Don’t overlook the best valued part of any high-performance Miata engine build!
Part #: 0000-01-5311
Price: $44.00
Pressurized oil is the lifeblood of any engine, preventing wear due to friction on metallic engine components. Momentary loss of engine oil pressure may cause accelerated bearing wear or, in some cases, catastrophic failure may occur. This may be caused by oil sloshing away from the oil pump pickup due to the high lateral G-forces common to road racing. To counteract this problem, Jesse Prather Motorsports (JPM) has engineered a solution. It’s a simple baffle plate for Miata engines, but it may be the best value when creating a budget for engine parts.
“It’s a laser-cut piece that goes into a stock Miata oil pan,” Jesse Prather explains. “It goes underneath the stock baffle plates to help keep the oil down near the oil pump pickup in high-g-load corners. The whole idea is to keep the oil from sloshing away from that pickup. That plate helps keep the oil in the bottom of the oil pan. It’s very important for any wet-sump engine – every motor I do gets one, and I’ve sold tons of them.”
While it’s not legal in Spec Miata, it’s not really needed for SM cars anyway. But if the g-forces get much higher, it’s something to consider. “The Spec Miata guys are not allowed to run these baffles, and they do pretty well without it; but they’re also on D.O.T. tires. When you start putting slick tires on the car, you start increasing the g-loads … I would say anything over 1.5 gs is where that starts to kick in. Anything from Solo to track day cars to full-on race cars can utilize that baffle plate,” he says. The baffle plate is designed for the 1.6-liter engine, but will easily work in all 1.8-liter engines with a little bit of trimming.
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