possible to squeeze some ponies out of the oil system???

[Mike Dziubina]

i was watching this auto show where they were trying to max the HP out of a ford motor and staying under 500 bucks. one point of the show they started talking about "wet sump" and dry sump" oil systems. (sorry if i got the sump part wrong not sure if thats how it is spelt). i understand the difference between the two systems and why performance guys would want the dry sump system. i dont believe there is a system for our sport tracs but my question comes from a history piece they added in the show. they said performance guys with wet sump systems used to run their cars about 2-3 quarts of oil down from suggested to acheive more HP. now im wondering if we can get some HP out of running the S/T a little low on oil and if it would be worth it. what do you think??

 

[Todd Z]

To do that you would need windage trays and oil baffels........



None of that is available for the 4.0 and converting to a dry sump system is expensive and I don't think you will gain any thing from it...



Run Royal purple in the motor and Drive train and the lower friction will get you that 2-3 HP...



Todd Z

 

[shawn stonbraker 2]

Hell, I added 2-3 HP onto mine by putting the MYST decal on the back window. (sorry couldn't resist)

 

[Dave S 2]

So you are recommending Royal Purple also Todd? Or just a synthetic such as Mobile 1? I'm due for an oil change in about the next 1000mi or so. If there is an advantage of the Royal over the Mobile 1, I will do so. You have a link for a comparison between the 2?

BTW...Got paid today so expect a payment and a placement for me on the 1st gen TB.

Thanks.

 

[Todd Z]

Dave, I personally use Valvoline Synthetic and occasionally Mobil 1...



But we did an oil change on Paul's truck, he had royal purple and we used mobile 1...



He swears there is a difference in the way the truck runs. I know synthetic is way better than conventional, but I do notice a difference from the valvoline to say pensoil, SO I can safely say based on what others have said, Use the RP.....

Also the price is only 2 bucks More a qt..



Todd Z

 

[Dave S 2]

Thanks Todd but damn man, I was hoping the RP would be less $ than the Mobile 1. I'll try and google differences in the morning. And most likely wind up tryin it next time for comparisson. I know Rodger swears by it...



Payment sent for the TB BTW...(couldn't wait till morning...lol).

 

[Rodger Tellefson]

I'll Highly recommed Royal Purple because any oil that can make the engine run smoother, quieter and accelerate easier makes me a believer. I run RP in the engine, manual tranny, and differential (just by adding RP to the diff. I noticed an increase in mpg).

 

[Travis Munday]

Do NOT run your engine low on oil...the cars that would run low on oil were drag cars, and those engines are rebuilt after every run, so all the seals and gaskets get replaced or are given a thorough inspection. Road racers will in fact run as much oil as they can; more oil means cooler oil. But running a regular motor low on oil is asking for trouble. You could run so little and be at just the right angle where you'll starve the oil pump, which could lead to engine seizure. Either way, as the miles go up, you'll lose even more oil through burn off and the emission system, increasing the risk of engine damage.



A windage try is a fairly easy fab that any good fab shop should be able to do. The difficulty would be dropping the oil pan, as I'm pretty sure the engine cross member would have to some out as well. A windage try bolts either to the main caps or oil pan and sits just under the crank. It keeps the crank from sitting in oil causing parasitic loss from friction. There are louvers so that oil that drips down from the cylinders and head can return to the sump, where the oil pump is.



Dry sumps are for sure a "Stage 5" type of modification, as you only get a few HP, but the cost is a few thousand dollars. Benefits are the crank isn't spinning in oil, the engine can be mounted lower (lower center of gravity), easier install of oil coolers and the like, and a slight bump in oil capacity.

 

[Johnny O]

Couple things. The hp gain from less oil comes from less drag on the reciporicating assembly. This is why hi-perf engines have windage trays. Also, the closer an engine is built to acheive it's maximum output, the greater a difference little things will make. On a stock street engine you won't see as much if any difference.

I do agree that you can feel a difference in oils. Some people think that's nuts. That being said, a used oil analysis is the only way to know for sure what's going on inside your engine. I've tried three in the Trac, all 5w-30's. Motorcraft was okay, viscosity held good, wear metals were a bit high but the 4.0 SOHC throws off a lot of iron anyway. Pennzoil Platinum gave me the best and fairly normal UOA. On Mobil 1 Truck & SUV the iron, aluminum, and chromium were through the roof. I did not try plain Mobil 1 although I got good UOA's on the Ranger I had before with the same engine. Currently I have Pennz Platinum in the engine again but the next oil change I'm going to use Valvoline Synthetic and get a UOA on that. I have changed out the axles to Mobil 1 lube and the transfer case to Mobil 1 ATF. I'm pretty sure the axles have synthetic lube in them from the factory anyway.



Linky-linky-----V

 

[Richard L]

On HorsePower TV a few years ago, they ran a test on switching all Lubes to Royal Purple synthetics and gained 8 HP on a V8 (don't rember if it was a Ford or Chevy).



The used Royal Purple products in the Engine, Transmission and rear axle. They said the reduction in drive train friction picked up an additional 8 HP at the rear wheels.



So, yes you can gain HP for very little cost and you don't have to go to a dry-sump oil system to do it.



...Rich

 

[Ian Gross]

It was a chevy LS1 but still 8 HP thats pretty insane just from fluids. That show sold me on synthetics.

 

[TomT]

Been running RP in my ST for about 2 years now. It does run smoother and before using RP I was averaging around 15.5 mpg and now averaging 16.5 mpg (most of my driving is in heavy traffic). Of course I get it at wholesale price. Retail prices are outrageous.