06-28-2004, 10:18 PM
I would. Depends entirely on the car. Now for the street, on street tires, it's unlikely to be a concern in any car, just keep the oil topped off. But for autocrossing or driving schools and on up, certian cars DO have problems with oil starvation. Being a BMW guy for the time being, I know that the '92-'99 325, 328, 323, and M3's ALL suffer from oil starvation under certian conditions. Oh, throw the Z3's and M-coupes in there too. And this from a company that's supposed to make cars that are designed to be driven in these conditions! Most owners solve the problem by running a half quart over the top mark on the dipstick, I did the same and had no problems with mine. But I heard stories and heard from a few customers that were shopping for new engines and/or engine work, even in fairly new M's because they'd taken it to an autocross, slung it around, now their valves were making all kinds of noise, and they hadn't over-revved it. 
The '95 M3 Lightweight, which has the same engine as the regular M3 but is setup for track use, is the only one that came with a baffled oil pan, as well as dual pickups, most likely because BMW knew the stock oil system was a bit underdesigned for track use. And trust me, M3 owners are constantly on the lookout for these oilpans or copies... expensive insurance for their expensive motors. So it's definatly a concern for E36 BMW owners, but that's the only example I know of. I would definatly find out from people who track your car and know more about your motor if it's a concern or not. Fortunatly my little 318's oil system does not suffer from such maladies from those I've asked. :wink:
The '95 M3 Lightweight, which has the same engine as the regular M3 but is setup for track use, is the only one that came with a baffled oil pan, as well as dual pickups, most likely because BMW knew the stock oil system was a bit underdesigned for track use. And trust me, M3 owners are constantly on the lookout for these oilpans or copies... expensive insurance for their expensive motors. So it's definatly a concern for E36 BMW owners, but that's the only example I know of. I would definatly find out from people who track your car and know more about your motor if it's a concern or not. Fortunatly my little 318's oil system does not suffer from such maladies from those I've asked. :wink: