You can order the Melling oil pumps ported with choice of high or low pressure spring. It's been recommended for most applications to go with the low pressure spring. Why not go high pressure? Is there some part of the oil system that could give out?

Seems to me higher oil pressure would be better for high rpm applications, because higher pressure should move more oil, providing superior lubrication.

I'm daydreaming and putting together a parts list for an LSX when I'm out of college. I'm talking ITB's, TFS 245cc heads, destroked. I want this thing to rev like a German straight-6, and I'm wondering what could go wrong from having to much oil pressure.

Comments?

 

Too high of oil pressure and all the oil will be up top and in the process, starving all your lower end of oil.

 

So I put an extra quart in there. Is that the only worry?

 

Personally, I would rather have high volume standard pressure than have high pressure and have to worry about starving the lower end in high RPM applications. But that's just my .02. Built a few engines in my time and don't usually go with the high pressure option. But with the LS based engines you can try it with the low pressure spring and if it's not to your liking it's not too bad to swap out the spring with the high pressure one.

 

For every 1000 rpm, you need 10 psi of oil.
If you are going to run to 8000, you need that high pressure spring to get 80psi @8000.

 

First off... oil PRESSURE has nothing to do with the quality of lubrication. The correct volume of oil going through the bearings and the quality of the oil are responsible for quality lubrication. This can be achieved with many different combinations of pump volume, oil viscosity, bearing clearances, etc.... but higher pressure will always take more HP to produce, leaving less power for the wheels, and it does not necessarily mean it will lubricate better than lower pressure. The old rule of 10 lbs/ 1000 RPM just doesn't hold anymore....... our SuperStock LS1 turns 8800 RPM with only 50 lbs of oil pressure and bearing life has been excellent. As always, it is a properly matched system of parts and oil that promote good engine life.

 

So a ported Melling with standard spring is all I need?