Hello,
Long-time forum members will recognize me for being a) an early adopter of community-sourced parts and b) very picky about what I keep on my car. That said, I think Michael's product is an excellent example of how clever and methodical people can give back to the community.
My car generates more than 1.2G of acceleration in corners with R-compound tires, so oil starvation is a big issue. I had taken to running 7 quarts of oil to reduce starvation, but this led to increased oil consumption, blowing smoke, more aeration of the oil, and more windage losses.
I've run the Improved Racing baffle at two track events so far, each time running the factory-recommended 6 quarts of oil. I have digital oil pressure gauges that alarm when the pressure drops below a pre-set value. Throughout the day I never saw the pressures trip the 20 psi alarm, and whenever I glanced at the gauge in a corner I saw no noticeable drop. For the price, this is great insurance for those of us who run hard at the track.
Just check out the original thread to see how carefully Michael approached his design. If you track your and have an LS1 pan, this is a really good investment.
Also, it's worth noting that it is possible to remove the oil pan and install this baffle without removing the motor. The short version is this:
1) loosen the six subframe bolts
2) loosen the steering rack bolt (so that the rack can slide down)
3) remove the steering tie rods
4) attach a cherry picker to the motor
5) lower the subframe as far down as it will go
6) raise the motor as high as it will go without hitting the firewall or trans tunnel
This should give you enough room to tip the back of the oil pan down and remove it after loosening the perimeter bolts.
Here's my original review of the product:
Custom Aluminum LS1 Oil Pan Baffle (Original Development/Group Buy Thread)
I hope that more people take advantage of this great product!
-ch