5.0
by Israel E. 08/03/2014
Knuckle Busters participates in some of the most competitive offroad desert and rock crawl races in the nation. With the amount of abuse we put our car through while continuing to maintain a competitive edge, we looked to Improved Racing to improve our oil delivery system. After a very quick and basic install we noticed that the F body oil pan that they supplied us has definitely given us an advantage. The increased clearance that the pan allows us is vital to our success in the rock crawling sections of our endurance races.
As far as the baffling system, it works flawlessly. We no longer experience a decrease in oil pressure like we did before. We're able to work some of the gnarliest waterfalls and huge sweeping turns with out having to back off because of decreased oil pressure.
If you are into racing like we are and are running an LS Based engine. You can trust that Improved Racing can help deliver that extra edge that you need to stay competitive.
-Israel Estares
Knuckle Busters Racing
5.0
by Dan M. 05/30/2014
I installed this baffle on an LS1 Camaro. It fit perfectly and required no modification. I simply cleaned the baffle and installed it. The quality of the fabrication and assembly is excellent. Since installing this, I no longer see the oil pressure dropping on long road course turns. This product works and is worth the price. Thumbs up!
5.0
by Shane C. 02/17/2014
This is an actual email I sent today to Michael at Improved Racing concerning the improvement the IR baffle made on my car. This may be worth reading through and viewing (videos) if you are considering an IR baffle to assist in managing oil starvation issues with your LS engine:
Michael,
The car, known as a Stalker, is a Lotus 7 replica and was originally produced in kit form by Brunton Automotive. Here is a link to their web site:
http://stalkercars.com/
In 2007, the car started life with a SC V6 backed by a V6 Camaro five speed and3.45:1 rear gears (LDS). Here’s an old build photo:
The car has morphed a bit throughout the years with the addition of a full roll cage and its current LS6 powerplant. Here is a quick rundown of the car’s current configuration:
· LS6 with TEA head package, custom ground Compitition Cams cam shaft and supporting internal mods
· Headers
· Cold air intake
· Speed density tune by SNL Performance
· TKO 500 built by Liberty Gears with face-plated gears and supporting internal mods
· Torsen LSD with 3.23:1 gears.
· Track weight (with fuel, aero installed, and driver): 1875 lbs.
·
Here is a video of the SNL dyno tune (actual pulls start somewhere around mid video). I took the engine out, delivered it to SNL, had the mods done, picked up the engine, installed the engine and THEN took the car back to SNL for the tune. We ended up with around 425rwhp and 424rwtq with a conservative tune that should provide longevity on the road course. Supporting mods for the engine are listed in the comments section of the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6Xslp2LlGA
This is a link that you will be sure to be interested in; it’s my build file for the IR baffle install on my car. Once I get the crank scraper in hand, I’ll document the install and include it in a similar file:
One last video you may want to watch, actually, two for comparison. The first is of an HPDE at MSR Cresson (1.7ccw course) which was pre-baffle install. I have, installed about mid-dash, a 20psi low oil pressure light. Jump to about 3:40 and watch the low oil pressure light; this continues throughout the rest of the session, luckily, with no damage to the engine. I didn’t even know it was illuminating until I reviewed the video; not watching the light/gauges in turns—only checking them in the straights after the car is established. The second video is of my next HPDE (also run at MSR Cresson and 1.7ccw course) post-baffle install. I ran this session with your baffle and six-quarts of oil as opposed to the required 5.5-quarts for the LS1 pan. In this session, the low oil pressure light never illuminated and the oil pressure never dropped below 50psi (sorry, you can’t see the oil pressure gauge as it’s hidden behind the steering wheel). With respect the last video, I ran a total of six twenty-minute sessions that day and NEVER experienced any oil starvation issues.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T23sCfzVo6U#t=227
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxtNpGLxXLQ
Shane
5.0
by Christopher H. 12/08/2009
What a product! Simple, effective, and reasonably priced. You usually don't get all three of those in a racing product. I use this on my LS7-equipped test platform and it works great. Here's a video demonstrating how well the baffle works:
I am currently in the process of installing an LSx in my daily driver '97 BMW M3 which will also see some limited Autocross duty. I ordered the Improved Racings updated trap door baffle for the F-body oil pan, upon receiving it, felt it was worthy of quick review.
I was not paid, sponsored, or offered any discount to write this!
Instruction sheet is professional, thorough and well detailed.
Manufacturing/production quality is first rate!
Fit and finish in the F-body oil pan is amazing!
The baffle is tight to the pan floor and tight to the forward wall of the pan! It is apparent the designer spent a good deal of time to make this happen.
In looking over this baffle from a design standpoint, it is also quite clear this was not just drawn up willy-nilly and sent to production, it was methodically engineered, every part, panel, nook and cranny has a job regarding oil control to and around the pick up tube!
For those wanting to build their own similar design, my advice is don't waste your time. For the money, you will be hard pressed to even come close to this baffle.
My only addition to this is don't forget to port the oil passages above the oil filter! Careful not to go too far in porting and bust through to an adjacent cavity. Just need to open the restriction at the intersections.