Skid plate supplier?

#1

I just learned that Factory 3 is out of business. Does anyone know of another supplier for a SpecE30 legal skid plate?

#2

try harrison motorsports.

#3

I think we need a rule change on Skid plates. A better design would be stronger and allow airflow to the oil pan. The rule ought to just say the max size of the plate, say “no other purpose”, and be done with it.

This is what the (NLA?) OEM skid plate looks like:
http://www.davelength.net/car/skidplate.html

There’s also folks selling some steel designs that seem reasonable.

I did some testing and found that the oil pan runs ~35deg cooler in hot weather with no skid plate. That cooler oil pan could be cooling a lot of oil. A skid plate that allowed air flow would give you that cooling.

#4

As of Thursday, Chuck still had a few and was still answering the phone.

#5

Ranger wrote:

[quote]I think we need a rule change on Skid plates. A better design would be stronger and allow airflow to the oil pan. The rule ought to just say the max size of the plate, say “no other purpose”, and be done with it.

This is what the (NLA?) OEM skid plate looks like:
http://www.davelength.net/car/skidplate.html

There’s also folks selling some steel designs that seem reasonable.

I did some testing and found that the oil pan runs ~35deg cooler in hot weather with no skid plate. That cooler oil pan could be cooling a lot of oil. A skid plate that allowed air flow would give you that cooling.[/quote]
I’m in complete agreement. Skid plates ought to be free.

#6

Is his phone # the same as the Factory 3 website?

#7

That’s what I called at and he told me about closing up shop.

#8

Unfortunately the website is down so I can’t access the phone #. Does anyone have it?

#9

Send me a PM and we can connect that way. I do have a few skidplates left and can make more if I need to. I can also continue to source the differential rebuild kits; that’s not a big deal either.

#10

[quote]Ranger wrote:

[quote]The rule ought to just say the max size of the plate, say “no other purpose”, and be done with it.

A skid plate that allowed air flow would give you that cooling.[/quote]
A non-solid skid plate would allow air flow. How about a non-solid skid plate with louvers that duct air toward the pan. Is that still “no other purpose”?
jlevie wrote:

This could be a slippery slope. “I want a really robust skid plate to protect my oil pan. Yes, it is tied to the subframe, rails and strut towers. But that is just to make sure it protects to the pan well, not for chassis stiffening purposes.”

Who has busted an oil pan with a Factory3 plate? It is designed to be protection, not absolute prevention.

I am having a hard time envisioning a 35 deg. drop in oil temps from increased air flow over a smooth oil pan. Was the testing back-to-back-to-back putting the plate on and off? If you started with no plate and measured later in the day with the plate, heat soak might have played a part.

#11

Steve D wrote:

[quote][quote]Ranger wrote:

[quote]The rule ought to just say the max size of the plate, say “no other purpose”, and be done with it.

A skid plate that allowed air flow would give you that cooling.[/quote]
A non-solid skid plate would allow air flow. How about a non-solid skid plate with louvers that duct air toward the pan. Is that still “no other purpose”?
jlevie wrote:

This could be a slippery slope. “I want a really robust skid plate to protect my oil pan. Yes, it is tied to the subframe, rails and strut towers. But that is just to make sure it protects to the pan well, not for chassis stiffening purposes.”

Who has busted an oil pan with a Factory3 plate? It is designed to be protection, not absolute prevention.

I am having a hard time envisioning a 35 deg. drop in oil temps from increased air flow over a smooth oil pan. Was the testing back-to-back-to-back putting the plate on and off? If you started with no plate and measured later in the day with the plate, heat soak might have played a part.[/quote]

Someone… I think Travis, had one of the F3P skid plates at Road Atlanta that was wadded up like a bow tie. His oil pan was untouched. It was impressive.

#12

I’ve managed to wear a small hole in mine over time, but still looks to be 100% functional.

#13

Steve D wrote:

[quote]
I am having a hard time envisioning a 35 deg. drop in oil temps from increased air flow over a smooth oil pan. Was the testing back-to-back-to-back putting the plate on and off? If you started with no plate and measured later in the day with the plate, heat soak might have played a part.[/quote]

I said oil pan temp, not oil temp. I don’t have data that shows oil temp with vs. without a skidplate, I have only oil pan temp which is different. What my data does show, however, is that if the oil pan isn’t getting air flow, the oil pan actually heats up the oil. That is to say, the oil pan is hotter then the oil is.

It’s already legal to weld in pieces that reinforce the front subframe. And the OEM skid plate is a pretty beefy piece. Clearly the OEM piece must be legal, even if it’s rare. And if it’s legal, it’s hard to win the argument of "skidplates should not be more beefy then 1/16th AL. In fact, all we’d have to do is state that the skid plate can only mount like Chuck’s does, and no matter how it’s made it won’t add as much stiffness as the OEM skid plate. The single mount point under the radiator is a design that allows a lot of flex.

#14

Ranger wrote:

[quote]What my data does show, however, is that if the oil pan isn’t getting air flow, the oil pan actually heats up the oil. That is to say, the oil pan is hotter then the oil is.
[/quote] :huh: Unless you have a fire under the pan, I fail to see how that is even possible.

[quote] Clearly the OEM piece must be legal, even if it’s rare. [/quote] Agreed, if it came from the factory that way. After all, the rules do not permit removing it.:wink:

#15

Looks like its still available.
http://www.pelicanparts.com/cgi-bin/smart/S-mart.cgi?command=add&weight=8.2&itemid=51-71-1-971-001-BOE&itemname=Front%20Aggregate%20Protective%20Skid%20Plate%2C%20E30%20(from%209%2F87)%20318i%2Fis%20M42%2C%20325e%2C%20325i%20%20%20Brand%3A%20Genuine%20BMW&itemprice=363.25&itemquant=1

Another site I found it on says its only 240$ from the dealer. Maybe its just NLA through BMW.

#16

Steve D wrote:

[quote]Ranger wrote:

[quote]What my data does show, however, is that if the oil pan isn’t getting air flow, the oil pan actually heats up the oil. That is to say, the oil pan is hotter then the oil is.
[/quote] :huh: Unless you have a fire under the pan, I fail to see how that is even possible.
[/quote]

My test was good so I stand behind the results. If anything, it under-represented the temp of the pan. The only thing that remains is understanding why. I’d say that the oil pan is a long ways from the waterjacket. So the lower half of the block is likely to get pretty hot. And that heat is transmitted to the pan.

#17

The oil pan has a lot of surface that is exposed to airflow if the “legal” skid plate isn’t used. If you have a skid plate it blocks the airflow and the pan temperature will be higher.

#18

jlevie wrote:

Yes, but the pan can only be as hot as the source of the heat, which is the oil. The pan cannot be hotter than the oil unless something else is heating it. If those “test results” are valid, I will eat my hat. Here we have another perceived problem based on faulty evidence.

#19

I don’t know what the right answer is but the pan could easily be heated by conduction from the bottom of the engine block, not just the oil.
bruce

#20

The block is hardly going to be any higher than the coolant temperature, which will be way lower than the 235F reported by Scott. The oil can, an usually is, hotter than the coolant and block becuase of friction in the bearing surfaces. I don’t yet have data from a Spec E30 engine (I will soon), but what I’ve seen on other engines is that oil temps can be way higher than engine temps.