For those of you who have purchased the my LS1 baffle in the past, post your reviews here.

Let others know what you think!

If you don't mind, please post your reviews on my website as well, at Improved Racing. You'll have to create an account, but it's quick and easy

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Michael Ihns
94' RX-7, 2002 LS1


LS1 Road Race Oil Pan Baffles
Improved Racing Sub-Forum

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

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1994 Mazda RX7 (FD3S) R2 with LS1/T56 and Cobra IRS
430 RWHP / 410 RWTQ @ 2939 lbs in full street trim

The welds and overall quality looked excellent when I first inspected it. I had a shop install mine, and they told me that it bolted right in without any problems at all. My car needs new bushings, pillowballs, and suspension before I would feel that it's ready for track duty, so I won't be able to test it until fall. But I give it top marks for quality and fitment. It's a great, cheap solution for oil starvation as the next best thing would be expensive upgraded oil pans that I'm not certain will fit with Hinson subframe.

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For Sale $21,000 Steal it from me.

I just put mine in and went for a test drive. I have an fc and I didn't have to completely remove the subframe, I just unbolted the mounts and the subframe and let it drop down and lifted the engine a few inches and it gave me plenty of room to get it out. It was a bit of a pain with the engine in, so I would try to do it while the engine is out, but it is certainly doable with the engine in.

Once the oil pan was taken out the baffle bolted right it, couldn't have been any easier. The baffle also looked and felt like a quality piece. I have only driven on the street, so there has been no apparent difference, but it will be nice to not have to overfill the oil pan and cross my fingers at the track.

I also noticed a few psi extra oil pressure at idle, I replaced the o-ring on the oil pickup tube to oil pump, as my old one was a little tweaked and didn't look so hot. Good idea to check that o-ring, the replacement was ~$4 at the local dealer.

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1989 TII - 2000 ls1/t56

Thanks for the reviews guys! Keep them coming, and please post them on my website as well if possible.

Excellent tip, thanks!

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Michael Ihns
94' RX-7, 2002 LS1


LS1 Road Race Oil Pan Baffles
Improved Racing Sub-Forum

Installed mine last weekend - bolted right in, no fitment issues. Is a well-built quality piece. Now if my motor was only installed....

Mine's in... The fitment literally couldn't have been better. Doing it from the bottom side of the car takes a bit of effort but it's not too bad. You just have to be sure you have some socket pivot adaptors.

I'm mightily impressed with the craftsmanship and can't wait to get some track miles on this bad boy.

Pics of the install (along with my oil cooler) are here.

Thanks again for doing this!
-Joel

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LS1 FC: breaking it in, working out the bugs...
Link to my swap (HEY NEWBIE I wrote this for you)

Here's a review from a customer who races a Trans Am in the American Iron Series:

Link: Board Message

There are a couple of other guys who are running the baffle in AMS with great results are well.

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Michael Ihns
94' RX-7, 2002 LS1


LS1 Road Race Oil Pan Baffles
Improved Racing Sub-Forum

Mine installed perfectly.. No alignment or fitment issues at all. Welds are nice and I'm quite satisfied! I have not had my car in a road race situation yet, but so far so good! Thanks!