The problem with wet sumps
Sitting right at the bottom of your engine, the vast majority of mass production vehicles use what is called a ‘wet sump’ – a passive component which simply collects oil which drains down from the engine under the force of gravity. This oil is then picked up and pumped back into the engine. It’s a system that works well under normal driving conditions – even ‘spirited’ drives on the road, and maybe the occasional track day.
However, when you start getting into the realms of tuned engines and track driving, a wet sump simply cannot cope. Prolonged high revs, extreme heat and violent dynamic forces as a car brakes, accelerates and changes direction, all quickly overwhelm a wet sump system.
Under these conditions, physics can force your engine oil into one area of the sump for a dangerously long period of time, effectively starving your engine of its life blood and potentially leading to catastrophic failure. By ‘long period’, we can be talking less than a second if your highly stressed engine loses oil pressure at the limit. Additionally, the storm of oil and vapour moving around in a wet sump causes severe drag on moving engine internals, which in turn can reduce power output – and by a significant amount.
The racers solution
Even if you’re not a competitive racer, you may be aware of the term ‘Dry Sump’ – a race car technology which has actually been utilised on many road cars and homologation specials including the Mercedes-AMG GT, Ferrari 488, Lamborghini Huracan Performante, Porsche 911 GT3 RS and Aston Martin V8 Vantage.
But what’s the difference?
Fundamentally, a ‘Dry Sump’ system does not allow engine oil to freely pool, and slosh around in the sump. Instead, oil is pumped (‘scavenged’) away from the sump as soon as it has finished its cycle, and collected (often via an oil cooler) in a separate oil reservoir where it is stored before a second pump forces the oil under pressure through the filter and back into the engine.
Dry Sump ‘stages’
You will often hear the term ‘stages’ when people are talking about dry sumps. ‘Multi-stage’ systems employ varying numbers of scavenge pumps to pull air and oil from multiple areas of the engine, which further reduces air resistance (known as ‘windage’) inside the crankcase – and in turn boosts horsepower.
The 5 ways Dry Sump Systems can boost your performance
Dry sump systems offer a multitude of significant benefits to trackday enthusiast and serious racers alike, the main advantages being:
- Increased engine protection and reliability – A dry sump system provides a constant and controlled supply of oil to the engine – even under very extreme operating conditions.
- Increased power of 5-15bhp (depending on application) – A result of the improved engine efficiency achieved by creating negative pressure and reducing windage inside the crankcase. *Further power gains are achievable by optimising the engine for a dry sump – by using lower tension oil rings for example.
- Greatly improved handling dynamics – Dry sumps use of a very shallow oil pan because the pan no longer has to function as a sump. This allows the engine to be lowered in the chassis resulting in a lower centre of gravity and better handling.
- Increased oil capacity and lowered oil temperatures – as oil is stored in its own separate reservoir.
- Improved maintenance – both the remote oil tank and pump are easier to access, inspect and work on.
Choosing the right Dry Sump system
First and foremost – don’t cut corners when it comes to choosing the right system. A dry sump is not an afterthought – it’s protecting the most important and expensive components within your engine.
Choosing a manufacturer who understands how this critical component integrates and works with your engine and its specific state of tune is critical. Dry sump systems have a wide range of applications from high performance road cars and track day vehicles right through grassroots motorsport, to top-flight series including Rally, Touring Car, GT and Endurance. The right supplier will be able to recommend the right system based on you, your vehicle and where and how you drive – right down to advice on any relevant race formula regulations (if applicable).
Because dry sump systems are such a core component, high quality design and manufacturing (utilising the very best race-grade materials) is vital – and not all kits are created equally. Reliability, durability, strength and performance do vary greatly between brands, so you’ll want to choose a manufacturer with strong R&D and testing credentials.
Finally, make sure you have a partner who stays with you after your purchase. Systems sometimes need crash repair, maintenance or upgrading (adding oil coolers for example).
About the Pacepump® range
PACE Dry Sumps and Pumps are designed and manufactured by pre-eminent motorsport engineering group Neil Brown Engineering. NBE is engine partner to some of motorsports most successful racing teams, and has won multiple championships across series including BTCC, DTM, F3 and historic formulas. NBE is currently sole engine support provider for the F4 British Championship, and sole engine supplier to BTCC teams Halfords Yuasa Racing, Team BMW and Ciceley Motorsport in 2021.
The Pacepump® range is designed to meet almost any installation. From the dry sumping of pre-war classic sports cars to modern day Le-Mans cars, fast road cars to Touring cars, Formula Ford to Formula 1 – and everything in between.
