Hi all - first post here. I am considering a 2020 Vantage to be used primarily as a fun weekend car for my wife and I, but it would also see 2 or 3 HPDE track events a year.

Are any other owners here getting some track time in with their recent model vantages? Any issues to be aware of? I am aware the car has a wet sump rather than dry sump. Any issues with oil starvation?

I would not be using r compounds or setting record lap times, just keeping it on stock or similar tires for some occasional track fun. I have a Caterham setup for more dedicated track use and previously had a Cayman GT4 for some track fun.

Thank you!

 

How can I answer and be of no help? Oh let me count the ways...

I can't speak to the vantage engine design, but the DB9 with the extreme traceability to the Ford DURATEC series inherited their flaw of small oil passages from the heads back to the sump. In a really hard sustained turn it is possible to drain the sump, especially if you don't have it full. I suspect that most DB9 rod bearing failures are related to this effect as there is nothing more fun that taking an exit ramp / cloverleaf at speed. The ford guys will overfill by 1/2qt to a qt just to provide protection.

Other than that it's just the usual over rev/missed shift opportunities to eliminate the oil shear layer and/or have mr. valve meet mr. piston. Which as you know, given you own the ultimate track toy, is what the track provides in spades along with tons of smiles... Given the challenge of finding engine parts/long blocks I would be very careful on the track with any AM.. My brother who built/raced Porsches once shared that it isn't a matter of it it will blow up, it's just when, ideally when it's going into the trailer...

 

Wouldn't the same question apply to the MB AMG GT? Both the new Vantage & AMG GT are quite popular and successful as privateer and works sports cars. I do not believe they are doing anything special with the sump.

 

AMG GT have M178 engines with dry sump. AM has the M177 with wet sump.

That said, I have tracked the new vantage. No problem with a wet sump. I am sure there are oil baffles built in to prevent starvation.

 

I would not worry about the wet sump.
The Mustang GT500 is a beast on the track and it has a wet sump

 

For the DB9, it's not as much the wet sump that matters, it is simply a question of the oil getting stuck in the head because of the centripetal forces. If the oil makes it to the pan it will be sucked up. The DB9 and the GT500 both use about 12quarts but of course the V8 is 2/3rds the length so there is more oil in the sump because it's a v8. Quick turns don't seem to be the problem but sustained sweepers have been known to kill DB9s and Duratecs (you are having SO much fun on the clover leaf, and then you get the flicker of an oil pressure warning and Bang!). In any event, all theoretical for me in my Volante. I can't imagine taking it to the track given how flexible it feels. It feels really comfortable on a country road admiring the view and the easy turns. My M5 is a different story...