Oil starvation?
 

Planning on my first autocross with the car this weekend.

Different cars have differing levels of tolerance for the activity - some handle it fine with race tires and below-full oil levels. In others, you better run a quart over full to keep from wrecking the motor.

What's the story with the 370? Is full OK or does it need a little extra?

Related question - fuel starve on right handers - how much does it need to keep it from happening - 3/4 tank?

This is on 200TW tires, but today's 200TW are pretty darn sticky!

Thanks,
J-Rho

i'd keep the oil at normal levels and run a full tank of gas.

re fuel: On road courses the starvation tends to happen on long, fast right-handers (to keep the fuel sway all one direction for a little while). I would suspect it would be less an issue in Auto-X as you don't have long fast sweepers, but I donno, I don't auto-X much. For a fast driver on sticky tires on a triggering road course, you have to completely fill the tank at the start of every session if you want to avoid it (or solve the problem with e.g. phunk's road race pump solution).

re oil: I don't think it's any more an issue for our car than any other. Longevity will be improved if you do something to aid oil pickup in corners without foaming it (overfilling will cause foaming...). Unfortunately there aren't a lot of available options to help with oil starve on this car, but on the upside I don't think we've seen any definitive cases of engine damage from oil starve either (well, without other causes). Be sure to use good oil and an oil cooler.

Keep it above 3/4 and you will have no issues. I think it would only pop its head on 180 degree right handers with a high g-load.

As far as oil, what you have read is correct. Don't overfill, don't underfill. Oil cooler is nice if the class allows, but you should be fine unless you take 4 or 5 back to back runs.

Tracy Ramsey