a few questions?

how do they work? how are they benefitial to the engine and car? are they difficult to install? Are they worth the investment since they seem to be nearly £700-£800?

Dry sump systems suck the oil out of the sump and keep it in a seperate tank. They liberate power on the principal that the crank won't be wacking around in a sump full of oil and also that you can run the crank under negative pressure.

The difficulty of installation depends on whether a system is available for your motor. A DIY design whilst not impossible is tricky.

Are they worth it? Depends on your availability of cash, which engine it is (ie some BEC engines you'll almost certainly need to DS for track action) and what you want to use the engine for.....

Another advantage is oil temperature control, extra volume of oil if you want it and zero oil surge problems. Oh - and you can get the engine lower improving vertical CoG, lowering vehicle profile in a scratch build and of course great bragging rights amongst petrolheads.

The disadvantages are cost, weight and complexity and consequently more risk of failure

Biggest advantage is elimination of oil starvation if cornering enthusiastically. Beware the cost of the "ancillaries" the hose fittings are priced way over the top and the cheaper industrial (like ones jcb et al use) are quite rerstrictive although they can be bored out.

You can bet on adding 100% on to the price of the pump to cover drive systems, tanks, fittings, remote filters, bypass, pipes etc etc.

Jolly good oil pressure though - oh and by the way they are a pig to change the oil and you need to carry more oil.

Forgot to mention the pipe fittings come in a multitude of threads and sizes which can be quite confusing if, like me, you are not familiar with them, not all types of fittings are made in all threads so you can end up with different threads and sealing systems all mixed up - not good.

[Edited on 25-10-08 by v8kid]

For me Ivan above as it pretty much spot on.

I have had a dry sump system fail, nothing is infallible.