Jackob

Hey all,

New guy here, just purchased a 2006 Z06 from my future brother in law. The car's almost exclusive purpose will be open tracking (something I've done for a few years now with my late model Mustang, but the time has come for change...*yipe*).

So, to my disappointment/astonishment, I now understand that the early C6z's dry sump system is NOT up to snuff for serious open tracking applications with sticky tires (at least for some owners, and at least under certain situations, i.e. sustained high-g left hand turns as I understand it).

Okay, so me being me, I'm going to be wanting to put slicks on the car after a couple weekends. So I need to fix this oil issue. Do I want to take unnecessary actions and spend $5,000 on an ARE system? Absolutely not, if it's not absolutely necessary! (Duh?)

So, I wanted to take a temperature check here to see what people think about fixing this oil starvation problem. Can I safely get away with say the Lingenfelter modified stock tank w/ Aviaid tank insert (and possibly the Aviaid oil pan baffle)?

I know it's easy to respond "well, if you want to be REALLLLLY safe, spend $5k on a new system - it's a lot cheaper than buying a new engine!"

Well, yeah, but I have a feeling that's not necessary. Do people have oil starvation issues with the 2009+ Z06's on sticky tires?

This is especially hard to swallow for a guy who just had to spend $300 on a road race oil pan on his Mustang and can run the stickiest slicks all day long...! Dangit!!

Alright, so there's my long-winded way of asking the oil starvation question. What are your thoughts? I appreciate your reading through all of this.

BTW, regarding the dropped-valve concern, the heads have been re-done to address the issue, so that part is taken care of - whew.

Lawdogg

I've been tracking my '07 with just the Lingenfelter tank. I have full aero, slicks, coilovers, 560+ rwhp, etc. The tracks I run at don't have sustained high G left handers which probably helps too.

Bill Dearborn

First, this is an issue with all LS engines from the LS1 on up. The C5 had a bat wing oil pan that was an attempt to alleviate the problem. Even then GM recommended running with an extra quart of oil in the pan when tracking the car.

The C6 Z dry sump was another attempt to resolve the issue it just didn't have a high enough capacity.

I have an 08 Z with the 8 qt sump. I lost the engine due to a dropped exhaust valve head but never had an issue with oil starvation. I always keep the oil level near the top dot and check it several times per day. The tracks I ran on didn't have any long duration high g left hand turns but there were plenty of high g right hand turns and the car never had an issue. I run street tires, R compounds and slicks with no issues.

What happens in high g left hand turns is the oil pumps up into the engine and the engine basically runs out of oil.

I believe you can reduce this effect by reducing your rpms in the turn. That means running the next higher gear. Don't run 2nd if 3rd will give you the same performance just by opening the throttle more. Besides its easier to modulate the throttle to yaw the car if you are in a higher gear.

Think of the tracks you are going to run at and how many of them have high g long duration left hand turns. If they don't have any you don't have to worry. If they do then manage the turn so you don't starve the bearings or add an LPE expanded tank or a stock 09 or later dry sump. New they are expensive but there may be a few in wrecking yards that you could pick up for a better price. You will want to make sure it is clean inside if the item is used but that is basically the difference between new and used.

Bill

trackboss

On my '99 I always had oil starvation according to the factory guage. The cheapest, and easiest, solution was simply to short shift at 5500 rpm or less. Not the greatest solution, but the alternative is to do a proper dry sump. Even then however, if it is not completely done right there is still chance of failure. Not to mention unless the block is replaced you will always have priority valvetrain oiling which is not desirable

cruzin2

Couple things. Not everybody needs the ARE system. Only those that have long left turn sweepers at their local track or those that have slicks, aero, coil overs, etc. I have decided to wait on slicks and suspension b/c of this alone plus how fast do you really have to be at an hpde. I'm already having to wait for cars today's and I had a stock car last year. Btw, with stock suspension and cup tires, I can out handle mustangs with slicks all day long. You'll be impressed with just an aggressive alignment.

taken19

I ran a dry sump LS3 with Lingenfelter tank and Avaid baffle on Hoosier R80's with no issue. I run on a track that I can see 4+ second sustained 1.3-1.4G left corners and 12-15 second 1.0+G sustained lefties with no issue. The extra 3 qts really helps the starvation issue. I read the same as you when I swapped from LS2 to LS3 and noticed that there were no data points with starvation issues with the 11 qt tank. That's something like an additional 10 seconds or so of oil reserve at high RPM.

Avaid also makes an oil pan baffle if you wanna go that far. Still cheaper than a true dry sump system.

Pumba

The LS7 oiling system suffers because it was designed by engineers who are familiar with wet-sump system and held under cost constraints. The system cannot scavenge enough, the oil pan is a web-sump pan, the reservoir dies not have internal baffles to separate oil from air.

Both AVAID and A.R.E. had items that you can purchase that will upgrade your less than capable LS7 oiling system.

Here is what AVAID recommends:







The AVAID baffle used in conjunction with the GM pan is a band-aid. Your would be better off if you installed an A.R.E. LS7 replacement pan:




If I were you, at a minimum, I would install the AVAID tank insert, the A.R.E. oil pan, and the Katech increased scavenging volume oil pump.

exracer28

I have done a number of the ARE systems for my cars and helped others do this and I do not know how you can speed 5k on it. I have had great support from ARE and trust their products and would build a LS motor without their system on it. Anything else is a band aid and does not correct the basic design issues.

harrydirty

Hey OP, I tracked a Mustang Cobra for years and switched to a C6z in 2011, so I know the feeling.........many call it the Corvette "tax"

Anyway, first thing I did before any track duty was to install the Lingenfelter extra capacity oil tank with Aviaid insert/baffle. Along with Raybestos ST43 pads, roll bar, Kirkey seat and Sparco harness, running Kumho 710 R-compounds on 18-inch CCW wheels. I run Laguna, Sears Point, and Thunderhill so I encounter plenty of high G left handers.

23 fun filled track days so far

parsonsj

I recently installed the Aviaid stage 3 system -- pan baffle, tank insert, and extra scavenge pump. I modified it some to avoid using RTV as a sealant, but found the system to be well engineered other than that. Oil pressure was fine all day at the track (and oil temps a bit lower, but maybe that's wishful thinking), but it was at Miami Homestead, so no long left hand sweepers.

I'm going to Daytona in November... and that has a long left-hand sweeper (and is why I put the Aviaid kit in now... to debug for November).